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BLUMEA 53: 223 – 228
Published on 29 May 2008
© 2008 Nationaal Herbarium Nederland, Leiden University branch
ANOTHER NEW SPECIES OF RAFFLESIA
(RAFFLESIACEAE) FROM LUZON,
PHILIPPINES: R. LEONARDI
JULIE F. BARCELONA1, PIETER B. PELSER2,
ERIC M. CABUTAJE3 & NESTOR A. BARTOLOME4
SUMMARY
A new species of Philippine Rafflesia is described. Rafflesia leonardi is the eighth species of Rafflesia
described from the Philippines and the fourth species from Luzon Island. It most closely resembles R.
lobata and R. manillana in perigone colour and wart ornamentations and in the wide aperture relative
to diaphragm diameter. It is, however, different from both of these and other Philippine Rafflesia
species in its flower size and disk that lacks or has rudimentary processes.
Key words: Rafflesiaceae, Rafflesia, Philippines, Cagayan, conservation, taxonomy.
INTRODUCTION
The discovery of Rafflesia speciosa (Barcelona & Fernando 2002) from the island of
Panay in the Philippines marked the start of a renewed interest in the study of Philippine
Rafflesia and resulted in the description of four additional species new to science: R.
mira (Fernando & Ong 2005) (syn. R. magnifica Madulid et al. 2006) from Mt Canda-
laga, Compostela Valley in Mindanao, R. baletei (Barcelona et al. 2006) from Mt Isarog
and Mt Asog in Camarines Sur in Luzon, R. lobata (Galang & Madulid 2006) from
Antique and Iloilo in Panay, and R. banahawensis (Barcelona et al. 2007; Madulid et
al. 2007) from Mt Banahaw, Quezon in Luzon. Together with the previously described
R. manillana (Teschemacher 1844) and R. schadenbergiana (Hieronymous 1885), this
brought the total number of Philippine Rafflesia species to seven. The end of this period
of growing knowledge on the biodiversity of Rafflesia in the Philippines is, however,
not in sight as evidenced by the discovery of yet another new species of Rafflesia dur-
ing fieldwork by the Cagayan Valley Partners in People Development (CAVAPPED)
and the local community in north-eastern Luzon in 2005. This is the eighth Rafflesia
species to be described in the Philippines and the fourth known from Luzon.
1) Philippine National Herbarium (PNH), Botany Division, National Museum of the Philippines,
P. Burgos St., Manila, P.O. Box 2659, Philippines; e-mail: barceljf@hotmail.com.
2) Miami University, Botany Department, 316 Pearson Hall, Oxford, Ohio, USA;
e-mail: pelserpb@muohio.edu.
3) Cagayan Valley Partners in People Development (CAVAPPED), 32 Lecaros St., Ugac Sur, Tugue-
garao City 3500, Philippines.
4) Conservation International-Philippines, 6 Maalalahanin St., Teacher’s Village, Diliman, Quezon
City 1101, Philippines.
BLUMEA — Vol. 53, No. 1, 2008
224
Rafflesia leonardii Barcelona & Pelser, spec. nov. — Fig. 1; Plate 1
Habitu Rafflesiae manillanae et R. lobatae similis in hospitis radicibus stirpibusque
crescens, perigonii colore, verrucarum morphologia, diaphragmae ore lato, ab ambabus
flore maiore, perigonii tubo sine maculis albis, disco fere plano sine vel paucis processis
brevibus quodam modo illo R. rochussenii simili differt. — Typus: Barcelona et al. 3355
(holo, male open flower, PNH; iso, male bud, US; male semi-open flower, L), Philip-
pines, Luzon, Cagayan Province, Gattaran Municipality, Barangay Bolos Point, Sitio
Kanapawan.
