Jakarta, June 19 -- A joint team of scientists led by the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) has discovered a new species of ornamental plant belonging to the Rhododendron genus in the mountains of Central Sulawesi.

The newly identified species features vibrant orange funnel-shaped flowers and has been officially named Rhododendron yombuwurii.

The team's findings were published in the international scientific journal Taiwania (Volume 71, No. 2, 2026).

According to Prima Wahyu Kusuma Hutabarat, a researcher at BRIN's Research Center for Biosystematics and Evolution, the plant is a slender, tree-dwelling shrub (epiphytic shrub) that grows semi-upright or horizontally.

While its closest known relative is Rhododendron celebicu...