Researchers from the Southern Institute of Ecology (SIE) have discovered a new floral species in the Bidoup–Nui Ba National Park in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong.

  Billolivia longipetiolata species. 

They found the new species during a survey in the park in early 2012. A sample was sent to the Edinburgh Royal Botanic Garden (Scotland, UK) for analysis by molecular biology.

The tests determined that this species is completely new. It belongs to a new genus of the Billolivia longipetiolata species that had not been known before.

The new genus is named by the SIE as Giang Ly, after the name of the first place to find the standard species for Billolivia – a characterized ecological zone at a height of 1,700m in the national park.

The newly-discovered genus of Billolivia longipetiolata species G is regarded as the standard species for the new genus of Giang Ly - Billolivia.

Billolivia is the compound name of two famous botanists of the 20th century – Brian Laurence Burtt and Olive Hilliard. They are among the first people who have ever questioned the identification of similar specimens collected from Vietnam.

After other surveys, Vietnamese scientists have also confirmed at least five species of the genus Giang Ly-Billolivia. All of them are new to science, including four species found in Da Lat and the remaining species found in the Bu Gia Map National Park in the central province of Binh Phuoc.

The study was published in the Phytotaxa Journal in New Zealand this March.

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