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Botanists from Singapore Botanic Gardens and Bogor Botanic Gardens jointly described nine new species and one subspecies of Hoya occurring in Borneo. This adds to a total of 85 Hoya species in Borneo. Among the newly minted species, five are endemic to Kalimantan, which is the least explored part of Borneo. Though the discoveries were based on limited plant collections, the researchers are confident that these species are not part of any species complexes, therefore, they are less likely to be synonymised in the future.

NParks has teamed up with local universities to develop new courses on plant science and diversity in Southeast Asia. Students will learn taxonomic and molecular biology techniques which are essential skills to the modern day botanist. Understanding plant systematics and evolution is crucial for plant conservation and the sustainable management of the region’s natural resources. This collaboration aims to nurture a new generation of plant scientists to safeguard the future of our tropical biodiversity.

For the first time in more than a decade, a comprehensive catalogue of the wild-growing plants in Singapore was published as part of the Flora of Singapore project. This publication was produced by a collective of researchers from around the world co-ordinated by NParks. The work highlighted the number of native, naturalised and casual plant species in Singapore and helped to clarify and opened discussions on taxonomic and nomenclatural issues, thereby shaping the future of local conservation efforts.

Recent floristic surveys around Singapore have yielded interesting finds for the genus, Mucuna, including rediscoveries of previously thought to be extinct species like the Mucuna gigantea subsp. gigantea – A small population of this critically endangered vine, was rediscovered near the coast of the remote island, Pulau Brani, Singapore. This genus from the legume family is predominantly made up of lianas and known for the irritant hairs present on the surface of fruit pods. Mucuna gigantea subsp. gigantea was first described in the late 1900s and thought to be extinct due to habitat disturbances by land reclamation, until its rediscovery in 2018 . This has given researchers opportunity to thoroughly describe the species’ detailed characteristics, and allow collection of plant materials for propagation, with the aim of one day reintroducing the species into Singapore’s landscape.

On the northeastern coast of Singapore, a lush, 27 m tall tree in Changi has a unique identity. Using a combination of techniques – population genetics and morphological evidence, researchers from Singapore, UK and the US discovered that this tree is the first recorded natural hybrid between two critically endangered local species - Sindora coriacea and Sindora echinocalyx. It is also the first instance of hybridisation in the genus Sindora. Named Sindora × changiensis, after the location it was discovered to be growing, carbon dating estimated this tree to be at least 226 years old! Conservation efforts are ongoing to propagate this hybrid and saplings from this tree have been planted islandwide in Singapore.