Monkey-faced flower among 4 new plant species discovered in Thailand
Researchers have discovered four new species of the Microchirita plant growing in the limestone hills of Saraburi, Rayong and Lopburi
The recent discovery of four new species of the flowering plant, Microchirita (Gesneriaceae: Didymocarpoideae) has shaken the world of botany, especially since one of them looks like a monkey’s face.
Atthapol Charoenchansa, director-general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP), said the discovery has been published in the 52nd volume of the Thai Forest Bulletin (Botany) and was available online on October 8.
Atthapol said the four new species were found on the limestone mountains in Saraburi, Rayong and Lopburi.
He said the most interesting finding was Microchirita simia, whose purple and yellow flowers resemble a monkey’s face. This species was found in Lopburi and its Thai name is Yad Vanom Pak or “monkey face dewdrop”.
Attapol said the discovery was made as part of the Flora of Thailand project carried out by DNP researchers, namely Naiyana Tetsana, Pachok Puudjaa, Theerawat Thananthaisong, Kunanon Daonurai, Kerkwit Poompayak and Somran Suddee.
The four species have also been verified by Dr David Middleton, a specialist on Gesneriaceae, Atthapol added.
He added that the discovery of the four new species proved that Thailand is the centre of Microchirita plants, which has a genus of about 50 species and can be found in India, Myanmar, South China, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Java and Borneo (Middleton et al, 2023). Of the 50-plus species, 41 can be found in Thailand, he said.
As for the four new species, the DNP chief added that they are on the brink of extinction as they can only grow in specific conditions, hence conserving the limestone mountains where they were found was very important.
The four new species are:
- Microchirita simia: Flowers resemble the face of a monkey when viewed from the front. This species was found in the limestone hills of Lopburi’s Muang district.
- Microchirita orathaiae: Named after Orathai Kerdkaew, an illustrator who has contributed to the Flora of Thailand project, this species can be found in the limestone hills of the Khao Chamao district of the Rayong province.
- Microchirita puglisiae: This species has distinctive, long, narrow leaves and is found in the North of Thailand.
- Microchirita radiata: This species has a unique radial arrangement of its flowers and is found in the South of Thailand.
