Trang chủAccording to information from the Institute of Tropical Biology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, three rare plant species have been discovered in Nui Chua National Park (Ninh Thuan province): Memecylon longipedunculatum, Nui Chua Phyllanthus niruri, and Nui Chua Longipedunculatum.
Memecylon longipedunculatum, belonging to the Melastomataceae family, is a small woody tree, up to 5 m tall. Leaves are opposite, small, thick, slightly succulent, with a blunt or sometimes notched apex, and a slightly prominent midrib on the underside. Flowers are small, bluish-purple, growing in cymose clusters at the end of branches or in the leaf axils; the calyx is bell-shaped, the petals are broadly triangular with pointed tips. The fruit is a spherical berry, turning dark purple when ripe.
Memecylon longipedunculatum. Photo: Tien Phong Newspaper
Nymphanthus adenophorus Tk.Yamam., Tagane & V.S.Dang – Mountain Lord’s Phyllanthus, is a low-growing, creeping shrub, monoecious; branches are reddish-brown. Leaves are alternate, leaf blades obovate to broadly elliptical, sometimes nearly round, reddish-gray when young, turning green when mature. Flowers grow in the leaf axils, unisexual; male flowers grow singly or in clusters, pink to purplish-red; female flowers grow singly, purplish-red. The fruit is a capsule, nearly spherical, purplish-red, smooth.
Mountain Lord’s Phyllanthus. Photo: Tien Phong Newspaper
Wrightia nuichuaensis Tagane & V.S.Dang – Mountain Lord’s Heart, a shrub about 3 m tall, with a smooth stem containing white latex; young branches are yellowish-brown to reddish-brown, glossy, older branches turn gray with small rough spots. Leaves are opposite, oblong or inverted elliptical, dark yellowish-green on the upper surface, dull yellowish-brown on the lower surface, both surfaces smooth and glossy. Inflorescences are terminal, cymose, bearing 3-13 flowers, with drooping pedicels when in bloom; calyx is green, with 5 pointed lobes, margins covered with short hairs; corolla is orange-red, broad ovate lobes, margins slightly curved and inverted when fully bloomed, with a characteristic layer of small seeds on the outer surface.
The three newly discovered plant species all have a narrow distribution range, mainly limited to the Nui Chua National Park (Ninh Thuan), one of Vietnam’s important ecological regions. The discovery of these three new plant species is of significant importance in the conservation of ecosystems and rare plant genetic resources, and enriches Vietnam’s biodiversity treasure.]