Guwahati, July 24 -- A newly identified ginger lily species from Northeast India has been named Hedychium zubeengargianum in honour of late Assamese singer Zubeen Garg, recognising his contributions to music, cinema and environmental conservation.

The new plant species, part of the Zingiberaceae family, was discovered by a team comprising Dilip Kumar Roy of Birjhora Mahavidyalaya under Bongaigaon University, along with Rikertre Lytan and Nripemo Odyuo from the Botanical Survey of India (BSI), Shillong.

Researchers first came across the fragrant, cream-white ginger lily in 2018 at the BSI botanical garden in Shillong.

After conducting detailed taxonomic studies over several years, they established that the plant was a distinct species p...