BackSociety » Environment » New Flowering Plant Species Confirmed in Central Vietnam Nature Reserve

New Flowering Plant Species Confirmed in Central Vietnam Nature Reserve

If you discovered a new plant, what would you call it?

Tuoi Tre reports that a flowering plant discovered in the Phong Dien Nature Reserve in Thua Thien-Hue Province over a year ago has officially been recognized as a new species. The species has the scientific name Deinostigma serratum F.Wen, L.N.Tuan & D.Dien and belongs to the Deinostigma W.T.Wang & Z.Y.Li genus of the Gesneriaceae family.

The name comes in part from Le Ngoc Tuan, director of the Thua Thien-Hue Province Forest Protection Department, who discovered the flower in December 2020 with colleagues from the Central Institute of Scientific Research, the University of Agriculture and Forestry under Hue University, and China's Guangxi Institute of Botany. Currently, the plant's main samples are being kept at the Vietnam Museum of Nature. 

Within Phong Dien, the research team found specimens of the plant on wet cliffs around waterfalls and streams near the Rao Trang River. They sent DNA from the plant to research institutes around the world to determine whether it was a new species. "This is extremely exciting news not only for scientists but also for forest conservationists like us, as it demonstrates the biodiversity of the Phong Dien Nature Reserve," Tuan told the news source. 

As with many newly discovered species, Deinostigma serratum is already threatened, having been listed as "Vulnerable" under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. 

[Photo via the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Thua Thien-Hue]

Related Articles

Michael Tatarski

in Environment

Scientists Confirmed 91 New Species in Vietnam in 2020, WWF Report Shows

A new report from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) highlights just how biodiverse the Greater Mekong region remains, even as major threats continue to impact flora and fauna populations.

Michael Tatarski

in Environment

Huế's Fantastic Herbs and Where to Find Them, Now in Book Form

Have you ever walked past a plant and wondered "Hey, I wonder what that could do?"

in Environment

5ha of Coastal Protection Forest Destroyed by Solar Power Project: 'It Was an Accident'

While carrying out site clearance for a solar power project in Binh Dinh Province, workers unlawfully destroyed a large swath of local coastal protection forest.

in Environment

A New Mantis Species in Vietnam Was Named After David Attenborough

If you've ever stared into nature and had the calming voice of an elderly British man enter to narrate the scene, you are probably a David Attenborough fan.

in Environment

Hanoi Students Create Green Material From Durian Rind to Aid Oil Spill Cleanup

A group of university students has created an aerogel material from durian rind which can help clean up oil spills.

in Environment

In Ninh Thuận, a Bamboo Scientist Builds the 'Great Green Wall' to Protect the Soil

In Ninh Thuận Province, not far from the South-Central Coast, Dr. Diệp Thị Mỹ Hạnh, a botanist, is growing a "wall" of bamboo.

Partner Content