The first verified count of the island’s flora could help preserve its biodiversity
To find the island with the most known plant species in the world, head to New Guinea.Not only is New Guinea home to feathered marvels like birds of paradise and cassowaries, the island is also brimming with foliage. Now the first verified count of the flora growing there reveals that New Guinea.
That new inventory shows that New Guinea, which includes Papua New Guinea and Indonesian New Guinea, has the highest known plant diversity of any island on Earth, researchers report August 5 in Nature. The survey documented 19 percent more plant species than have been recorded in Madagascar and 22 percent more than Borneo — regions that also rank among the most biodiverse on Earth.
