Progress on Southeast Asia’s Flora projects

Abstract

is a region of high plant diversity with an estimated 50,000 flowering plant species. Estimates of plant diversity in the region continue to grow as large numbers of new species are described even though there have been suggestions that there are few new species to be Gard. Bull. Singapore 71 (2) 2019 268 found in some parts of Southeast Asia. It is likely that most estimates of species numbers in the countries of Southeast Asia are too low due to the lack of taxonomic work on groups which have many locally endemic species. Differing collecting densities across the region can profoundly affect our understanding of plant diversity and lead to large underestimates of species diversity in poorly collected countries and regions. Progress on each of the major Flora

Contributions to the flora of Myanmar from 2000 to 2019

“…From 2000 to 2017, around 1400 new and newly recorded taxa were published from Yunnan province, southwestern China ( Du and Ma, 2019a , 2019b ). Between 2011 and 2017, almost 3000 new species were described from Southeast Asia: 417 species from the Philippines, 116 species from Sumatra, 450 species from Thailand, 530 species from Vietnam, 465 species from New Guinea ( Middleton et al, 2019 ), 231 new taxa from Laos, and nearly 350 new taxa from Northeast India (data retraced from IPNI). If the estimate of 16,000 species in Myanmar ( Middleton et al, 2019 ) is correct, then the 540 new or newly recorded species added in the last 20 years is only a small fraction of the ca.…”

“…The largest family in the Myanmar flora is Orchidaceae, and the largest genus is Rhododendron ( Table S2 and S3 ). However, many more species are likely to exist and recent estimates of the total number of vascular plants (including ferns and lycophytes) was on the order of 16,000 species ( Middleton et al, 2019 ). Since British botanists, such as F. Kingdon-Ward, J. H. Lace, George Forrest, and F. G. Dickason, made botanical surveys over half a century ago, no comprehensive floristic surveys have been conducted in Myanmar and there are still many large areas with incomplete or non-existent botanical investigations ( Tanaka, 2005 ; Ruchisansakun et al, 2018 ).…”

“…To understand and conserve the plant diversity of Myanmar, the Myanmar Forest Department has recently initiated botanical expeditions in collaboration with several international institutions, including the Southeast Asia Biodiversity Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS-SEABRI), Smithsonian Institution, Makino Botanical Garden, New York Botanical Garden, Korean National Institute of Biological Resources, and National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo ( Middleton et al, 2019 ). Many taxa new to science as well as many new records for Myanmar have been found (e.g.…”

Resolving the relationships of the enigmatic Sapotaceae genera Beauvisagea and Boerlagella, and the position of Planchonella suboppositifolia

“…Despite 200 years of collecting activities in this remarkably rich region, many species remain poorly known, often from less than a handful of gatherings. For example, of the 359 species of Gesneriaceae in Southeast Asia, 188 (52%) are represented by no more than five collections (Middleton & al., 2019). While such statistics are not available for the plant family Sapotaceae, many species from the region have been described using incomplete material, which has frequently resulted in long‐standing taxonomic issues.…”

New species and new records of Artabotrys (Annonaceae) from peninsular Thailand

“…Although Thailand is considered to be well known botanically, there remains an upward trend in the number of plant species described from Thailand (Middleton et al 2019). This is also the case for Annonaceae, particularly in peninsular Thailand where new Annonaceae species are continuously added to the baseline of 39 species listed in Craib (1925).…”