New flora found in Kutai national park

New flora found in Kutai national park

BONTANG, East Kalimantan: A researcher team of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) found eight species of new plants in the Kutai National Park (TNK) in East Kutai Regency, some 200 kilometers north of Samarinda, East Kalimantan.

The eight new plants that have gained confirmation from the Bogor Botanical Garden's authorities are dillenia borneensis (locally known as maligara, doispyros borneensis (kayu arang), baringtonia macrostachia (putat), eurycoma longifolia (pasak bumi), potoxylon melagangai (ulin), koorsiodendron pinnatum (tebu hitam) and dimocarpus cinerea (letup).

Luther Papalangi, chief executive of the national park, said in a press release here on Friday that the new plants were discovered when the LIPI team comprising of Syamsul Hidayat, Tasrodin, Eddy Junaedi, Elli Syafei, Hasyim and Udin conducted a floral exploration at the national park in April. --JP