Researchers Bhakta Bahadur Raskoti and Rita Ale have discovered a new Himalayan flowering plant, Impatiens nimspurjai, in the Myagdi district of western Nepal. The species, found growing on moist slopes at an elevation of 2,800 to 2,900 metres above Moreni village, was formally described in 2022 after more than a decade of study. It has been named to honour renowned Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja, known as Nimsdai, who famously climbed all 14 eight-thousanders in just six months in 2019.
What Is Impatiens nimspurjai?
Impatiens nimspurjai, also recorded in scientific literature as Impatiens nimspurjae, is a newly described species of flowering plant belonging to the Balsaminaceae family. This family is commonly known as the touch-me-not or balsam family and includes only two genera, Impatiens and the single-species genus Hydrocera. The genus Impatiens is one of the largest genera of flowering plants in the world, with more than 1,000 species spread across Africa, Asia and parts of the Northern Hemisphere. In Nepal, these plants are locally known as tiuri.
The new species is an annual herb, which means it completes its life cycle from germination to seed production within a single year. It grows on moist, humus-rich slopes and along temperate forest edges where humidity and shade are high. Like other balsams, it has succulent stems, soft leaves and zygomorphic flowers, which means its flowers have only one plane of symmetry and a distinctive nectar spur at the base. The plant is part of a section called Racemosae within the genus, a group marked by many-flowered racemose inflorescences, which are flower clusters arranged along a central stalk.
The formal scientific description was published on 19 October 2022 in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE. The paper, titled A new species of Impatiens and updated checklist of Balsaminaceae in Nepal, was authored by Bhakta Bahadur Raskoti and Rita Ale of the Nature Research and Conservation Initiative, Banke, Nepal. The type specimen, which is the preserved reference sample that defines the species, was collected on 25 August 2011 and is deposited at the National Herbarium and Plant Laboratories (KATH) in Godavari, Nepal, with a duplicate at the Tribhuvan University Central Herbarium (TUCH) in Kathmandu. The species name was registered under the International Plant Names Index with the identifier urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77304428-1.
Where Was It Found? The Myagdi Himalayan Habitat
The plant was discovered above Moreni village in Dhawalagiri Rural Municipality-2 of Myagdi district, which lies in Gandaki Province in western Nepal. The exact type locality is recorded as 2800 to 2900 metres in elevation, in temperate forest and on damp slopes rich in organic matter. During field surveys in 2008 and 2011, researchers found only about 100 individuals spread across three small populations within an area of less than 9 square kilometres, which suggests the species has a very narrow range.
Myagdi is a striking Himalayan landscape that helps explain why such discoveries still happen there. The district covers about 2,297 square kilometres and is headquartered at Beni, where the Kali Gandaki River meets the Myagdi Khola. It rises from about 899 metres at Beni to 8,167 metres at the summit of Dhaulagiri I, the seventh highest mountain in the world and the highest peak that lies entirely inside Nepal. The Kali Gandaki Gorge, which cuts between the Dhaulagiri and Annapurna massifs, is one of the deepest gorges on Earth and forms a vital biological corridor between subtropical lowlands and the trans-Himalayan plateau.
Much of northern and eastern Myagdi falls inside the Annapurna Conservation Area (ACA), established in 1986 and now the largest protected area in Nepal. The ACA stretches across the Annapurna massifs and includes subtropical broadleaf forests at lower levels, temperate oak and rhododendron forests higher up, and subalpine birch and juniper scrub near the snow line. This sharp change in habitats within short distances makes the region a biodiversity hotspot, home to more than 3,430 plant species in the broader Gandaki river landscape. The district itself is already famous for trekking routes such as Poon Hill (3,210 metres), Ghorepani, Tatopani hot springs and the Dhaulagiri Circuit that crosses the French Pass at 5,360 metres. Such varied terrain creates isolated micro-habitats where new species can evolve and remain undetected for years.
How Was the New Species Identified?
