A new species of Argostemmateae (Rubiaceae) has been discovered in Agusan del Norte, Philippines, and it has been named after UST’s 96th Rector, the Very Rev. Fr. Herminio V. Dagohoy, O.P., PhD.
Mycetia dagohoyana was discovered by the team led by Prof. Grecebio Jonathan D. Alejandro, Dr. rer. nat., of the Research Center for the Natural and Applied Sciences. Joining Alejandro were Ulpiano P. dela Bajan, Jr., Jorge Anton D. Ordas, and Danilo N. Tandang.
According to the abstract of the article announcing the discovery, “A new species of Argostemmateae, Mycetia dagohoyana, thriving in the moist humus soils in open areas of Agusan del Norte, Philippines, is described and illustrated. This new species resembles M. javanica but is distinct by its densely strigose leaf blades, 9−11 mm stipules that are attenuate at apex and glabrous adaxially, subsessile inflorescences in congested thyrse, 2−3 mm calyces that are cupuliform and puberulous, shorter (1–2 mm) and puberulous corolla lobes, and smaller (5−6 mm in diam.) and sparsely hirsute fruits.”
The new discovery was published in the ISI-listed journal Phytotaxa, volume 292, issue 1.
Alejandro and Ordas are faculty members of the Department of Biological Sciences of the College of Science, while dela Bajan is a student of the UST Graduate School. Tandang is with the Philippine National Herbarium of the National Museum of the Philippines.
