Two new species of Ormosia, Ormosia yangjiangensis and Ormosia taishanensis, have been formally described by a team. This team is led by Chen Yousheng, a researcher at the South China Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The findings were published recently in the international journal Phytotaxa.
Ormosia yangjiangensis
Both species are found in the Pearl River Delta and neighboring areas within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Under China's list of national key protected wild plants, all Ormosia species are protected, meaning that the two newly described species are classified as national second-class protected wild plants.
Ormosia taishanensis
Ormosia yangjiangensis, mainly found in Yangxi County, Yangjiang, also has a small population in Enping, Jiangmen. It is a small evergreen tree with relatively large flowers and flattened legumes. Three wild populations are currently known, with fewer than 500 mature individuals. The species has been assessed as Endangered (EN) under the criteria of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Ormosia yangjiangensis
Ormosia taishanensis
Ormosia taishanensis, found in three wild populations in Taishan, Jiangmen, has fewer than 100 mature individuals and is assessed as Critically Endangered (CR).
The two species are currently under ex-situ conservation at the South China Botanical Garden, which has also established a germplasm repository with one of the world's most diverse collections of Ormosia species.
Author | Huang Xinying
Photos | Nanfang Plus
