DENR: Rare liverwort species found anew in Davao del Sur

A rare species of liverwort (Treubia insignis) was recently documented anew in the Philippines during a scientific expedition in Davao del Sur last month, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said.

The rare liverwort was spotted at Altut Tuna Peak in Sitio Datalfitak, Barangay Colonsabac, Matanao.

Treubia insignis is a small, simple non-flowering plant that usually grows in moist, shady places, such as forest floors, rocks, tree trunks and stream banks.

According to the DENR, the species was first recorded in the Philippines by botanist D.H. Campbell in 1913 at Mount Banahao in Luzon.

“For more than a century, this remained the sole documented occurrence of the species in the country until additional populations were recorded in 2019 in Negros and in several localities in Mindanao, including the Mt. Balatukan Range Natural Park in Misamis Oriental on Jan. 19, 2023, and the Mt. Kalatungan Range Natural Park in Bukidnon on Feb. 7, 2023,” the DENR said.

The scientific expedition was conducted by bryologists from the University of Southeastern Philippines, Central Mindanao University, Bukidnon State University, and the California Academy of Sciences, with technical assistance from the DENR’s Community Environment and Natural Resources Office in Digos.

During the expedition at Altut Tuna Peak, the experts documented more than 200 species of bryophytes, the collective term for mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. — MCG, GMA News