Botanists from PSU’s Faculty of Science discovered "Alphonsea Sikhit", a new species from Sikhit Waterfall National Park, Nakhon Si Thammarat.

       Asst. Prof. Dr. Charan Leeratiwong and Dr. Piya Chalermklin from the Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research, and Prof. Dr. David Johnson from Ohio Wesleyan University, USA, discovered a new plant species "Alphonsea Sikhit" (Alphonsea annulata Leerat. & Chalermglin), under the Thailand Botanic Gardens Project. The finding has been published in the international academic journal of botany Kew Bulletin.

       Dr. Leeratiwong described "Alphonsea Sikhit" as a simple leaf tree with fruits that grow in clusters. The dried fruit reveals 2-7 ring-shaped horizontal patterns, a unique feature that sets this species apart from others in the same genus.

       This new species was first discovered in 2019 in Sikhit Waterfall National Park, Sichon, Nakhon Si Thammarat. Since then, a specimen had been preserved at Prince of Songkla University's Plant Museum (PSU Herbarium), awaiting morphological examination and relevant taxonomic research. It has now been confirmed that "Alphonsea Sikhit" is a new species, and received the scientific name "Alphonsea annulata".