BRIN Documents Ten New Orchid Species Records Across Indonesia

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), in collaboration with several research partners, has successfully documented ten new orchid species records within the Indonesian archipelago. This milestone highlights the critical role of field exploration and herbarium studies in reinforcing national biodiversity data and supporting flora conservation efforts.

A researcher at BRIN’s Research Center for Biosystematics and Evolution (PRBE), Aninda Retno Utami Wibowo, emphasized that these findings underscore the vast, untapped potential of Indonesia’s natural heritage.

“This shows that Indonesia, particularly the Wallacea region and eastern Indonesia, still holds much undocumented orchid diversity potential,” Aninda said in an official release on Monday, May 11, 2026, as quoted by Antara.

The research involved a multi-institutional effort, including the Tumbuhan Asli Nusantara (Nusantara Native Plant) Foundation, the Konservasi Biota Lahan Basah (Wetland Biota Conservation) Foundation, Samudra University, and Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park.

Field expeditions led by Yuda Rehata Yudistira and Wendy A. Mustaqim between 2020 and 2024 spanned the islands of Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and Nusa Tenggara. The team focused on specimen collection, morphological documentation, and comparative analysis against both national and international herbarium collections.

The ten newly recorded species represent a diverse range of habitats across the Indonesian archipelago, spanning from Sumatra to Nusa Tenggara. In Sumatra, researchers documented Bulbophyllum nematocaulon, Bulbophyllum sanguineomaculatum, Cleisomeria lanatum, Corybas calopeplos, and Corybas holttumii.

The island of Java saw the recording of Acanthophippium bicolor and Anoectochilus papuanus, while Nusa Tenggara yielded the discovery of Dendrobium teretifolium. Rounding out the national findings, Bulbophyllum thiurum was documented in Kalimantan, and Aerides augustiana was recorded in Sulawesi.

Interestingly, the study revealed surprising biogeographical distribution patterns. For instance, Anoectochilus papuanus, previously known only to inhabit Papua and the Solomon Islands, was discovered in East Java. Similarly, Dendrobium teretifolium, a species native to Australia, was recorded in East Nusa Tenggara.

The findings, published in the 2026 edition of the journal Lankesteriana under the title Ten New Orchid Records from the Indonesian Archipelago, are expected to serve as a vital scientific baseline for future policy.

“Accurate species documentation is required to support habitat protection and strengthen conservation policies based on scientific data,” Aninda added.

By identifying these species in previously unrecorded locations, researchers hope to drive more targeted protection for Indonesia's less-explored ecosystems. ***