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Bhekal, bhekali, bekoi is the vernacular term given to a moderate-sized underutilized deciduous shrub known as Prinsepia utilis Royle, widely distributed in the Himalayas at 1000-3000 msl., occurring frequently in open, sunny, dry places, rocky talus slopes, roadsides and in degraded hills. The genus belongs to Family Rosaceae comprising four species all over the world, among only P. utilis occur in India.

Albinism in plants is characterized by partial or complete loss of chlorophyll pigments and incomplete differentiation of chloroplast membranes. This is a very common problem encountered in interspecific crosses and tissue culture experiments including anther culture and generation of doubled haploids. This impairs photosynthesis and the plants eventually die at a young stage without reaching maturity. Environmental conditions such as light, temperature, media composition and culture conditions may key factors in determining the frequency of albino plant formation. This short communication reports the first instance of albinism recorded in Prinsepia utilis Royle. An albino seedling was observed during the standardization of nursery techniques.