Mature buds to 16 cm diameter. Basal cupule c. 3.5 cm high, c. 7.5 cm wide. Bracts (or
bud scales) in three imbricate whorls, outermost smallest, c. 3 by 4 cm, largest innermost
ones to 12 by 8 cm. Flowers (25.5–)28 –34 cm diam. when fully expanded, 13.8–18
cm high, male and female flowers similar in size and shape. Perigone tube 9–11 cm
long. Perigone lobes 5 (or 6), orbicular to broadly orbicular, 7.5–13 by 11–13.5 cm,
base slightly auriculate, reddish orange, becoming darker with age, margins entire to
irregularly sinuate, tan to pale yellow, warts prominent on the upper surface, mostly
elliptic or roundish, larger warts interspersed with tiny ones, powdery white when
fresh, becoming concolorous with background with age. Diaphragm 14–18(–22) cm
diam., 2.5 – 3 cm wide from aperture rim to base of perigone lobe, 3–10 mm thick at
base, becoming thinner towards the aperture, background concolorous with perigone,
outer surface with shallow indentations from the perigone warts when the flower was
in bud stage, marked with roundish tan coloured warts, some of which are elevated
on mamilla, surrounded by tiny tan coloured speckles, windows absent; aperture
10.5–12.5(–19) cm diam., rim maroon in colour. Disk 7–8 cm diam., c. 1.2 –1.3 cm
thick midway between the margin and the point where the disk joins the column,
nearly flat to slightly dome-shaped with a slightly raised margin, tan centrally, purplish
maroon towards the periphery, devoid of or with few, rudimentary processes, margin
irregularly and shallowly incised or crenulate, corona smooth, sparsely and minutely
pubescent, cream-colored in bud; processes when present, up to 10, often tuberculate,
sometimes pointed, up to 5 mm long, very seldom longer, dark maroon; column 3 – 5
cm from the base of cupule to the upper surface of disk; neck of column c. 3 mm long,
c. 4.5 mm wide; annulus c. 1 cm wide, c. 9 cm diam., smooth, glabrous, whitish in the
inner part, darker in the outer part. Ramenta dimorphic, to 2 mm long, those toward
the base of perigone tube filiform, dense, those inside diaphragm stout, branched or
cleaved apically, tips darker. Male flower without vestigial ovary; anthers 20 (or 21),
semi-globular, c. 3 mm diam., deeply immersed in anther sulci that are 8– 9 mm long
and c. 5 mm wide. Female flower as big as the male, without vestigial anthers, ovary
c. 1.2 cm tall, 6 cm wide, lunate.
Etymology — This beautiful Rafflesia species is named after Mr. Leonardo L. Co.
With his enormous knowledge of the Philippine flora, Leonard (to colleagues and
friends) has been a mentor to the first author and many other students of Philippine
botany. He spent most of his prolific botanical career in Luzon’s Sierra Madre Mountain
Range where R. leonardi is found.
Distribution — Philippines: Cagayan Province, Luzon, Gattaran and Lal-lo Munici-
palities.
Habitat & Ecology — Logged-over lowland dipterocarp forests at 270–300 m asl,
thus far the lowest elevation for Rafflesia populations in the Philippines. Rafflesia
J.F. Barcelona et al.: Rafflesia leonardi, another new species from Luzon
225
leonardi usually grows along river and stream banks on thin soil and rocky substrate
and among trees that have exposed roots and form buttresses. A total of six populations
were found in the area. Tetrastigma cf. loheri (Barcelona et al. 3356, PNH, US) was
identified as the host plant. On one host plant a total of ten buds and four developing
fruits were observed, although usually fewer flowers per host plant seem to be pro-
duced. Rafflesia leonardi not only forms flowers on the exposed roots of its host, but
also blooms along the aerial portions of the host liana (Plate 1a), some buds reaching
Fig. 1. Rafflesia leonardi Barcelona & Pelser. Magnified ramenta from different portions along the
inside of the perigone tube and diaphragm (Barcelona et al. 3354).
2 mm
BLUMEA — Vol. 53, No. 1, 2008
226
Plate 1. Rafflesia leonardi Barcelona & Pelser. a. Aerial habit of an open flower on trunk of the host
plant (Tetrastigma cf. loheri) growing along a streambank; b. flowers in different stages of development
emerging from the roots of the host plant; c. male flower showing perigone lobes with auriculate bases
and sinuate margins; d–f. longitudinal section of a female flower, showing: e. ovary and f. stigmatic
surface (disk cut off); g. longitudinal section of a male bud; h. minutely pubescent undersurface of
the disk corona showing anthers deeply immersed in sulci (a, c: Barcelona et al. 3355 (holotype);
d– f: Barcelona et al. 3354; b, g, h: Barcelona et al. 3355 (isotypes)). — Photos: J.F. Barcelona.
ab
cd
ef
h
g
J.F. Barcelona et al.: Rafflesia leonardi, another new species from Luzon
227
a height of c. 10 m above the ground. In the Philippines, three other species, R. lobata,
R. manillana, and R. speciosa exhibit this aerial habit. Rafflesia leonardi is sympatric
with R. manillana, known from Luzon, Samar, and Leyte. At one site for instance,
a population of R. leonardi is located less than 10 m from a population of R. manil-
lana. Populations of both Rafflesia species in the Cagayan area rely on Tetrastigma
cf. loheri as a host. Other species of Tetrastigma appeared to be absent from the areas
where Rafflesia populations have been found. Tetrastigma loheri was also reported as
the host of R. mira of Compostela Valley in Mindanao. Common canopy trees in the
area are Dillenia philippinensis, Dipterocarpus validus, Pterospermum niveum, Shorea
contorta, S. palosapis, and Terminalia foetidissima. The understory layer is composed
of Astronia spp., Ficus spp., Leea congesta, Leptonychia banahaensis, Saurauia klem-
mei, and Syzygium curranii. Rattans and Freycinetia spp. also abound. The herbaceous
layer consists of the angiosperm genera Begonia, Cyrtandra, and Donax cannaeformis,
and the fern genera Asplenium, Microsorum, Pleocnemia, and Tectaria.
