DAVAO CITY (August 24) — It may be small enough to escape an ordinary hiker’s notice, but a rare liverwort found on a mountain in Davao del Sur has reopened a century-old chapter in the Philippines’ biodiversity story.
Scientists have confirmed a new population of Treubia insignis at Altut Tuna Peak in Barangay Colonsabac, Matanao, a discovery that expands the known range of a species that had vanished from Philippine scientific records for more than 100 years.
The discovery was made during a July 3-8 expedition, according to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Davao.
For more than a century, T. insignis was known in the Philippines from a single early record: its discovery on Mount Banahaw in 1913. Then, it effectively disappeared from the scientific map.
Its return to the record began in 2019, when researchers documented populations in Negros. More sightings followed in Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon in early 2023.
Now, the liverwort has surfaced in Davao del Sur, offering scientists another clue to where this elusive species survives—and how much of its habitat may still be hidden in Mindanao’s forests.
The finding is more than a botanical curiosity.
Liverworts are small, non-flowering plants that thrive in moist, shaded environments and contribute to the health of forest ecosystems. Their presence can also provide scientists with valuable information about the condition of habitats that support a wide range of other organisms.
At Altut Tuna Peak, the discovery puts a spotlight on a landscape that may harbor more species yet to be fully documented.
For researchers, every new population matters. It helps fill gaps in the species’ distribution, provides clues about its habitat requirements and strengthens the scientific basis for protecting the forests where it survives.
For local communities and conservationists, meanwhile, the tiny plant carries a much bigger message: some of Mindanao’s most important natural treasures may not be the ones that immediately catch the eye.
Sometimes, they are the smallest—and the easiest to miss.
The rediscovery of Treubia insignis after more than a century is a reminder that much of the Philippines’ biodiversity story remains unwritten, waiting in the cool, shaded corners of its mountains for someone to look closely enough.
