Discovering and describing a new species from Lam Dong Province, Vietnam

05/01/2023

Under the scientific research cooperation on the plant diversity and medicinal plant resources in Vietnam, botanists from Mien Trung Institute for Scientific Research, VAST (Vietnam), Malabar Botanical Garden and Institute for Plant Sciences (India), and Institute of Applied Technology, Thu Dau Mot University (Vietnam) discovered and described a new plant species, namely Billolivia lamdongensis Hareesh, T.A. Le & D.D. Nguyen, from Central Highlands Vietnam. The specific epithet refers to the type locality (Lam Dong Province) of the species.

The result has been pubished on Ann. Bot. Fennici. 58: 73–77.

(sekj.org/anbf_new.html)

Genus Billolivia is an endemic genus of Vietnam, with 14 species recognized. B. lamdongensis is the 15th known species in this genus. B. lamdongensis (Gesneriaceae) is described and illustrated from Central Highlands, Vietnam.

It resembles B. vietnamensis but differs from the latter in having short hairs on the adaxial surface of the lamina; ovate-lanceolate bracts; linear calyx lobes 3/4 length of the corolla tube; a white corolla with a yellow throat and a dark purple patch between the upper lips on both surfaces; and fruits with pubescence all over.

The plants grow in moist sloping regions in the evergreen understory patches on rocky crevices besides streams and waterfalls.

Billolivia lamdongensis. —Habit. (Photographs by Danh Duc Nguyen)

Source: Vadakkoot Sankaran Hareesh, Danh Duc Nguyen, and Tuan Anh Le (2020). Billolivia lamdongensis (Gesneriaceae), a New Species from Vietnam. Annales Botanici Fennici 58(1-3):73-77, ISSN 0003-3847. Link: https://doi.org/10.5735/085.058.0112.

News: Le Tuan Anh, Mientrung Institute for Scientific Research, Vietnam National Museum of Nature, VAST
Link to Vietnamese version