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Romain Boukhobza / Wikimedia
The centistas identified a new species of tree that would have been extinct before being identified
It is believed that this tree, now called Vepris bali was unique in a forest reserve in West Africa, but deforestation and agricultural development destroyed this tree.
Scientists study the species vepris because of its properties. antimicrobial and antimalarial properties of their essential oils.
A specimen was collected by a forest engineer, Edwin Ujor, in the Ngemba Forest Reserve in Cameroon in 1951. The specimen is believed to belong to the genus vepris which has 80 species ] that we find mainly in the whole of Africa. But, according to The Independent, the tree has not been seen since.
Royal Botanical Gardens Kew researchers and the University of Yaounde in the country examined the original specimens and used molecular phylogenetic studies to identify new species.
Repeated efforts to find species between 2000 and 2004 and at least six other studies have shown no sign of the existence of the tree
] Dozens of thousands of plant species face similar risks. According to the international index of plant names only about 5% of all known species were officially badessed for their extinction risk. "It is therefore a priority to discover, document and protect these species before they disappear into the world," said the study's authors.
The Ngemba Forest Reserve in Bali, an officially protected forest, is part of the highlands of Bamenda. In Cameroon, we call it "pasture" today. The reserve is home to a unique collection of flora, including at least 38 endangered species.
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