Thai botanists discover ‘most beautiful’ species of flowering tumeric
A new species of flowering tumeric has been discovered in Ubon Ratchathani's Buntharik district by botanists from Mahasarakham University.
Researchers from the university’s Walai Rukhavej Botanical Research Institute gave the new species the scientific name “Curcuma pulcherrima (Zingiberaceae)”, explaining that “pulcherrima” is Latin for “most beautiful”.
They also gave it a Thai name, "Krachiew Buntharik", which refers to the district of the northeastern province it was discovered in.
The discovery was first reported in the international journal of botany “Biodiversitas” late last year, the researchers said.
They announced the Thai name earlier this week.
"This plant is an endemic and rare species found only in Ubon Ratchathani," the researchers said. The plant blooms from June to August, depending on weather conditions.
More than 70 tumeric species have been discovered in Thailand.
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