MANGILAO (UOG) — An estimated 86% of land-dwelling species on Earth are yet to be described, according to a study in PlOS Biology, but with a newly published paper in
Published December 12, 2020, 11:00 AM
Donna A. Apolinario, MD
The discovery of a new “spectacular, stunningly beautiful” orchid species in the Philippines was announced today, bringing new excitement to the fields of horticulture, biology, and conservation. The orchid was discovered in Bukidnon by Dr. Miguel David de Leon, a retinal surgeon and field biologist from Cagayan de Oro, and was named
Aerides upcmae, after Dr. de Leon’s alma mater, the University of the Philippines College of Medicine.
The new species was published in the Orchideen Journal by Dr. de Leon along with co-authors Martin Motes, Jim Cootes, and Derek Cabactulan. “There are more than 1,100 orchid species in the Philippines and only 11 of these are Aerides species,” according to Cabactulan, “but