An Unknown Species of Tree Is Discovered in the Philippines
In the Philippines, it's not unusual to discover new species of small plants and animals. But discovering an entirely new species of tree in this age is an exceedingly rare milestone.
Filipino scientist Edwino S. Fernando, a professor at UPLB, and Australian scientist Peter G. Wilson of the Australian Institute of Botanical Science, confirmed the discovery of a new species of Tristaniopsis in the Myrtaceae family, whose other species include makopa, guava, and eucalyptus, among others. They published their discovery in the Telopea: Journal of Plant Systematics.
Tristaniopsis flexuosa Leaves
The scientists were conducting fieldwork on Dinagat Island when they came across a very unusual tree that was unknown to science. It was not a very tall tree, but it had a smooth bark with distinct colorings. Its branches also had a prominent wavy growth pattern, prompting the scientists to name it flexuosa, which means “full of bends” in Latin.
“Tristaniopsis flexuosa does not show clear affinities to any other Philippine species. Morphologically, it most nearly approaches Tristaniopsis elliptica, a species from Borneo that occurs on ultramafic substrates at some locations, particularly in the vicinity of Mount Kinabalu,” the researchers said in their paper published in Telopea.
Discovered in a Dwarf Forest
According to the researchers, the new species was discovered in a dwarf forest in Mount Redondo in the province of Dinagat Islands.
A dwarf forest or pygmy forest is a very rare ecosystem featuring miniature trees—geographic and biological circumstances cause the trees in the area to become “dwarfed.” Tristaniopsis flexuosa itself stands at only three meters tall.
Tristaniopsis flexuosa Flowers
During the scientists’ extensive survey of the island, they only found very few individual trees of the the Tristaniopsis flexuosa species.
“Its Extent of Occurrence is less than 100 square kilometers and its Area of Occupancy less than 10 square kilometers,” wrote the scientists. Because of this very limited distribution, the Tristaniopsis flexuosa falls under the “Critically Endangered” category in the IUCN Red List.
Sitting on Top of a Rich Mineral Deposit
Tristaniopsis flexuosa occurs in an area of ultramafic substrate—a region of the earth’s crust that has the same makeup as the earth’s mantle. This means precious metals and minerals are present on Mount Redondo.
The scientists warned of serious risks to the survival of the new tree species, especially if mining will be allowed on the mountain.
Tristaniopsis flexuosa on Mount Redondo
“The Mount Redondo area is still within a mineral reservation (for chromite and associated mineral deposits, including nickel) and parts of it have previously been subjected to open-pit mining for chromite. The species will be at serious risk should mining be allowed to continue on this site,” the authors wrote in their published paper.
Tristaniopsis flexuosa is officially endemic to the Philippines and is only found on Mount Redondo.
View the full study on Tristaniopsis flexuosa.
