16 new fungal species found hiding in Thailand’s flowers

Researchers at Chiang Mai University and Kasetsart University surveyed flowers across northern Thailand and found 16 previously unknown species of black, yeast-like fungi in the Aureobasidium genus, living inside 31 kinds of flowering plants including bougainvillea and butter daisy.

The team also logged four more species never before recorded in Thailand. Several new fungi were named for their host flowers or collection sites, and two were named after Thai mycologists, Saisamorn Lumyong and Savitree Limtong.

The genus is already used industrially to produce enzymes, fight plant disease, and break down plastics, though some species can act as opportunistic human pathogens. The researchers say the find establishes a baseline for tracking ecological shifts and shows an unexpectedly high diversity of these fungi in the region.

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