Himalayan plant species named Nimspurjae after mountaineer Nirmal Purja

A Himalayan plant discovered years ago now carries the name of Nirmal Purja, creating an unusual link between the climber and the mountains he loved.Nirmla Purja recently dies in an avalanche on Broad Peak. (Photo: PTI)The Himalayas have given mountaineer Nirmal “Nimsdai” Purja a lasting, unconventional tribute.A newly discovered plant species has been named after the popular mountain-climber who recently lost his life in a tragic accident while climbing the challenging K2 peak.Impatiens nimspurjae, a species of the touch-me-not family, was named in honour of the celebrated Nepali mountaineer. Nirmal Purja is pictured while talking at an event. (Photo: Reuters) The plant is endemic to western Nepal and grows in temperate forests and forest margins at an elevation of 2,800-2,900 metres. It was discovered by botanists Bhakta Bahadur Raskoti and Rita Ale, but that discovery did not come recently.The botanist duo collected the specimen above Moreni in Nepal’s Myagdi district in 2011. Researchers then took a decade to study the plant to see whether it was known, or a new discovery.The species was formally described in a 2022 paper, with Ale among the researchers involved. An image of the Himalayan plant that has been named after Nirmal Purja. (Photo: PLOS) The plant has now drawn renewed attention following Purja’s death in the avalanche on Broad Peak on July 31, 2026.WHO WAS NIRMAL PURJA?Purja became globally famous in 2019 after climbing all 14 mountains higher than 8,000 metres in six months and six days, breaking the previous record by a huge margin.His achievement was later featured in the documentary 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible. A woman offers a candle during a vigil to honour climbers, including Nirmal Purja. (Photo: PTI) Purja also became part of the first team to make a winter ascent of K2 in 2021.But his final expedition ended on Broad Peak, the world’s 12th-highest mountain at 8,051 metres, in the Karakoram range.An avalanche struck an international climbing team, killing Purja and other climbers.WHY WAS THE PLANT NAMED AFTER NIRMAL PURJA?Researchers said that the species was named to honour Purja's work promoting conservation and action on climate change.But the connection goes beyond Purja's efforts to shine a light on the planetary crisis, and the need to protect the environment. Nirmal Purja is pictured atop a mountain. (Photo: X) Through the Nimsdai Foundation, he supported initiatives aimed at protecting high-altitude environments, including the Big Mountain Cleanup, which focused on removing expedition waste such as discarded ropes, tents and oxygen cylinders from major peaks.The naming of the plant found atop the Himalayas is rather apt to celebrate and remember Purja’s relationship with the several mountains he climbed.Now, while the climber is gone, a small Himalayan plant carries his name, and links Purja’s extraordinary life among the mountains with the fragile natural world he also worked to protect.- EndsPublished On: Aug 19, 2026 15:49 IST