A mysterious plant specimen discovered at Tawau Hills Park in 2014 has finally been confirmed as a new plant species by researchers from Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) after remaining unidentified in a herbarium collection for 12 years.
The newly identified species, Ardisia condensiflora, was officially published on May 26 in one of the world’s leading renowned botanical taxonomy journal, Phytotaxa (Vol. 758, No. 3).
The species was discovered and confirmed by researchers from the Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation (ITBC), UMS, Dr Avelinah Julius and Dr Timothy M.A. Utteridge from the Singapore Botanic Gardens and ITBC, UMS.
According to a statement by ITBC, the plant grows in shaded lowland MIXED dipterocarp forests and along riverbanks within the protected area of Tawau Hills Park.
“To confirm its status, detailed taxonomic and herbarium studies were carried out using specimens on loan from the Sabah Parks Herbarium.
“The process underlines the importance of herbarium collections and sustained institutional collaboration in bringing hidden biodiversity to light,” the statement said.
The studies found Ardisia condensiflora to be known only from Tawau Hills Park, making it endemic to Sabah.
Based on only two recorded collections, the species is considered rare and has been preliminarily assessed by the authors as Vulnerable (VU D2) under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List criteria due to its highly restricted habitat range, although it has yet to receive a formal IUCN listing.
Meanwhile, UMS Vice-Chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Kasim Hj. Mansor said Sabah’s forests remain among the world’s most valuable “living laboratories”.
“Discoveries like this prove that there is still much to explore, document and protect,” he said.
Dr Avelinah said the discovery serves as a reminder that Borneo still harbours many species yet to be documented by science.
“Scientific exploration, herbarium research and continuous conservation efforts are essential to ensure these species do not lost before they are even known to science,” she said.
The statement added that the publication was among the outcomes of a collaboration formalized through a Letter of Intent (LoI) between UMS and the Singapore Botanic Gardens, as well as ongoing research support from Sabah Parks through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ITBC, UMS.
Since 2017, Dr Avelinah has contributed to the discovery and confirmation of at least five new Ardisia species from the region.
