For Pichan M Salim, the forests of the Western Ghats have served as a classroom, laboratory and lifelong source of knowledge. The Wayanad-based field parataxonomist has spent decades identifying, documenting and conserving plant diversity, developing an extraordinary understanding of botanical species despite leaving formal schooling at an early stage. His work has supported scientific research, helped identify new plant species, recorded rare geographical occurrences and contributed to efforts to preserve native genetic diversity.
Salim’s journey into plant science began in 1997, when he was selected as one of 20 local youths for a parataxonomy training programme conducted by the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation in Wayanad. He joined the organisation the following year and began working in agro-biodiversity conservation. Over time, he acquired the ability to identify more than 2,000 botanical names and became a valuable field collaborator for researchers studying the Western Ghats and its plant habitats.
His contributions have grown steadily over the years. Earlier profiles by the research foundation credited him with helping discover eight new species and documenting several new plant records. More recent accounts have attributed 23 new plant species, more than 10 new geographical records and over 53 scientific publications to work involving him. His field-based knowledge has allowed researchers to locate rare plants, distinguish between closely related species and understand the ecological conditions in which they survive.
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Salim’s work has also received formal recognition. He was presented with the Plant Genome Saviour Award for 2020-21 by President Droupadi Murmu in September 2023. He has additionally received honours such as the Kerala State Biodiversity Board Award and the Vanamithra Award. His contribution has extended beyond collecting specimens, as he has helped bridge the gap between traditional field knowledge and formal botanical research carried out by scientists and institutions.
Two plant species have been named after him, reflecting the importance of his contribution to taxonomy. The orchid Seidenfadeniella salimii, first described from the Western Ghats of Kerala, was named in his honour and is now treated by Kew’s Plants of the World Online under the accepted name Cleisostomopsis salimii. Another species, Impatiens salimii, also carries his name and is recognised as a plant native to Kerala. These scientific names acknowledge his role in collecting specimens and supporting the documentation of plant diversity.
Among his notable recent contributions was the rediscovery of Campbellia aurantiaca, a rare parasitic flowering plant that had not been credibly recorded for more than 175 years. The plant was found in Wayanad’s Thollayiram region by a team involving Salim and researchers from India and Sri Lanka. The species had originally been documented by Scottish botanist Robert Wight near Naduvattom in Tamil Nadu in 1849, but its identity had later been confused with Christisonia bicolor. The taxonomic findings were published in the Kew Bulletin in December 2025. Salim was also involved in the description of Dioscorea balakrishnanii, a new wild yam species from the southern Western Ghats, in August 2025.
His conservation efforts continue at his own homestead in Athimoola, Wayanad, where he has developed an in-situ and ex-situ bio-conservatory. The collection reportedly contains 614 traditional and wild plant varieties, including rare and threatened species, wild relatives, wild ornamentals and cultivated genetic variants. Plants such as Bulbophyllum aureum and Medinilla malabarica are among those preserved there. Salim’s journey demonstrates how sustained observation, local ecological knowledge and years of fieldwork can make a major contribution to modern science, even outside conventional academic pathways.
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