Six Species of Parijoto Found in Bali, One a New Record

Image: article cover, from Ni Putu et al. (2021), Jurnal Wasian, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

A research team from the Research Centre for Plant Conservation and Botanic Gardens at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) Candikuning has identified six species of parijoto (Medinilla) in Bali. The findings were published in the Journal Wasian in 2021. Until now, the diversity of parijoto in Bali had been little studied, despite this tropical forest plant's potential as an ornamental and medicinal species.

The six species are Medinilla crassifolia, Medinilla alpestris, Medinilla laurifolia, Medinilla radicans, Medinilla speciosa and Medinilla quadrifolia. The last of these constitutes a new distribution record for Bali. All the species were found in the regencies of Buleleng, Bangli, Gianyar, Jembrana, Karangasem and Tabanan. However, according to collection data from the Eka Karya Bali Botanic Garden, only four species are conserved there.

Exploration and collection activities are therefore considered important so that species not yet held in collections can be safeguarded. The Eka Karya Bali Botanic Garden carries out conservation through the collection and documentation, maintenance and propagation of parijoto species. For communities living near forests, parijoto, long known as an ornamental plant and a source of medicine, needs to be protected so that it does not disappear from its natural habitat.

Source and how to cite

This story is based on the research article The Diversity, Distribution and Conservation of Bali’s Medinilla in Eka Karya Bali Botanical Garden by Ni Putu Sri Asih Ni Putu, I Gusti Made Sudirga Sudirga and I Gede - Tirta I Gede, published in Jurnal Wasian Vol. 8 No. 2 (2021). The full article is free to read on the Jurnal Wasian website.

Cite the original article (APA 7):

Ni Putu, N. P. S. A., Sudirga, I. G. M. S., & I Gede, I. G. T. (2021). The Diversity, Distribution and Conservation of Bali’s Medinilla in Eka Karya Bali Botanical Garden. Jurnal Wasian, 8(2), 103–113. https://doi.org/10.62142/hkf44n58

If you use these findings in coursework, a thesis or other writing, cite the original article above, not this news story. The original article is licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.