Morphological affinities — Rafflesia leonardi is similar in habit to R. lobata,
R. manillana, and R. speciosa in that it blooms from both the roots and aerial portions of
the host. It is further similar to R. lobata and R. manillana in perigone colour (different
hues of reddish orange) and the shape and density of the perigone warts, but mostly in
the relatively wide diaphragm opening, which is much narrower in all other Rafflesia
species. The diaphragm is reminiscent of R. speciosa. The colour and morphology of
the ramenta are very similar to those of R. banahawensis, which are maroon, variably
branched, and stouter and more densely clustered in the diaphragm than in the perigone
tube. The white spots or windows inside the perigone tube and diaphragm, typical in both
R. lobata and R. manillana, are absent in R. leonardi. Rafflesia leonardi differs from
all other Philippine Rafflesia species in the overall size of the open flower which is
intermediate between the small-sized R. baletei, R. banahawensis, R. lobata, and R.
manillana, and the medium-sized R. mira and R. speciosa. It is also different in char-
acters of the disk, which is nearly flat to slightly dome-shaped and devoid of or with
few processes, somewhat resembling the disk of R. rochussenii from Indonesia.
Conservation — The presence of two species of Rafflesia in the Cagayan area, the
only case of sympatry in Rafflesia ever recorded in the Philippines, supports previous
studies emphasizing the uniquely high yet poorly understood biological diversity in
this part of the Sierra Madre mountain range (Danielsen et al. 1994; Co et al. 2006).
This discovery strengthens proposals for the establishment of a Protected Area system
currently being initiated by CAVAPPED and partner Peoples’ Organizations (POs),
Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Local Government Units (LGUs). The
dipterocarp forests in this portion of northern Luzon, although logged-over, are still in
good condition. Small-scale rattan gathering by the local community was observed.
Timber poaching for premium hardwood, such as narra (Pterocarpus indicus), was also
evident. Slash-and-burn (kaingin) seems to be the most significant threat to Rafflesia
populations in Cagayan. Although currently there are only a few small kaingin patches
in adjacent areas, we predict that its impact will increase as these patches become larger
and more numerous with the growing population in the area.
Specimens studied:
PHILIPPINES. Luzon, Cagayan Valley Prov., Gattaran and Lal-lo Municipalities, Barangay Bolos
Point, Sitio Kanapawan: Barcelona et al. 3355 (holo PNH; iso L, PUH, US); Barcelona et al. 3354
(PNH).
BLUMEA — Vol. 53, No. 1, 2008
228
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We dedicate the discovery of the Rafflesia leonardi to the Agta community of the Sierra Madre
Mountain Range of Luzon, especially Sumper Aresta who first discovered the population in Barangay
Bolos Point, Gattaran, Cagayan Valley in 2005. The Cagayan Valley Partners in People Develop-
ment (CAVAPPED) through its President /CEO Perla A. Visorro, initiated the field verification and
documentation with financial support from the Foundation for Philippine Environment (FPE). We
thank the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP), Conservation International-Philippines (CI-
Philippines), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Provincial Environment
and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) of the DENR, and the Local Government Unit, Cagayan
Valley (PENREO) for supporting our research endeavour, Nemesio M. Diego Jr. for scientific il-
lustrations and Jan-Frits Veldkamp for providing the Latin diagnosis. Our sincere gratitude goes out
to those who provided company during the week-long fieldwork at Bolos Point, namely, Sherwin
Buguina (CAVAPPED), Franklyn Dalin and Juan Ariola (CI-Philippines), Jovencio Payba (PENRO-
DENR), David Duropan (PENREO-LGU, Cagayan Valley), and Rolando Echanique, Chairman of
the Federation of Bolos Point People’s Organization. We also thank our guides, Nemesio Macutay,
Elmer Casani, Sumper and Mario Aresta, Tidtid and Pilo Bayanay, Poner and Lyn Salazar, Erming
and Lilibeth Pattung.
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