India Becomes World's 28th Country To Be Included In Sakura Map

Scientists from Manipur have discovered a new "Cherry Blossom" species, which they called "Prunus dinabandhuana" as a token of respect for scientist Dr. Dinabandhu Sahoo's outstanding contributions.

The Cherry Blossom, commonly known as "Sakura," is the national flower of Japan and a great inspiration for the Japanese people, and India had become the world's 28th country to be included in the Sakura Map.

The "Cherry Blossom" is currently accessible in six of the eight northeastern states, excluding Assam and Tripura, due to Sahoo's eight-year-long effort. Dr. Sahoo, a professor in the Department of Botany at the University of Delhi (DU), planned and organized India's first "Cherry Blossom Festival" in Shillong in November 2016, which drew lakhs of people and evolved into an international event that has been running for the last six years.

Scientists Biseshwori T and Jenifer M from the Imphal-based Institute of Bio resources and Sustainable Development (IBSD) discovered a new plant species called "Cherry Blossom," as according Dr Avitoli G. Zhimo, Assistant Director, Centre for Himalayan Studies at DU.

As a token of appreciation and gratitude for Sahoo's extraordinary efforts, the new plant species was named 'Prunus dinabandhuana' (Family Rosaceae) after his first name.

The plants can grow up to 25-30 metres tall in deep mixed evergreen forest, and unlike Japanese Cherry Blossom, which blooms between March and April, this new species blooms in November, according to Zhimo.

He stated that their new findings were recently published in the most current edition of the prestigious International scientific journal Annales Botanici Fennici, Helsinki, Finland. Sahoo told IANS over the phone that Cherry Blossom, also known as Sakura in Japanese, is a symbol of peace and tranquillity.

He stated that the Cherry Blossom festivals draw millions of people from all over the world to Japan and the United States during the months of March and April, producing millions of dollars in income.