HYDNOPHYTUM HAILANS

This member of the Rubiaceae family was given this name by Camilla Rose Huxley and Matthew H. P. Jebb in 2019. It is found in the foothills of Mount Giluwe in central Papua New Guinea, growing as an epiphyte with lots of water and some sun. The caudex can grow to 20 centimetres in diameter, the entire plant to 60 centimetres or more in height. The flowers are white while the fruits turn orange-red. The genera name after Greek hydnon meaning 'tuber' and phyton meaning 'plant', after the swollen branches. The species name is the 'pidgin' or lingua franca name for the Papua New Guinea highlands region where it is found.