12 new plant species found in Batang Ai and Lanjak-Entimau sites

Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem and his wife Puan Sri Jamilah Anu looking at the new begonia species named after Jamilah. ZULAZHAR SHEBLEE / THE STAR

KUCHING: Twelve new plant species have been found in Sarawak, with potentially more awaiting discovery in an ongoing collaboration between the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) and Singapore Botanical Gardens.

The plants, which were discovered in the Batang Ai National Park and Lanjak-Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary, comprise one species of wild orchid, one ginger, one Marantaceae (prayer plant) and nine species of begonia.