Guwahati: Long after his voice fell silent, Zubeen Garg’s bond with nature has found new life in the delicate, fragrant blooms of a ginger lily.A newly identified species of ginger lily from the northeast has been named Hedychium Zubeengargianum in honour of the Assamese music icon, recognising his decades-long contribution to art and advocacy for nature conservation.The discovery has been documented in the peer-reviewed journal Phytotaxonomy by researchers Dilip Kumar Roy, Rikertre Lytan and Nripemo Odyuo. The researchers described the plant as a distinct species after years of observation and detailed morphological analysis, distinguishing it from its closest known relative, Hedychium Gracile .“Garg’s steadfast commitment to environmental conservation was truly commendable. We have been listening to his songs since our childhood, and he has always been a source of inspiration,” said Roy, one of the authors and an assistant professor of Birjhora Mahavidyalay’s botany department.“In honour of his love for nature, we have kept him amid nature as a tribute to his enduring legacy,” he added.Belonging to the Zingiberaceae family, the compact perennial herb grows up to 55cm tall. It is characterised by dark green leaves with purple undersides and delicate, fragrant creamy-white flowers borne on slender spikes. It also possesses several distinctive botanical traits, including smooth ligules, a densely hairy flower-spike axis, creamy-yellow filaments and bright yellow anthers.Roy said the new species was first noticed in 2018 during routine maintenance at the Botanical Survey of India’s eastern regional centre in Shillong, Meghalaya. Although its original habitat remains unknown because no collection records exist, researchers monitored the specimen and repeated observations confirmed that its unique features remained consistent across generations.This is the second plant species to be named after Zubeen this year.Earlier this year, another flowering plant, Osbeckia zubeengargiana, was named after the singer. It was discovered in the grasslands of Manas National Park in Assam’s Baksa district during botanical surveys conducted between 2021 and 2025. The species was documented by researchers Barnali Das, Namita Nath and Prasobh Pulpra of NSS College, Kerala. The study was published in the scientific journal, Phytotaxa, on March 13, 2026.
