Tag: ethnobotanical knowledge

Pensoft Celebrates International Tea Day with Fascinating Discoveries in Camellia

Camellia species are famous for their tea properties, providing the leaf buds and young branches used to manufacture black, green, and oolong tea.

At Pensoft Publishers, we are proud to support the open-access dissemination of botanical knowledge through our journal PhytoKeys. On International Tea Day, we invite you to spill the tea on the captivating world of the genus Camellia. While most people recognise these plants as the source of their morning brew, the genus is incredibly diverse and economically significant. 

Camellia species are famous for their tea properties, providing the leaf buds and young branches used to manufacture black, green, and oolong tea. Beyond the teapot, these evergreen shrubs and trees are valued for their oil-producing seeds and their stunning ornamental flowers in horticulture. Despite their global fame, we are still discovering new members of this family, often in the remote forests of East and Southeast Asia.

One of the most dramatic stories recently published in PhytoKeys concerns Camellia hekouensis, a tree native to Hekou in Yunnan, China. For a time, the botanical community feared the species was lost forever after the last known living tree died at the end of 2024 due to bark destruction. 

However, a dedicated effort by the staff of the Dawei Mountain National Nature Reserve saved the species from the brink. They successfully protected 11 wild trees and propagated 32 others ex-situ. This species is particularly interesting because its chemical profile challenged previous scientific claims. While earlier researchers suggested it lacked certain purine alkaloids, new analysis shows the leaves actually contain 1.18 mg/g of theobromine.

Camellia hekouensis. Image credit: Dongwei Zhao et al.

Read more: Zhao D, Zhang G, Yang S (2025) Phylogenetic position, supplementary description and phytochemical analysis of Camellia hekouensis (Theaceae), a critically endangered tree native to Hekou, Yunnan, China. PhytoKeys 256: 185-195. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.256.149481 

Further research in Yunnan has revealed another unique relative of the common tea plant named Camellia yangii. Discovered in the forests of Malipo County, this species is a true member of the tea section, yet it stands out for being remarkably hairy. It bears a red or purplish red terminal bud that is densely pubescent, making it a rare and visually striking germplasm resource. 

Lead researcher Dongwei Zhao of Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, found that while most Camellia species have five sepals, Camellia yangii typically bears only three. It also follows its own schedule, flowering about a month later than other tea plants in the vicinity. This late flowering phase is a natural barrier that prevents it from hybridising with other species, keeping its genetic line distinct. With fewer than ten individuals known in the wild, its discovery is a call to action for urgent protection.

Camellia yangii. Image credit: Dongwei Zhao.

Read more: Zhao D (2025) Camellia yangii (Theaceae), a new species of tea plants (Camellia section Thea). PhytoKeys 257: 247-256. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.257.152000 

Botanical science sometimes involves correcting the records of the past, as seen in the reinstatement of Camellia angustifolia. This species from Guangxi, China, was originally described in 1981 but was later dismissed as a mere synonym of another variety in 1992. 

Recent field investigations proved that this was a mistake. Researchers from the Guangxi Research Institute of Tea Science discovered that the original type specimen was actually a misidentified bellflower from a completely different family. Once the correct specimens were examined, the differences became clear – unlike its shrubby relatives that grow only a few meters tall, Camellia angustifolia is a majestic tree that can reach heights of 20 meters. 

Camellia angustifolia. Image credit: Shixiong Yang.

Read more: Deng H, Liao X, Yu X, Liu Z, Yang S (2025) Reinstatement of the independent specific status of Camellia angustifolia, a tea plant (Camellia sect. Thea, Theaceae) from Guangxi, China. PhytoKeys 267: 1-8. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.267.174664 

Our journey through recent tea-related discoveries concludes in the striking Danxia landscape of Guangdong Province. Here, researchers identified Camellia shangshii, a new species endemic to the red sandstone formations of Danxiashan Mountain. This species bears smaller leaves and flowers than its closest relatives. One of its most defining features is that its white petals are fused together at the base for several millimeters. 

This tree notably thrives in a unique microclimate where specialised soils and environmental contrasts drive the evolution of distinct species. It is named in honour of Dr. Shangshi Wu, a scientist who pioneered the study of these geological landscapes.

Camellia shangshii. Image credit: Shiyang Wang, Yinyu Wu and Xiaowei Yi.

Read more: Wang S, Liu H, Tan S, Shen L, Chen Z, Chen F, Fan Q (2026) Camellia shangshii (Theaceae), a new species endemic to danxia landscape from Guangdong Province, China. PhytoKeys 270: 13-23. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.270.172597 

As we celebrate International Tea Day, these discoveries remind us that our knowledge of the natural world is still growing. Every new species found and every historical error improves our understanding of the biological heritage of our favorite beverages. At Pensoft, we will never stop be-leafing in the power of new species to inspire conservation and science!

Make sure to follow PhytoKeys on Facebook and Bluesky for more interesting articles on plants.

