Two new plants species native to Singapore discovered

“Incidentally, the two new Hanguana plant species have red and white berries, our national colours. At SG50, they are nature’s timely gift to us,” says National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan in a blogpost.
Channel NewsAsia 4 Jun 15;

SINGAPORE: Two new species of plants native to the Republic – Hanguana rubinea and Hanguana triangulata - have been discovered by researchers at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, announced National Parks Board (NParks) on Thursday (Jun 4).

Hanguana is the only genus in the small plant family Hanguanaceae, and its species are flowering herbs which are often confined to the understorey of primary forests. The two new species are not only native to Singapore, but can only be found here, said NParks.

“The Hanguana species has not been studied extensively previously,” explained NParks. “The genus Hanguana (Hanguanaceae – Commelinales) was until recently believed to be represented in Singapore by a single species, Hanguana malayana.

“The discovery of the Hanguana rubinea and Hanguana triangulata is unique in that there were at least 25 existing herbarium records of Hanguana at the Singapore Botanic Gardens Herbarium, some of them dating more than 100 years old. However, all previous herbarium records of this group of plants collected from Singapore were mistakenly identified as Hanguana malayana, a common misconception due to the lack of study of the genus Hanguana.”

Following more research, NParks has now established that there are at least six species from the Hanguanaceae family in Singapore.

“Finding any new species in heavily urbanised Singapore is almost a small miracle, in part because of our land area and also because Singapore’s flora has been so densely researched in Southeast Asia,” said the taxonomist behind the discovery Jana Leong-Skornickova.

“Yet, the discovery of these new Hanguana species shows that tropical floras, including that of Singapore, are richer and more complex than we generally presumed.”

Minister of National Development Khaw Boon Wan said in his blog on Thursday that these new discoveries “testify to the importance of biodiversity research”, as “it allows us to better understand our local flora and fauna”.

“Incidentally, the two new Hanguana plant species have red and white berries, our national colours. At SG50, they are nature’s timely gift to us,” he added.

Khaw also said that visitors to Bukit Timah or MacRitchie would have passed the plants multiple times without realising it, as they are sometimes situated close to walking paths.

- CNA/ek

Two species of plants new to science discovered in Singapore
Today Online 4 Jun 15;

SINGAPORE — Two new species of plants, which are new to science and can only be found in Singapore, have been discovered here by researchers at the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

The discovery of the Hanguana rubinea and Hanguana triangulata is unique, said the National Parks Board (Nparks) in a press release today (June 3).

This is because there were at least 25 herbarium records of Hanguana at the Singapore Botanic Gardens Herbarium — some dating more than 100 years old — but all previous records were mistakenly identified as Hanguana malayana due to lack of study of the genus Hanguana, said NParks.

“With field surveys conducted at our nature reserves and areas and through the study of fresh as well as existing herbarium material, researchers from NParks have established that there are at least six species from the Hanguanaceae family in Singapore,” added NParks.

The Hanguana rubinea is named for its ruby-red, dark pink fruits that produce yellow juice when disturbed. It has been found to grow in four locations here: Bukit Timah, Mandai, MacRitchie and Seletar. The species is considered critically endangered at the national and global levels due to its endemic status.

The Hanguana triangulata is named for the sharply triangular shape of the stigma, which is the female part of the flower. It can only be found in two locations, Bukit Timah and Seletar. It has very low numbers of adult individuals, and is considered critically endangered at the national and global levels due to its endemic status.

Last year, NParks and staff from the National University of Singapore independently discovered another species of Hanguana, the Hanguana neglecta — a small primary forest herb with black berries native to Singapore and extending to Johor, Peninsular Malaysia. It is considered locally endangered and globally vulnerable. Immediate conservation and propagation works are ongoing for the Hanguana plant family.

Said taxonomist Jana Leong-Skornickova, who is behind the new discovery: “Finding any new species in heavily urbanised Singapore is almost a small miracle, in part because of our land area and also because Singapore’s flora has been so densely researched in South-east Asia.

The discovery shows that tropical floras are “richer and more complex than we generally presumed”, Dr Leong-Skornickova added.

National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan wrote in a blog post: “With the discovery of the Zingiber singapurense (a ginger) last year, we now have three plant species found nowhere else in the world. These discoveries prove that size does not matter when it comes to biodiversity.”

“Incidentally, the two new Hanguana plant species have red and white berries, our national colours. At SG50, they are nature’s timely gift to us,” he said.

New species of plants native to Singapore discovered in Botanic Gardens
Andrew Goh AsiaOne 4 Jun 15;

SINGAPORE - Two new species of plants have been discovered here by researchers at the Botanic Gardens.

The Hanguana rubinea and Hanguana triangulata are new to science and can only be found in Singapore.

They grow in the understorey of primary forests and were first located in the Botanic Gardens.

Their discovery is unique in that there were at least 25 existing records of their family Hanguana at the Botanic Gardens Herbarium, some dating back to more than 100 years.

However, the Hanguana species was not studied extensively and was believed to be represented in Singapore by a single species, Hanguana malayana.

With field surveys conducted at Singapore's nature reserves, and through the study of fresh and existing herbarium material, researchers at the National Parks Board (NParks) have established that there are at least six species from the Hanguanaceae family in Singapore.

Said Jana Leong-Skornickova, the taxonomist behind the new discovery: "Finding any new species in heavily urbanised Singapore is almost a small miracle, in part because of our land area and also because Singapore's flora has been so densely researched in South East Asia.

"Yet, the discovery of these new Hanguana species shows that tropical floras, including that of Singapore, are richer and more complex than we generally presumed.

"Continued effort towards documenting and fully understanding the richness of Singapore's biodiversity is required to ensure that we correctly identify the conservation statuses of the native flora that is present on our island."

With the discovery of Hanguana rubinea and Hanguana triangulata, Singapore now has 3 species of endemic plants whch cannot be found anywhere else.
The third is the Zingiber singapurense, a ginger which grows at the Central Catchment Area Nature Reserve.

The discovery and rediscovery of plant species at Singapore's nature reserves and other nature areas is an indication that Singapore still contains many thriving habitats for biodiversity, said NParks.