A KKU researcher from the Faculty of Sciences has discovered a new plant species and named it “Kradumrassamee” (Eriocaulon Longibracteatum Khorngton, Soulad. & Praj.). The discovery of this new plant was published in the Kew Bulletin journal in April 2020, and was discovered in cooperation with the Eriocaulaceae Research Project in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, together with the Biology Program, Faculty of Sciences, Khon Kaen University, and National University of Laos. This project was supervised by Assoc. Prof. Amornrat Prajaksood, Professor of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, and two Ph.D. students: Ms. Sirinan Krongton, a SCI Scholar, Thailand, and Mrs. Phetlasy Souladeth, a lecturer at the National University of Laos.
”Kradumrassamee” (Eriocaulon Longibracteatum Khorngton, Soulad. & Praj.) is a monocotyledon which seems like a grass or reed topped with a flower of petals arranged in a circular cluster. Due to it having such a long bract, they named it E. longibracteatum, and it blooms every September until November. It can grow around sand, fields, wetlands and evergreen forests but can only be found in 3 places worldwide: Chonburi and Kanchanaburi Provinces, Thailand, and Mondulkiri Province in Cambodia. Therefore, this plant is considered an endangered species according to the IUCN Red List Categories (2012).
Credit
News: Assoc. Prof. Amornrat Prajaksood
Biology Program, Faculty of Sciences, Khon Kaen University
[ Thai ]
