By Gwilym Lewis
Kew scientists, in collaboration with researchers from Brazil and Canada, have recently published a description of a new tree species from the legume family (Leguminosae or Fabaceae). Dinizia jueirana-facao G.P. Lewis & G.S. Siqueira, discovered in Brazil, grows to a whopping 40 metres with an estimated weight of up to 62 tonnes.
The Indonesian island of Sulawesi’s unique fauna has received far more attention than its flora. But the authors of a study describing five new tree species — the first new species belonging to the world’s largest tree genus found on Sulawesi in 167 years — hope to change that.
Estimated number of tropical tree species according to Slik et al. (2015)
Rhett A. Butler
The world's tropical rainforests are likely home to 40,000 to 53,000 tree species, argues a paper published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
