In March 2024, the description of a new species of flowering plant from the Philippines was published in Taiwania: International Journal of Biodiversity.
๐ฝ๐๐๐ค๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ค๐ข
Distribution/habitat: Mt. Tingtingan, Sitio Tingtingan, Badong, Tago, Surigao del Sur
Endemic: Yes
Distinctive traits: ๐. ๐ฎ๐ข๐ต๐ข๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฎ shares some characteristics with ๐. ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ช๐ต๐ฐ๐ต๐ข๐ฏ๐ช๐ช (another ๐๐ฆ๐จ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ช๐ข species in Surigao), including smooth, erect stems and leaves with serrated outer edges and sparsely distributed white spots. Its most noteworthy characteristic is that its staminate (male) and pistillate (female) flowers have different colorsโpale pink and yellowish-green, respectivelyโwhich is uncommon for a ๐๐ฆ๐จ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ช๐ข plant. It has been observed to bloom and bear fruit during the peak of the dry season, from April to May.
Conservation status: Data Deficient (DD); it is only known from the type locality, and is in an area that is not under the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) of the Philippines.
Described by: Freddie Blasco, Grecebio Jonathan Alejandro, Danilo Tandang, and Rosario Rubite
Etymology: Its species name is from โan archaic Bisayan word […] which means beautiful, lovely, unique, and rare,โ a reference to the different colors of its flowers.
Significance
Due to what the authors described as the โpeace and order situationโ in the area, only the base of Mt. Tingtingan has been explored. The inland forest has yet to be closely studied. The discovery and description of ๐. ๐ฎ๐ข๐ต๐ข๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฎ emphasizes both the potential to find new species in the area and the urgency of protecting such biodiverse spaces.โMF
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.
