The new species of tree, dubbed “Sok Lueang”, was stumbled upon recently by Wittaya Pongamornkul and his team.

Wittaya and other botanists from the Botanical Garden Organisation and Chiang Mai University noticed Karen villagers grilling seeds that they did not recognise. After conducting a thorough examination, they realised the seeds came from a previously undocumented species.

Sok Lueang is a new species of plant in the Saraca genus of flowering trees, which belong to the Fabaceae family. The new tree has been given the Latin name “Saraca thailandica Pongamornkul, Panyadee & Inta” – or plant of Thailand. The full Thai name is “Sok Lueang Mae Moei”.

The discovery was recorded in the latest edition of the Thai Journal of Botany.