New plant species discovered in Thailand named after Blackpink’s Lisa

The discovery of a never seen before plant in Thailand has been named after Blackpink star Lalisa “Lisa” Manoban.

A previously unknown flowering plant, belonging to the Annonaceae family, has been discovered by a team of researchers at Chiang Mai University’s Faculty of Science and dedicated to the Thai-born K-pop singer Lisa.

In recognition of the Thai-born K-pop star, the researchers have named the plant Friesodielsia lalisaeDamth, Baka & Chaowasku.

The plant was found among samples collected from Narathiwat, a southern province of Thailand, Bangkok Post revealed.

The research project, led by Thanawat Chaowasku, aims to study the taxonomy and evolution of rare and unknown plants in the Annonaceae family in Thailand, with support from the Thailand Science Research and Innovation Office and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation.

One of the team members was motivated by Lisa to pursue her doctorate degree.

Lisa and Blackpink are set to make history this week by headlining Coachella on April 15 and 22, becoming the first Korean act to do so.

Blackpink, alongside headliners Bad Bunny and Frank Ocean, is one of three main headliners for the famous two-weekend festival, which will take place April 14 through 16 and April 21 through 23 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California.

With 54.6 million Instagram followers, 8.8 million Twitter followers, and 22 million monthly Spotify listeners, Blackpink is one of the best-selling K-pop girl groups of all time.

The group consists of four members – Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa, and Rosé – and debuted in 2016 with the hit song “Boombayah,” which reached No. 1 on the Billboard world digital song sales chart.

Blackpink has released a number of successful albums and singles, including “Ddu-du Ddu-du” and “Kill This Love,” which helped the group gain international fame.

“Ddu-du Ddu-du” became the most-viewed music video in its first 24 hours by a K-pop group, while “Kill This Love” garnered 56.7 million views in the same timeframe.

The group has collaborated with several renowned artists, such as Dua Lipa, Lady Gaga, Cardi B, and Selena Gomez, and has toured across the globe, including stops in the US during the “In Your Area” world tour in 2019 and the “Born Pink” world tour in 2022.

The group’s name, Blackpink, was chosen as it represents their feminine and fierce personalities.

In 2019, Blackpink was the first female Korean group to be featured on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia. The group was also named Time’s Entertainer of the Year in 2022.

The band courted controversy the last time they played in Thailand with fans booing a Thai royal anthem.