The discovery was not an overnight finding. Botanist Bhakta Bahadur Raskoti, who has spent more than two decades documenting Nepal’s flora and is known for his work on orchids, first noticed the unusual plant during a botanical survey in 2011. He observed that its flowers and leaves did not match any known species of Impatiens recorded in Nepal. He photographed the plant and collected specimens for detailed study at the National Herbarium Laboratory and at Tribhuvan University.
Confirming a new species requires both morphological analysis, which means a close comparison of physical features such as leaf shape, petal structure and fruit, and molecular analysis, which looks at DNA to establish evolutionary relationships. Raskoti and co-author Rita Ale carried out this work over nearly a decade. Their 57-page study compared the plant with herbarium records across Nepal and beyond, and included molecular data to place it accurately within the genus.
The study also updated Nepal’s broader plant record. With this new species and five additional species recorded for the first time in Nepal, the checklist of Balsaminaceae in Nepal was revised to 57 species, of which 8 are endemic, meaning they are found nowhere else in the world. The five new records were Impatiens brachycentra, Impatiens cathcartii, Impatiens gammiei, Impatiens infundibularis and Impatiens sikkimensis, found in districts including Myagdi, Ilam and Taplejung. An identification key for all Impatiens species in Nepal was also provided to help future researchers.
How It Differs From Its Close Relatives
Within the genus, Impatiens nimspurjai is most closely related to members of section Racemosae, particularly Impatiens harae, Impatiens radiata, Impatiens wallichii and Impatiens urticifolia. All of these share features such as many-flowered racemose inflorescences, two lateral sepals (rarely four with the inner pair reduced), a linear capsule which is the elongated fruit that bursts to release seeds, and ovoid seeds.
However, the new species shows clear differences that justify its separate status. Its leaves are sessile, meaning they sit directly on the stem without a leaf stalk, and are oblong-lanceolate in shape, which means they are narrow and tapering to a point. The upper lobe of the lower united petal is not truncated, and the spur, which is the hollow, nectar-containing extension at the back of the flower, is flattened at the base rather than cylindrical. These small but consistent features, together with molecular evidence, confirmed that it is distinct.
The species is currently assessed as Data Deficient (DD) under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List Categories and Criteria. This tag means there is not yet enough information about its total population or range to place it in a more precise threat category. Researchers have flagged habitat disturbance from deforestation, trampling and overgrazing as the main potential threats.
| Feature | Impatiens nimspurjai | Close relatives in section Racemosae |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Sessile, oblong-lanceolate, attached directly to stem | Usually stalked (petiolate) |
| Lateral sepals | 2 (rarely 4) | 2 (rarely 4) |
| Lower united petal | Upper lobe not truncated | Upper lobe often truncated |
| Spur shape | Flattened at base | Not flattened |
| Capsule and seed | Linear capsule, ovoid seed | Linear capsule, ovoid seed |
| Habitat | Moist temperate slopes at 2800 to 2900 metres | Similar temperate Himalayan habitats |
Why Was It Named After Nirmal Purja?
The specific epithet nimspurjai honours Nirmal Purja, widely known by his nickname Nimsdai. The authors stated that the name was chosen to recognise his contributions to mountaineering and to high-altitude environmental conservation. The formal etymology in the original description notes that the epithet honours the mountaineer from Nepal, a phrasing that links the mountain landscape where the plant grows with the person who made that landscape famous worldwide.
Purja is not only celebrated as a climber but also as an advocate for keeping the mountains clean. Through the Nimsdai Foundation, established in 2022, he has promoted four pillars of work, education, environment, inspiration and disaster relief. Its flagship Big Mountain Cleanup campaign has removed more than 1,124 kilograms of waste from peaks such as K2 and Mount Everest, carrying down abandoned tents, oxygen bottles, food containers and old ropes that contaminate glacial water sources. The foundation also works on sustainable tourism, porter welfare through projects like porter lodges above 5,000 metres, and climate awareness. The researchers felt that naming a fragile Himalayan plant after him would carry both his name and his message of respect for the environment.
The connection has gained renewed attention in August 2026, when media reports highlighted the naming after Purja’s death in an avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan. While the scientific name was validly published in 2022, the story has resurfaced as a tribute, framing the small flower as a lasting botanical legacy for a climber whose life was tied to the same ranges.
