Search

A new mistletoe species, Amylotheca cleofei, from Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary, Davao Oriental in the southern Philippines, is herein described and illustrated, representing a new species and genus record for the country. This species differs from other known Amylotheca species in terms of its distinctive reproductive and vegetative characters.

Hypericum perryongii, from Mindanao Island, Philippines, is herein described and illustrated. This new taxon closely resembles both H. geminiflorum and H. formosanum but can be easily distinguished from the former by its larger corolla and calyx lobes and higher number of stamens per fascicle, and from the latter by its terminally 1-flowered inflorescences and the subsessile and abaxially glaucous leaves.

A new species, Dilochia deleoniae Tandang & Galindon (Orchidaceae), from Mindanao Island, Philippines is described and illustrated herein. This species is distinct from other known Philippine Dilochia species by its terrestrial habit and is distinguished from all known Dilochia species by its monopodial inflorescence, rarely branching in two, and a pale yellow to dull orange or brownish-yellow labellum devoid of purple spots.

The Philippines is both a megadiversity country and a global biodiversity hotspot. The diversity patterns of three major plant groups were assessed: (1) trees (trees and palms), (2) herbs (grasses, shrubs, forbs, ferns), and (3) epiphytes (climbers and epiphytes), by determining the changes in compositional and species richness patterns in two forest conditions, i.e., remnant forests and exotic tree species-based reforested areas, in active forest over limestone quarries in the Luzon and Mindanao biogeographic sub-regions of the Philippines. We identified 458 species comprising 266 tree species, 95 herbaceous species and 97 epiphyte species. Of these, 21 species were categorized as threatened species. Species composition differed between remnant forests and exotic tree species-based reforested areas for tree species and epiphyte species, while composition differences between the Luzon and Mindanao biogeographic sub-regions were limited to tree species only. Differences in species diversity (in terms of richness) were observed between biogeographic sub-regions for all plant groups, while differences between forest conditions were found for tree and epiphyte species only. Interestingly, there were significantly fewer numbers of exotic species in bigger remnant forest sites and in older exotic tree species-based reforested sites, while larger numbers of native species occurred in older than in younger exotic tree species-based reforested sites. The results emphasize the importance of understanding forest recovery in disturbed ecosystems. Conservation attention should focus on protecting remaining forests and planting native species as part of a forest restoration strategy to enhance faster forest recovery and re-connecting remnant forest patches.

The Philippine tarsier (Tarsius syrichta) is a charismatic species that is threatened by illegal hunting and deforestation. Although they occur in forest and disturbed habitats, ecological information about them is still considerably lacking, which consequently hampers our ability to effectively protect tarsiers from further endangerment. Here, we characterized a 36-ha forest fragment in Mindanao Island where a population of tarsiers persist, and assessed the factors that could have influenced their distribution within the area. We sampled trees (> 1 cm DBH) within 10 × 10-m sampling plots (N = 54), which were established within 1-ha grids (N = 32) and locations where tarsiers were captured (N = 22). The habitat was characterized as a regenerating forest over limestone, with a generally homogeneous structure in terms of tree species richness, abundance, mean DBH, and height. In both sampling plots, we found an abundance of trees below 5 cm in DBH (> 50%) and between 2.6 and 5 m in height (> 40%), which, accordingly, the tarsiers appeared to prefer to use when foraging or sleeping. Lianas were among the most important features of the forest, possibly being a keystone structure in such habitats. Community assemblage, species richness, and mean height of trees, as well as distance to the forest edge, were found to be significant factors that influenced tarsier distribution in the fragment. Our study provides basic yet critical information on the habitat and ecology of Philippine tarsiers in Mindanao, and highlights the importance of forest fragments with rich flora diversity to the survival of the species.

A new species of Rafflesia (Rafflesiaceae) from Luzon Island, Philippines, Rafflesia consueloae Galindon, Ong & Fernando, is described and illustrated. It is distinct from all other species of Rafflesia in its small-sized flowers, the upright perigone lobes, and prominently cream-white disk surface that is often devoid of processes. Its small-sized flowers, with an average diameter of 9.73 cm when fully expanded, make it the smallest of the largest flowers in the world.