Val B. Salares, Jasper John A. Obico, Paul Ormerod, Julie F. Barcelona, Pieter B. Pelser
Vaccinium cebuense (Ericaceae) from Nug-as forest (Alcoy) and the Central Cebu Protected Landscape (Balamban), two of the last remaining forested areas of Cebu Island, Philippines, is here described as a new species. This species is unique among the known species of this genus in displaying a unique combination of characters: leaves with marginal glands that are spaced along the entire length of the leaf, anthers with distinct and recurved dorsal spurs, and petioles that are adaxially grooved. Our fieldwork in Nug-as also resulted in the discovery of Phaius reflexipetalus (Orchidaceae), a new record for the Philippines previously only known from Borneo. These and other recent taxonomic novelties emphasize the conservation importance of the few and small remaining forests of Cebu. © 2018 Magnolia Press.
Department of Biology, University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines; School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, 8140, New Zealand; Department of Biology, University of the Philippines Manila, Padre Faura St., Ermita, Manila, Philippines; P.O. Box 8210, Cairns, 4870, QLD, Australia
