Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Live photographs of E. loheri during a malacological reconnaissance study. Photographs by Jayson A. Mansibang

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<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1761102270557unnamed.png" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false" style="text-align:left">Live photographs of E. loheri during a malacological reconnaissance study. <em>Photographs by Jayson A. Mansibang</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Scientists have found a rare plant species in the Masungi Georeserve in Baras, Rizal, after 130 years since its discovery.</p><p>Researchers from the University of the Philippines Diliman and the Philippine Normal University <a href="https://philjournalsci.dost.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/notes-on-the-poorly-known-Exacum-loheri_.pdf?fbclid=IwY2xjawNkFdZleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFGVmw2VVU4THZOWmh2bjdtAR7OiP-k67citmvxEDWvV-oMoUofjx2M_D2u2Fp9rC10ni0aNowMFGxeSH54UQ_aem_584Msbyq5FwQJ0T4j87nTw&amp;brid=xG6nq-13CDXTZdveGMfz8g">confirmed in a study</a> their rediscovery of Exacum loheri, which was first encountered by Swiss botanist August Loher in 1895.</p><p>In the paper, published in the Philippine Journal of Science, authors Jayson Mansibang, Lawrence Jacob Alterado, Aaron Gabriel Espinosa, and Erwin Blancaflor reported &quot;the first photographs of live Exacum loheri,&quot; which they spotted during a survey of mollusks within Masungi&#x27;s &quot;600 Steps&quot; area in Baras and Tanay, Rizal.</p><p>Masungi — a 2,700-hectare conservation area tucked in the rainforests of Rizal — is home to more than 400 species of flora and fauna, and also an area where a <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/life/06/27/23/jurassic-plant-blooms-along-discovery-trail-of-masungi">prehistoric plant species was found blooming</a>.</p><p>Unlike typical plants, Exacum loheri lacks chlorophyll needed to create food, but it possesses a rare adaptation that allows it to rely on fungi for nutrients, the researchers said.</p><p>The study&#x27;s authors said the living population of the plant species can only be found in the Masungi Georeserve.</p><p>&quot;Considering its restricted distribution, this species is presumed to be extremely rare and probably threatened at present,&quot; the researchers wrote. </p><p>The rediscovery of the plant species aided in enriching botanical research and the biodiversity database in the country, they said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>REDISCOVERY PROMPTS CALL FOR PRESERVATION</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>After the rediscovery of the Exacum loheri, the georeserve&#x27;s foundation urged against destructive activities such as quarrying in the area, calling Masungi a &quot;critical refuge&quot; for plant life within the Sierra Madre range.</p><p>&quot;The rediscovery of this long-lost species shows why the Vena Group’s 603-MW wind project has no place in the Masungi Karst Conservation Area,&quot; said Billie Dumaliang, the Masungi Georeserve Foundation&#x27;s director for advocacy.</p><p>&quot;Every year, science reveals more rare and endemic life thriving here — proof that this landscape is irreplaceable.&quot;</p><p>Last year, the foundation sought government intervention after it <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/2/15/ph-s-oldest-limestone-formation-threatened-anew-1629">caught a private company’s drilling operations</a> to install wind turbines near the reserve.</p><p>According to the foundation, the state in which the Exacum loheri was found — growing on the reserves&#x27; limestone forests and soil near freshwater — shows the importance of ecological complexity and conservation.</p><p>A recipient of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Action Campaign Inspire Award in 2022, the foundation is a non-profit organization that aims to conserve the Masungi karst ecosystem in Baras, Rizal, and promote natural heritage in the Philippines.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/W_Gd5BZftqg?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Researchers from the UP Diliman and Philippine Normal University confirmed in a study their rediscovery of Exacum loheri, which was first encountered by Swiss botanist August Loher in 1895.</p>

Researchers from the UP Diliman and Philippine Normal University confirmed in a study their rediscovery of Exacum loheri, which was first encountered by Swiss botanist August Loher in 1895.

Rare plant species rediscovered in Masungi Georeserve after 130 years

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Rare plant species rediscovered in Masungi Georeserve after 130 years

Mei Lin Weng,

ABS-CBN News Digital Intern

Published Oct 22, 2025 11:31 AM PHT

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Updated Oct 22, 2025 03:36 PM PHT

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Masungi Georeserve

Exacum loheri

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