An 8-foot-7-inch flower has been spotted by park rangers at the Masungi Georeserve in Baras town of Rizal province.
The endemic Amorphophallus rostratus flower species, one of the world’s tallest flowers, was found by rangers to have a “slightly unpleasant smell” when the flowers bloomed.
The Masungi Georeserve, a United Nations award recipient, shared on social media on June 14, 2020, that park rangers found the 8’7″ tall flower while doing their maintenance work.
The park rangers reported the sighting and Kuya Romeo, who is an indigenous ranger, confirmed the native flower species is locally known as “biga”.
The tall flower species is known for producing beautiful and large bell-shaped flowers, some of the world’s largest, but with a distinct smell.
The Masungi Georeserve has recorded as least three Amorphophallus species growing in its more than 3,000-hectare conservation area.
Newly discovered species in different parts of the Philippines have been making headlines recently.
In May 2020, a Filipino-led research team discovered a new species of helmet orchid in the mountains of Palawan island.
In April, new sea star species were discovered in the waters off Balut Island in Davao.
A newly discovered mud cleaner worm species in Iloilo was found to have a good environmental impact for cleaning coastal and fishpond areas as well as having potential for an economical and sustainable food source for crab and shrimp breeders and farmers.
SEND CHEERS in the comments below to the Masungi Georeserve community for finding a new flower species.
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