An Oasis of Botanical Treasures: The Philippine Endemics
The Philippines is considered a megadiverse country noting a high endemism rate. There were ~14,000 species of plants are found in the Philippines, accounting for two-thirds of the earth’s biodiversity. Species endemism is extremely high with more than half of our recorded species are found only in the country and nowhere else. The following are some of the endemic species in the Philippines:
- Begonia titoevangelistae
- Begonia collisiae
- Begonia cabanillasii
- Nepenthes philippinensis
- Nepenthes peltata
- Cycas zambalensis
- Tectona philippinensis
- Hoya obscura
Along with the remarkable levels of species endemism in the Philippines, it is also one of the world’s most threatened hotspots due to the massive anthropogenic impacts. These plants are facing various threats every day and it is the National Museum of the Philippines’ primary mission to conserve and preserve these plants through acquiring, documenting, and fostering scholarly study to prevent them from becoming extinct.
