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Once shaped by the bustle of farms, fishponds, and granite quarries, Pulau Ubin has quietly transformed into one of Singapore's most remarkable natural refuges. Over the past five decades, secondary forests and mangroves have reclaimed the land, with satellite imagery showing more green cover today than in the 1950s. A recent update to the island's biodiversity inventories now provides benchmark references across 13 flora and fauna groups, offering a richer understanding of Pulau Ubin's natural heritage and its potential role as an ecological stepping stone for wildlife dispersal to the main island of Singapore.

Researchers from the Singapore Botanic Gardens and Bogor Botanic Gardens have discovered a new species of night-blooming Hoya. Hoya biruensis, has a shrubby to epiphytic habit with pendulous stems. Its pinkish-cream, round-shaped, single flowers open after sunset, partly close the next day, re-open the second night and wither the following morning. This species is only known to occur in the primary heath forest of Bukit Biru in West Kalimantan, Indonesia.

Since 2025, 3 plant species are now recognised by researchers to have become naturalised in Singapore: Boat Lily (Tradescantia spathacea), Limeberry (Triphasia trifolia) and West Indian Nettle (Laportea aestuans). Another 2 species are discovered to be casual, meaning they occur in the wild but have not yet formed self-sustaining populations: Fire Bush (Hamelia patens) and Rose Cactus (Leuenbergeria bleo). All of them except West Indian Nettle are widely grown in Singapore for their ornamental foliage, flowers and fruits. Monitoring the populations of these species in the wild for ecological balance with Singapore’s native flora is important.

A new aroid species discovered in Central Papua, Indonesia, was formally named Homalomena polyneura. The specific epithet polyneura is derived from the Greek poly- (many) and neuron (nerve, vein), in reference to the conspicuous raised veins on the upper leaf surface. This water-loving plant is about 10–17 cm in height, with attractive, narrow, elongated to oblong leaves bearing 5–9 prominent veins on each side. The species has long been in commercial trade under the horticultural name Homalomena ‘Samurai’ and was formally described as a distinct species in 2025.

A new ginger species discovered in south-central Vietnam was named Curcuma corallina. The specific epithet from the Latin ‘corallinus’ references the coral pink bracts and corolla lobes. This terrestrial rhizomatous herb grows up to 1.2 metres tall and can be found naturally in the understorey of secondary broadleaf forests, secondary broadleaf-bamboo mixed forests and along stream banks.

Epiphyllum hookeri subsp. hookeri is a new addition to Singapore's official list of naturalised and casually occurring plant species. This neotropical cactus is a leafless epiphyte with flattened photosynthetic stems. It is believed to have established itself in the local urban landscape through seed dispersal by birds feeding on the fruit of cultivated plants. This report brings the total number of non-native casual cacti species in Singapore to three, joining Leuenbergeria bleo (formerly Pereskia bleo) and Selenicereus undatus (formerly Hylocereus undatus), or better known as Dragon Fruit.