Homalomena renda (Araceae), a remarkable new species from the rainforests of Jambi, Sumatra

From Firenze University Press Journal: Journal of Plant Taxonomy and Geography (Webbia)

Arifin S.D. Irsyam, Herbarium Bandungense, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Institut Teknologi Bandung

Muhammad R. Hariri, Research Center for Biosystematics and Evolution, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN)

Ade A. Setiawan, Jungle Plants Farm

Homalomena of Sumatra represent a highly promising area for fur-ther exploration and taxonomic classification. As of now, a total of 38 spe-cies have been documented from the Sumatran region (POWO 2024; Irsyam et al. 2025a; Irsyam et al. 2025b). Recent studies have concentrated on the Homalomena species within the ‘Chamaecladon Super Group’ (Ng et al. 2011). Over the past twelve years, many novel species within this group were described from the island (Boyce and Wong 2012, 2013, 2016a, 2016b; Wong et al. 2020; Irsyam et al. 2025a, 2025b).In July 2024, our observations led to the identification of a previously unrecorded mesophytic species of Homalomena from Jambi Province. By November 2024, it was discovered that this species had been circulating for a period as an ornamental plant on social media, commonly referred to as Homalomena “Renda”. Upon closer examination, the species was found to exhibit several distinctive morphological traits that set it apart from other Homalomena species from Sumatra, notably H. cristata Alderw. (Alderwelt 1922). This manuscript provides a formal detailed taxonomic description of this newly recognized novel species.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/jopt-17435

Read Full Text: https://oaj.fupress.net/index.php/webbia/article/view/17435