New plant species discovered in Guangxi

Researchers from the Guangxi Institute of Botany have announced the discovery of a new plant species belonging to the hiptage benghalensis genus, also known as fengzhengguo genus, found along the banks of the Lijiang River in Guilin, Guangxi. The discovery has been published in the journal Ecology and Evolution.

In April 2023, the institute's team for karst plant diversity conservation and sustainable utilization in Southwest China and the Indochina Peninsula surveyed endemic plant populations along the Lijiang River when they identified a potential new species from the hiptage benghalensis genus.

Following morphological comparison and molecular phylogenetic analysis, the research confirmed that this species had never been recorded. It was named Yangshuo Fenzhengguo after its type locality, Yangshuo county in Guilin.

Researchers noted that the species is currently only known to grow on the karst rock formations along the Lijiang River, and its population is minimal. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) criteria, it qualifies as critically endangered.

In recent years, ongoing ecological restoration and conservation efforts in the Lijiang River basin have provided favorable conditions for discovering new species.