NEW PLANT SPECIES DISCOVERED IN THE PHILIPPINES IN 2020
THE PHILIPPINES has long been known as a center of biodiversity. Just last year, new plant discoveries in the country were published in international scientific journals, adding to the extensive list of flora endemic to its shores.
The plants were discovered and/or published by members of the Philippine Taxonomic Initiative (PTI), a non-profit, non-government organization dedicated to autonomously advancing the discovery and documentation of the country’s plants and animals. Here they are:
Amorphophallus caudatus
Though discovered and collected as far back as 1911 in
Todaya, Mt. Apo, The original specimens of Amorphophallus longispathaceus was lost during World War II when the National Herbarium was destroyed, making it quite difficult to identify the species. A preserved specimen was recently re-discovered in the New York Botanical Garden herbarium through the investigation of Raab Bustamante. Aside from the Mt. Apo, it has also been observed as far north as Isabel in Luzon and as far south as Misamis in Mindanao. It is one of 17 species of Amorphophallus endemic to the Philippines. These findings were published in Webbia, the Journal of Plant Taxonomy and Geography.
Amorphophallus longispathaceus Though discovered and collected as far back as 1911 in Todaya, Mt. Apo, Amorphophallus longispathaceus wasn’t published until this year due to a lack of information until a preserved specimen was rediscovered in the New York Botanical Garden herbarium. Aside from the mentioned places, it has also been observed in Isabela, Zambales, Samar, and other provinces across the archipelago. It is one of 17 species of Amorphophallus endemic to the Philippines. The findings were published in the Journal of Plant Taxonomy and Geography.
Begonia beijnenii
Begonia beijnenii is endemic to the municipality of San Vicente, Palawan. It is characterized by its small size, pink flowers, and attractively patterned leaves. It is named after Dutch environmentalist Jonah van Beijnen, who first documented it in 2012 during a trek along a river in the seaside town of Port Barton. This species is the 24th that has been discovered in Palawan.
Begonia cabanillasii First Documented in 2017, Begonia cabanillasii is one of three Begonia species endemic to El Nido-Taytay Managed Resource Protected Area in Palawan. John Michael Agcaoili of the PTI, one of the authors of the paper published in international scientific journal Phytotaxa, described the discovery in a previous article in Manila Bulletin: “It has a unique 5-winged ovary which is the type of characteristic that can only be found in Palawan species. This is also the third species known to have such character within Section Baryandra.” The species is named after field researcher William “Will” Cabanillas in acknowledgement of his role in the discovery of many species endemic to Palawan.
Begonia caramoanensis
Begonia caramoanensis was discovered by Raab Bustamante in 2016 growing in the limestone formations of Caramoan Natural Park Protected Area. Unlike most of the brightly coloured species of this mega-diverse genus, B. caramoanensis’ dark olive green, almost black leaves an adaptation to absorbed as much light as it can in the deeply shaded limestone crevasse which this species thrives in. This discovery highlights the need to include rarely
habitats are often exploited by mining to extract the metal content from the soil, destroying the rich site-specific biodiversity of such habitats.
Dilochia deleoniae First discovered in 2016, Dilochia deleoniae is a new species of orchid found in the Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary in Mindanao. According to the research article, it can be differentiated from others of its species by its “monopodial inflorescence, rarely branching in two, and a pale yellow to dull orange or brownish-yellow labellum devoid of purple spots.” It can be found in pygmy forest systems, which are characterized by high elevation and poor soil, and is home to small types of flora and fauna.
Dendrochilum ignisiflorum
The orchid Dendrochilum ignisiflorum was discovered by Maverick Tamayo in the mossy forests of Mount Komkompol in the Upper Agno River Basin Resource Reserve (UARBRR) in Benguet. Its name is a combination of the Latin words “ignis” (fire) and “flores”
(flower), in reference to its brightly colored flowers. It is endemic to Luzon, and is one of around 120 species of Dendrochilum found in the Philippines, 94% of which are endemic to the country.
Medinilla ultramaficola Medinilla ultramaficola was documented in Central Palawan the 1980s but has only recently been recognized as a new species. The shrub is about two feet tall and belongs to the second largest genus in the family Melastomataceae, which contains about 400 species. It was named after its highly specific, mineral rich habitat. Its discovery was published in the journal Systematic Botany. The same paper covered the discovery of M. simplicymosa, which was worked on by researchers from the University of the Philippines-Los Banos.
Melastoma malabituin
Named after the star-like trichomes of its hypanthium, the new species of Melastoma was first documented by John Michael Agcaoili in the lowland forests at the foot of the Sierra Madre mountain range in Isabela. It is one of the 12 Melastoma species currently found in the Philippines. M. malabituin differs from the recently discovered M. yiianthum K.M.Wong in that, among other things, it has longer stalks and five-veined instead of seven-veined leaves. The discovery was published in the journal Phytotaxa.