A rare flowering plant species found in South Thailand

Researchers have found a rare flowering plant species in southern Thailand’s Narathiwat province. A team of biology researchers from Chiang Mai University found the plant in an evergreen forest in Janae and Sukhirin districts.

The rare flowering plant belongs to the Annonaceae family, with the scientific name Phaenthuspiyae Wiya, Aongyong & Chaowaskul.

The organisation Thailand Science Research and Innovation described the plant in a Facebook post yesterday. The base of the flower’s petals is purple-brown. The petals are dark yellow when fully mature. The plant’s fruit is bright red, with each one holding a single seed.

Other plants in the same family have been used to treat eye diseases in Southeast Asia, the post said. There will now be further research to see if the new species can be used for this as well.

The researchers say the species needs to be conserved so that human encroachment doesn’t destroy it.

Phaenthuspiyae Wiya is not the only rare plant species that have been found in Narathiwat, Thai PBS World reported. A plant called Phaeanthus Lucidus Oliv has also been found in Narathiwat and Yala.

Thailand’s forests brimming with all sorts of quirky plants and animals. In January this year, a Thai Youtuber discovered a new tarantula species in a forest in the eastern Tak province. It is the only known tree-dwelling tarantula in Thailand, according to a researcher.