Inventory and conservation of endangered, endemic and economically important flora of Hamiguitan Range, southern Philippines

Abstract

This research was conducted to inventory and assess the flora of Mt Hamiguitan. Field reconnaissance and transect walk showed four vegetation types, namely: dipterocarp, montane, typical mossy and mossy-pygmy forests. Inventory of plants showed a total of 878 species, 342 genera and 136 families. Of these, 698 were angiosperms, 25 gymnosperms, 41 ferns and 14 fern allies. Assessment of conservation status revealed 163 endemic, 34 threatened, 33 rare and 204 economically important species. Noteworthy findings include 8 species as new record in Mindanao and one species as new record in the Philippines. Density of threatened species is highest in the dipterocarp forest and decreases at higher elevation. Species richness was highest in the montane forest and lowest in typical mossy forest. Endemism increases from the dipterocarp to the montane forest but is lower in the mossy forest. The results are compared with data from other areas.