After being overlooked for years, Memecylon elegantulum – a rare plant found only in Sri Lanka has been confirmed as a unique species, thanks to fieldwork carried out in the Dilmah Endane Biodiversity Corridor.
This discovery highlights just how important our efforts to restore nature really are. It helps protect not only what we know, but also what we’re still discovering in Sri Lanka’s hidden plant world.
The rediscovery was made possible by the amazing work of Amila Perera, Dr. Himesh Jayasinghe, Bhathiya Gopallawa, Isuru Madawala, Prof. Nimal Gunatilleke, and Prof. Nalaka Geekiyanage.
The Memecylon plant group is one of the least studied in Sri Lanka, with many rare species we still don’t know much about.
This study has given detailed information, photos, and clearer identification for two of these little-known plants.
M. elegantulum species, part of the Melastomataceae family, stands out with its white flowers and long flower stalks. It’s now known to be different from the more common M. rostratum, which grows widely in Sri Lanka’s wet zone. But M. elegantulum seems to only grow in the Ratnapura District, making this find even more special.
The Endane Biodiversity Corridor set up by Dilmah Tea, the Franklinia Foundation, and Rajarata University aims to restore old tea land and reconnect two forest reserves. So far, it’s not only brought back greenery but also helped uncover rare species like this one that may have stayed hidden otherwise.
This discovery is proof of how valuable these restoration efforts really are.
Read the full research paper here: https://lnkd.in/gfBDb2ys
