Two new critically endangered endemic plant species made public |16 December 2020

The different species of Bwa dou found on Mahe, Praslin ad Silhouette (Photo: Thomas Meriton)

Two new species designated as ‘Craterispermum’ have been presented to the public by the Seychelles National Herbarium following a study led by local scientist Tara Padayachy.

The two new species are ‘Craterispermum praslinense’ (bwa dou Pralin) found only on Praslin Island, and ‘Craterispermum silhouettense’ (Bwa dou Silhouette) only found on Silhouette Island. Before this discovery and the study that ensued, many believed there was only a single species of ‘Bwa dou’ (C. microdon), which was thought to occur as three separate subpopulations on Mahé, Praslin and Silhouette islands.

Craterispermum is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. The different species of Craterispermum occur in tropical Africa and Seychelles. It is the only genus in the tribe Craterispermeae, of which the divergence time is estimated at 34.8 million years ago.

The presentation was held at the National Museum of History and it was Charles Morel, the herbarium curator, who made the introductory remarks and welcomed those present, namely Flavien Joubert, Minister for Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment; Beryl Ondiek, director of museums, other distinguished guests and staff of the department of culture.

Ms Padayachy then gave a brief overview of the hardships she and her team faced over the last two years and also very simply explained the main findings in her research about the ‘bwa dou’ found in Seychelles.

“Discovering, classifying, and describing a new species is a long process. New discoveries often require challenging field studies in remote places. Before conducting the field study, the researchers have to make sure that they acquire the necessary support and authorisations for conducting the research, collecting specimens and sending samples out of the country for genetic analysis, incorporating changes and revisions from co-authors and finally getting the actual paper accepted by the editors of the scientific journal,” explained Ms Padayachy.

“Herbarium and field studies revealed that the Craterispermum species occurring on the islands of Mahé, Praslin and Silhouette, on closer inspection, are different in their appearance as well as being geographically separated from each other. This study also demonstrates clearly that these new species differ from any another previously identified species,” she added.

This study was supported by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership fund under the ‘National network on biodiversity data exchange for improved KBA management in Seychelles’. The publication was also made possible thanks to the joint effort of co-authors affiliated with different international research institutes ‒ Meise Botanic Garden, Swedish Museum of Natural History, University of Yaoundé ‒ and local partners ‒ Plant Conservation Action Group, Island Conservation Society and the department of conservation within the Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Climate Change.

Ms Padayachy expressed her concern at the rate at which Seychellois researchers are able to publish new species. Albeit the abundance in plant species to be discovered and studied here in Seychelles, there is a lack in necessary support as well as young Seychellois interested in taking part in taxonomic studies.

After he had congratulated Ms Padayachy and her team on their remarkable work, Minister Joubert highlighted the need to nurture young people who are interested in environmental sciences and the need to provide them with the necessary support for them to reach a level where they can publish their studies internationally.

“If you work hard and stick to what you do, you can achieve great things,” said Minister Joubert.

Iza Amade