A new species of flowering creeper has been found in Tak province and its discovery published in an international journal on botany, according to Sermpong Nualngam, of Protected Areas Regional Office 16 in Mae Sariang district.
Mr Sermpong said the plant was of genus Grewia in family Malvaceae, but of a previously unknown species. It was found in the forest of Tha Song Yang district in the northern province of Tak on Sept 20, 2020.
A sample was sent to Prof Pranom Chantaranothai of the Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Khon Kaen University, for help identifying the species. It did not match with any species on record.
The plant was later declared a new species and given the botanical name Grewia thailandica Chantar & Nualngam. The term "thailandica" indicates it was found for the first time in Thailand. Its indigenous name is ปอยาบเลื้อย (Por Yab Luay), a creeper.
Por Yab Luay is endemic to Thailand and found only in Tak's Tha Song Yang district. The plant grows in evergreen forest at around 690 metres. It flowers from March to May and fruits between April and November, according to the announcement.
