Described: 12 Jul 2024 at 05: 07
NEWSPAPER SECTION: News
A Chiang Mai University research group has found a new branch in Satun and named it” Chalermprakiat” to mark His Majesty’s 72nd day.
The new types of Ylang Ylang, or Cananga trees, known for its fragrant blossoms, was discovered in a hole in Tham Thalu bunker in La-ngu city of Satun state.
The grotto is a part of the Satun Geopark, which Unesco deemed Thailand’s first world geopark.
The finding was made public on July 5 in the global scientific book Phytotaxa.
The research team was backed by the Office of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, the Thailand Science Research and Innovation ( TSRI), and the Science Research and Innovation Fund.
Tanawat Chaowasku, a researcher who led the group, said the fresh Cananga tree variant may grow up to eight feet high and has cream-coloured plants.
The internal petals are fused at the center and cut at the edges, opening spaces between the flowers that reveal the petals and pistils.
This specific construction, coupled with its rarity– just 15 to 20 specimens have been identified– makes the Chalermprakiat extraordinary, he said.
Therefore, restoration efforts are necessary to stop the plant from extinction, according to Mr. Tanawat, adding that flavonoid and bioactivity studies should be carried out in order to develop it as a medicinal plant.