Detecting rare and precious three-sided Oak populations in Nam Nung Nature Reserve

During a field trip at Nam Nung and Ta Dung Nature Reserve, experts from the Lam Sinh Research Institute - Vietnam Forestry Science Institute discovered plant populations of rare and precious three-sided oak with nearly 200 fish. can.

Three-sided Oak populations are found in sub-area 1331, at an altitude of 1,100m to 1,250m in Nam Nung Nature Reserve, Dak Song district, Dak Nong province. The average height of the trees in the population is about 18m; diameter of trees from 60 - 120cm, big trees up to 2m.

Oak leaves and fruits Three sides.(Photo: Hoang Thanh Son)

The three-sided oak has the scientific name Trigonobalanus verticillata Forman , belonging to the genus Trigonobalanus - the genus of plants has the lowest level of evolution in their limbs (Fagacease). The reason this species is called the three-sided oak because the seeds of this species have three very unique sides. This species often grows mixed with Chinese Bats (Castanopsis chinensis), Long leaf bark (Podocarpus nerrifolius), Tram pod red (Syzygium zeylanicum), Bidoup (Gordonia bidoupensis), and Beveled fruit (Lithocarpus truncatus). and Likes red flowers (Acer erythranthum).

However, the three-sided oak has the characteristics of leaf, flower and fruit morphology which are very different from those of the same family of Fagaceae, so the species is also very interested by the scientific community.

In the world, three-sided oak is only discovered in Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam. In Vietnam, three-sided oak was found in Kon Ka Kinh National Park, Gia Lai Province (2002) and Bidoup - Nui Ba National Park, Lam Dong (2007). Currently, the species is classified as Endangered in the Vietnam Red Book.

The discovery of the three-sided oak population further demonstrates the diversity of ecosystems of Nam Nung Nature Reserve, so Dak Nong province should continue to investigate and implement many measures to preserve diversity for the system. Ecology of this area.