7 New Types of Plants Discovered in Indonesia

TheIndonesia.id - The Research Center for Plant Conservation and Botanical Gardens - the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) found seven new types of plants in Indonesia. The majority are classified as ornamental plants.

"The seven new species are Hoya batutikarensis, Hoya buntokensis, Dendrobium dedeksantosoi, Rigiolepis argentii, Begonia robii, Begonia willemii and Etlingera comosa," said Head of Research Center for Plant Conservation and Botanical Gardens Sukma Surya Kusumah, in a press release, Jakarta, Sunday, January 2, 2022.

In addition, the sub-species Zingiber ultralimitale sub-species mataromeoense were also found.

The Biological Sciences Research Organization (OR IPH) through the Research Center for Plant Conservation and Botanical Gardens will continue to explore and identify plant species from their natural habitats.

"With the discovery of this new species, Indonesia's biodiversity increases. This discovery also provides information regarding Indonesia's rich biodiversity and supports further research related to its sustainable use," he said.

Wisnu Handoyo Ardi, a researcher at the Research Center for Plant Conservation and Botanical Gardens, said Begonia is one of the largest genera of flowering plants. It is known that there are 2,052 species of Begonias spread across the world's pantropical regions. Indonesia is estimated to be one of the areas where Begonia is rich, in particular Southeast Asia, which currently has 243 species.

However, this number will continue to grow as more and more forest areas in various regions in Indonesia become the target of exploration. "Efforts to conserve and disclose new types of Begonia are actively carried out by BRIN and currently have succeeded in conserving more than 100 types of Begonias from various regions in Indonesia," said Wisnu.