Found mi Krempf camellia after more than 100 years

On November 2, Vice Dean of Da Lat University - Master Luong Van Dung ended the study tour and announced the discovery of a population of mi Krempf tea trees in Hon Giao, Khanh Hoa province with actual shape. fruits and colors of flowers after more than 100 years scientist M. Krempf collected samples for the first time.

Camellia mi Krempf

Master Luong Van Dung and two staff of Biduop Nui Ba National Park discovered mi Krempf tea at an altitude of about 800m, in the evergreen closed forest, with a relatively large number of individuals. This is a 5-8m tall species of small carpentry, the leaves have a long, slender leaf shape and the bottom of the heart-shaped leaves resembles a seaweed leaf. In particular, for the first time, researchers witnessed a realistic image of the color and appearance of mi Krempf flowers and fruits: flowers with red bricks, 5.5-7cm in diameter; fruit globose, 6-6.5cm in diameter.

Previously in 1912, mi Krempf tea (scientific name Camellia krempfii (Gagnep.) Sealy) was collected by M.Krempf in Ton Ha, Khanh Hoa province but only with leaves and flower buds. In 1942, researcher Ganepain based on these dry specimens described and published this species with the scientific name Thea krempfii Gagnep but no information about the color of the flower and the image of the fruit.

Since then, researchers from France, Australia, Japan, Vietnam . have investigated but have not recorded any more information about the natural image, fruit shape and especially the color of flowers. Dung's discovery is of critical scientific significance to accurately identify a plant species and confirm that the species of mi Krempf is not extinct.