THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Davao Region (DENR-Davao) has rediscovered, after 122 years, Ophiorrhiza biflora, a rare flower documented in the Mount Apo Natural Park (MANP).
DENR-Davao said that the discovery was made by the Protected Area Management Office (PAMO) of MANP. The plant was discovered during the office’s routine wildlife monitoring activities.
“The rediscovery is highly significant as it confirms the continued survival of a Philippine endemic species that had not been documented in Mount Apo for over a century,” the office said on June 30, 2026.
The office said that during the monitoring, while retrieving camera traps along the forest trail, the team spotted a tiny flowering plant that caught their attention. After examining it, they discovered that it was Ophiorrhiza biflora, an endemic species that was first collected in MANP in 1904 by American botanist Edwin Bingham Copeland.
Ophiorrhiza biflora belongs to the Rubiaceae family, which includes coffee, gardenia, mussaenda, and santan. The office said that O. biflora has been recorded in Benguet and Negros, but the Mount Apo documentation is the first successful photographic documentation of the species, marking a huge milestone in botanical research in the country.
DENR-Davao said the rediscovery of the species reinforces the status of MANP as one of the Philippines’ important biodiversity sites and strengthens its bid for Unesco Global Geopark recognition.
The discovery of Ophiorrhiza biflora follows the documentation of another rare plant species, Agalmyla calelanensis, in 2025, which was originally recorded in 1909.
The department said that the discovery of these two species shows the richness of the forests of Mount Apo and highlights the importance of sustained biodiversity monitoring, scientific research, and habitat protection in conserving the unique natural heritage of the Philippines.
MANP was declared a protected area under the National Integrated Protected Areas System (Nipas) Act, or Republic Act No. 7586, enacted and approved on June 1, 1992, by former President Corazon C. Aquino.
The area has 800 types of flora. Of that number, 27 floral species have economic, cultural, and medicinal significance. As for fauna, there are about 272 types of birds and 54 species of mammals, including the national bird, the Philippine Eagle.
There are about 414 faunal species, of which 207 are endemic to MANP, while 146 faunal species and 27 floral species have economic and medicinal significance. RGP
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