New species of wild garlic discovered at Seven Fairy waterfall in Phong Dien

According to Mr. Le Ngoc Tuan, Director of the Thua Thien - Hue Forest Protection Department, during the investigation in the local area within the framework of the Biodiversity and Plant Resources Conservation Program, the Thua Thien - Hue Forest Protection Department and its associates discovered a new plant species belonging to the genus wild garlic.

Previously, in February 2022, while setting up camera traps in sub-zone 7 of Phong Dien Nature Reserve,the forest protection officer and staff encountered a species of garlic with beautiful flowers growing on the cliffs at the top of Seven Fairy waterfall, near Rao Trang river.

After collecting samples and collaborating with experts from the Vietnam National Museum of Nature, Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry, Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy and Moscow State University (Russia), the wild garlic species was announced to the world as a new species.

This new plant species was named Phong Dien forest garlic (scientific name - Aspidistra Phongdiensis), belonging to the Asparagaceae family. Phong Dien wild garlic (A. Phongdiensis) is morphologically similar to A. khangii garlic but differs in wider leaf blade, white outer perianth, yellow pollen, unique anthers and pistil.

With this special perianth structure, this new wild garlic species has been described and named after Phong Dien Nature Reserve, the only place where the presence of this species has been detected so far.

"This new discovery was published in the specialized journal Phytotaxa on March 30, 2023. The standard sample is currently stored at the Vietnam National Museum of Nature," said Mr. Le Ngoc Tuan. 

Together with the discovery of the Deinostigma serratum species near the area of Rao Trang in 2022, the discovery of Phong Dien forest garlic further demonstrates the biodiversity value of this area. “There are still many rare species of plants and animals that have not been studied and explored. The discovery of new species increases the motivation for forest rangers and the Nature Reserve to work hard in order to research and protect this area as well as the entire ecosystem of Thua Thien - Hue province," said Mr. Tuan.

Previously, the Deinostigma serratum species was also discovered at the top of the Seven Fairy waterfall, in sub-zone 71, Phong Dien Nature Reserve, near the Rao Trang hydroelectric area and was also announced as a new species for science in 2021. According to the field survey's data, this species is considered near-endangered (VU, D2) according to the IUCN Red List's criteria and thus needed to be protected.