In March 2024, the description of a new species of flowering plant from the Philippines was published in Phytotaxa.
π½πππ€π£ππ π©ππ£ππͺππ£ππ£π¨ππ¨
Distribution/habitat: Tanauan City, Batangas, southern Luzon, Philippines
Endemic: Yes
Distinctive traits: π. π΅π’π―π’πΆπ’π―π¦π―π΄πͺπ΄ has a few similarities with a ππ¦π¨π°π―πͺπ’ species from eastern Luzon, π. π€π©πͺπ―π¨πͺπ±π¦π―π¨πͺπͺ. Both plants have light pink flowers, fleshy green leaf blades (laminae), and boat-shaped bracts (leaflike structures), but π. π΅π’π―π’πΆπ’π―π¦π―π΄πͺπ΄ differs from π. π€π©πͺπ―π¨πͺπ±π¦π―π¨πͺπͺ in that it has no prominent white midrib and veins on the top side of its leaves. The leaf edges of π. π΅π’π―π’πΆπ’π―π¦π―π΄πͺπ΄ are smooth, unlike π. π€π©πͺπ―π¨πͺπ±π¦π―π¨πͺπͺβs, which has tiny hairs. Moreover, the stipules (paired appendages near the leaf base) of π. π΅π’π―π’πΆπ’π―π¦π―π΄πͺπ΄ are only partly keeled (folded along the middle, like a boat), while π. π€π©πͺπ―π¨πͺπ±π¦π―π¨πͺπͺβs are prominently keeled. Lastly, π. π΅π’π―π’πΆπ’π―π¦π―π΄πͺπ΄ has no thick and wooly (tomentose) hair covering under its leaves and stalks, which the leaves of π. π€π©πͺπ―π¨πͺπ±π¦π―π¨πͺπͺ possess.
π. π΅π’π―π’πΆπ’π―π¦π―π΄πͺπ΄ has only been found growing on moist boulders near a waterfall, within a lanzones plantation. It has been observed to bear flowers and immature fruits from February to March and dried capsules in May.
Conservation status: Critically Endangered
Described by: Mark Angelo Bucay, Danilo Tandang, and Kuo-Fang Chung
Etymology: Its species name, π΅π’π―π’πΆπ’π―π¦π―π΄πͺπ΄, references its place of origin.
Significance
Aside from its βrestricted and severely fragmented distribution,β the existence of π. π΅π’π―π’πΆπ’π―π¦π―π΄πͺπ΄ is also threatened both by human activities (e.g., people bathing or doing their laundry near the area, nearby land conversions) and Taal Volcanoβs activity. The description of π. π΅π’π―π’πΆπ’π―π¦π―π΄πͺπ΄ brings hope not just for increased environmental awareness, but perhaps more importantly, for a stronger commitment from all stakeholders β including the government and the general public β to protect and support research efforts in vulnerable areas where these novel species reside.βMF
Reference:
Author: Mikael Angelo Francisco
Bitten by the science writing bug, Mikael has years of writing and editorial experience under his belt. As the editor-in-chief of FlipScience, Mikael has sworn to help make science more fun and interesting for geeky readers and casual audiences alike.