Who Is Nirmal Purja?
Nirmal Purja was born in Myagdi district’s Dana village area in the lowlands of Gandaki Province and served for 16 years in the British military, including six years as a Gurkha and ten years with the Special Boat Service (SBS), a UK Special Forces unit. He rose to global fame through Project Possible, his mission in 2019 to summit all 14 peaks above 8,000 metres, known as the eight-thousanders or death zone peaks, in a single season.
He completed the feat in 6 months and 6 days, or 189 days, from 23 April 2019 (Annapurna) to 29 October 2019 (Shishapangma at 8,027 metres). The previous fastest time was nearly eight years, held by Polish climber Jerzy Kukuczka (7 years, 11 months, 14 days, completed in 1987) and later bettered by South Korean Kim Chang-ho (7 years, 10 months, 6 days, completed in 2013). In the process, Purja also set additional records, such as climbing Everest, Lhotse and Makalu within 48 hours and becoming a leader of the first winter ascent of K2 (8,611 metres) on 16 January 2021 with a team of nine Nepali climbers. He later established Elite Exped to guide clients on high peaks and featured in the Netflix documentary 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible.
Purja also served as a Mountain Advocate for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) from 2021 to 2023, using his platform to highlight how climate change is turning glaciers into lakes within a decade and threatening water supplies for millions downstream.
The Bigger Picture: Himalayan Biodiversity and Conservation
The discovery of Impatiens nimspurjai is significant beyond a single new name. The Himalaya is recognised as one of the world’s great biodiversity hotspots, and Nepal sits at the meeting point between the eastern and western Himalayan biogeographic zones, divided by the Kali Gandaki Valley. Its steep elevation gradient, from subtropical valleys to permanent snow, packs many climate zones into a small area, which encourages high endemism. Yet this richness is under pressure from deforestation, grazing, unregulated tourism and climate change.
For science, the find underlines how much remains undocumented. That a plant collected in 2011 took until 2022 to be confirmed shows the careful work needed to separate similar-looking species and the limited resources for taxonomic research in the region. The updated checklist of 57 species of Balsaminaceae, with 8 endemics, gives conservation planners a clearer baseline for protecting Nepal’s flora and for meeting national commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity.
For conservation, the species’ narrow range and Data Deficient status are warning signs. When a plant is known from fewer than 100 individuals in less than 9 square kilometres, even small disturbances can be critical. Protecting moist temperate forest edges, controlling grazing and ensuring that trekking growth around the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri routes does not degrade fragile slopes will be important if this species is to survive.
There is also a cultural link. Naming plants after notable figures is a long tradition in taxonomy that helps public engagement. A flower named for a mountaineer who cleaned the same mountains where it grows creates a natural story for travellers and students, connecting mountaineering heritage with botanical heritage. It reminds visitors that the Himalaya is not only a backdrop for summits but a living ecosystem where a single slope can hold a species found nowhere else on Earth.
Key Takeaways
- Impatiens nimspurjai is a new annual herb species in the Balsaminaceae (touch-me-not) family, locally called tiuri, described from western Nepal.
- It was discovered by botanists Bhakta Bahadur Raskoti and Rita Ale above Moreni in Myagdi district, Gandaki Province, at 2,800 to 2,900 metres, with the type specimen collected on 25 August 2011.
- The species was formally published on 19 October 2022 in PLOS ONE, and its type is housed at KATH (Godavari) with a duplicate at TUCH (Tribhuvan University).
- It belongs to section Racemosae and is distinguished by sessile oblong-lanceolate leaves and a spur flattened at the base, with two lateral sepals, linear capsule and ovoid seeds.
- The name honours mountaineer Nirmal Purja (Nimsdai), who climbed all 14 eight-thousanders in 6 months and 6 days (189 days) in 2019 under Project Possible and led the first winter ascent of K2 in January 2021.
- With this discovery, Nepal’s checklist of Balsaminaceae was updated to 57 species, including 8 endemics, and the new species is currently assessed as Data Deficient by the IUCN due to its narrow range of less than 9 square kilometres and about 100 known individuals.