Revisiting Acalypha: Integrating global knowledge and taxonomy for drug discovery

This diverse genus of flowering plants holds significant medicinal relevance, and yet remains considerably understood.

Guest Blog Post by Lucía Villaescusa-González and Pablo Muñoz-Rodríguez

Since the first humans learned to distinguish the plant that cured a fever from the one that caused a funeral, we have amassed an extraordinary amount of information about the natural world. Whether used for food, medicine, or shelter, this ethnobotanical knowledge passed down through generations now serves as the foundation for modern experimental research.

Today, researchers explore the world’s plant chemical diversity seeking new compounds and species of medicinal or economic interest. However, discovering these resources and sharing the information effectively depends on one often-overlooked key: naming things correctly.

Taxonomy ensures that, when researchers identify a promising use of a plant, the rest of the scientific community can find that plant again, replicate the results, and build upon them. In a time of accelerated biodiversity loss, taxonomy provides the framework that allows us to document biodiversity and connect knowledge about species before they are lost.

For nearly two decades, our research group has focused on Acalypha, a remarkably diverse genus of flowering plants with approximately 450 species. It is the third largest genus in the family Euphorbiaceae —the same as cassava, poinsettia or the rubber tree— yet many aspects of its biology remain poorly understood. While numerous studies have pointed to the medicinal relevance of Acalypha, the information has historically been scattered across disconnected sources and regions.

Acalypha mollis growing at the Naciones Unidas National Park in Guatemala. Author: Gandhi Ponce Juárez – iNaturalist, CC0 licence (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/234908619)

To fully explore a plant group’s potential, we must ensure our knowledge is organised and reliable. This is precisely where taxonomy becomes powerful. In a study recently published in PhytoKeys, we compiled, revised, and standardised existing knowledge about Acalypha uses published worldwide between 1816 and 2024.

Our review, published in the open-access journal PhytoKeys, revealed that nearly 25% of the studies we analysed contained at least one taxonomic error. These errors ranged from the use of non-existent names and already outdated synonyms at the time of publication to “impossible” data, such as species allegedly collected for research in countries thousands of kilometres away from their known distribution range.

By verifying every scientific name against current standards, we were able to provide the first standardised, reliable global synthesis of the genus. Furthermore, this process allowed us to clear the “noise” from the literature and identify exactly which species hold the most promise for future research.

Geographical distribution of Acalypha ethnobotanical knowledge. Top: number of studies with ethnobotanical information per country. Bottom: number of species with reported medicinal uses per country. Darker colours indicate higher values. Author: Villaescusa-González et al.

A clearer global picture

Once we brough this information together under a robust taxonomic framework, a much clearer picture of Acalypha medicinal uses emerged. We identified 62 species with documented medicinal uses across 55 countries. While the genus is used globally, pharmacological research is heavily concentrated in India, Nigeria, and Mexico.

In contrast, species-rich countries such as Brazil and Madagascar, with over 40 species each, remain significantly underrepresented. Also, while many species are used locally, a few are globally relevant: Acalypha indica, for example, is used to treat 23 different disease categories, while Acalypha wilkesiana, a common ornamental plant, is linked to 18 disease categories.

Our work revealed that these plants are used not just for human medicine; they are used in veterinary medicine, as pesticides targeting disease-carrying insects, and in ritual contexts. In human health, they most frequently target infectious and parasitic diseases, digestive tract issues, and respiratory symptoms.

Finally, we also detected a big gap between traditional use and modern research: of all species recorded in ethnobotanical surveys, 36 have never been studied in a laboratory. They represent a promising avenue for future research and drug discovery.

Acalypha argomuelleri, a shrub growing in the Peruvian Andes. Author: Pablo Muñoz-Rodríguez

Why this matters for the future

­The relationship between ethnobotany and experimental biology is widely recognised, and taxonomy plays a key role in bridging these fields. Accurate taxonomic knowledge is essential for ensuring scientific discovery and reproducibility.

When experimental research investigates plants that have been incorrectly identified, it leads to the perpetuation of errors in scientific literature. If pharmacological results are based on misidentified specimens, those experiments cannot be replicated, potentially misleading years of subsequent, expensive medical research.

Glandular hairs in Acalypha ecklonii, a species from Southern Africa. Author: Emma Ortúñez & Roberto Gamarra.

By integrating scattered ethnobotanical reports into a standardised, taxonomically reliable system, we wanted to provide a reliable map for all future Acalypha research. This study proves that precise identification is the basis of scientific discovery.

In an era of accelerated biodiversity loss, applying taxonomy to organise and validate the data we have today ensures the discovery of the medicines of tomorrow.

Original source

Villaescusa-González L, Cardiel JM, Montero-Muñoz I, Muñoz-Rodríguez P (2026) Revisiting Acalypha medicinal interest: ethnobotany, experimental studies, and the implications of taxonomic misuse pitfalls. PhytoKeys 270: 119-142. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.270.169087

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