Rare plant rediscovered in Mount Apo park

MANILA, Philippines —  A rare plant has been rediscovered in Mount Apo Natural Park after 122 years, according to field reports by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Davao Region yesterday.

The discovery was made by the Protected Area Management Office (PAMO) team during routine wildlife monitoring activities.

While retrieving camera traps along a forest trail, the team spotted a tiny flowering plant that caught their attention despite its minute size.

After careful examination, the specimen was identified as Ophiorrhiza biflora, a Philippine endemic species first collected in Mount Apo in October 1904 by American botanist Edwin Bingham Copeland.

Belonging to the Rubiaceae family, which includes coffee, gardenia, mussaenda and santan, O. biflora has also been recorded in Benguet and Negros.

However, the Mount Apo specimen represents the first successful photographic documentation of the species, marking a significant milestone in Philippine botanical research.

The DENR-Davao Region said the rediscovery is highly significant as it confirms the continued survival of a Philippine endemic species that had not been documented in Mount Apo for over a century.

This also reinforces Mount Apo Natural Park’s status as one of the country’s important biodiversity hotspots and further strengthens its bid for UNESCO Global Geopark recognition, the regional office said.