The Discovery of 'Clerodendrum ismaili' in Mt Semeru Recognized Internationally

RRI.CO.ID, Malang - Indonesia’s biodiversity has once again gained international recognition following the official publication of a new plant species from the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park (TNBTS) Center in East Java by the leading taxonomy journal, Phytotaxa, in mid-September 2026. The species, named Clerodendrum ismaili H.Sant. & Sudarmono, was formally identified as a new taxon after undergoing a series of comparative morphological tests with specimens at the Herbarium Bogoriense.

“We have recorded another important biodiversity discovery, namely Clerodendrum ismaili H.Sant. & Sudarmono, found in the TNBTS forest area at Ranu Darungan, on the southern slope of Mount Semeru,” said the Head of the TNBTS Management Center, Rudijanta Tjahja Nugraha, in Malang, East Java on Wednesday, September 30, 2026.

The identification and scientific publication of Clerodendrum ismaili as a new flora for the TNBTS area involved more than field observations. Rudi explained that the process also included in-depth examination of the morphological characters of both preserved specimens and living plants.

The team compared Clerodendrum ismaili H.Sant. & Sudarmono with holdings at Herbarium Bogoriense and reviewed taxonomic literature and identification keys. The findings were compiled into a scientific manuscript titled “Clerodendrum ismaili (Lamiaceae), a new species from Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, East Java, Indonesia.”

“The manuscript was accepted by the journal Phytotaxa on September 3, 2026, and published on September 15, 2026. The specific epithet ‘ismaili’ honors Ismail, one of TNBTS’s conservation cadres who, throughout his service, supported conservation activities in the Ranu Darungan area,” he said, as quoted by Antara.

Rudi noted that the plant was first discovered on February 26, 2026, during a biodiversity patrol in the working area of the Ranu Darungan National Park Management Resort (PTN), on the southern slope of Mount Semeru, Lumajang Regency, East Java. The team followed up with observations and data collection on habitat, local distribution, population, and phenology from May to July 2026.

The survey concluded that there were approximately 12 healthy adult individuals. Given the small population and limited distribution, the TNBTS Management Center is giving special attention to the species’ continued existence through targeted protection and conservation efforts.

The study found that Clerodendrum ismaili H.Sant. & Sudarmono grows in sub-montane forest areas at elevations between 825 and 950 meters above sea level (mdpl). It lives beneath a dense forest canopy in shaded, relatively humid microhabitats.

Rudi described Clerodendrum ismaili as an erect shrub that can grow up to 2.4 meters tall. Belonging to the Lamiaceae family, the plant displays several distinctive characteristics, including white flowers, leaf margins that are entire or slightly serrated, and the presence of fine or coarse hairs on the corolla. Morphologically, this new flora resembles Clerodendrum calamitosum Linnaeus.

“What distinguishes it are consistent vegetative and reproductive characters, allowing it to be recognized as a distinct species,” he said.

The TNBTS Management Center hopes that the recording of the Clerodendrum ismaili discovery will benefit scientific knowledge and support efforts to safeguard Indonesia’s biodiversity wealth. ***