For decades, the small tree Meiogyne monogyna was mistakenly grouped with its widespread relative Meiogyne virgata, a species native to Southeast Asia and Malesia. However, through detailed examinations of herbarium specimens and field observations of living plants, researchers from the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have reinstated Meiogyne monogyna as a distinct species and documented it for the first time as a new record for the flora of China.

The species was first described in 1942 as Desmos monogynus based on collections from Tonkin, Vietnam, and later transferred to the genus Meiogyne in 1974. Due to superficial resemblances in flower and fruit morphology, it was subsequently deemed a synonym of Meiogyne virgata. The latest study, published in Phytotaxa on July 16, overturns that long-standing classification with compelling morphological evidence.

Meiogyne monogyna is a small tree that grows up to six meters tall. It has oblong to elliptic-oblong leaves, light greenish-yellow to cream-colored flowers, and cylindrical fruits that contain reniform to flattened-ellipsoid seeds. It can be distinguished from its close relative, M. virgata, by its shorter petioles, longer outer and inner petals when dried, bilobed stigmas, cylindrical monocarps with a beaked apex, and more numerous secondary veins.

From 2021 to 2025, researchers documented flowering and fruiting populations in limestone forests in Hekou, Maguan, and Malipo counties in southeastern Yunnan Province. These populations represent the first confirmed record of M. monogyna in China, extending the species' known range from northern Vietnam to southwestern China.

Due to its restricted distribution and ongoing habitat threats, the researchers have assessed the species as vulnerable (VU) under the IUCN criteria. In Maguan and Hekou counties, the remaining populations cling to small patchesof forest near villages. Deforestation for banana plantations and other cash crops has severely fragmented and degraded their limestone forest habitat due to mounting anthropogenic pressure.

"Our study clarifies a long-standing taxonomic confusion and underscores the importance of botanical surveys in border regions for uncovering hidden biodiversity," said TAN Yunhong of XTBG.

Meiogyne monogyna (Image by YANG Bin)

Meiogyne monogyna (Image by YANG Bin)

Meiogyne monogyna (Image by YANG Bin)

Meiogyne monogyna (Image by YANG Bin)