The indigenous Bugkalot people of Mt. Meddengen and Sitio Binbin in the Caraballo Mountain Range of Nueva Ecija province mash the oval-shaped leaves of a plant they call kelli and mixed it with food to treat ailing dogs. While not new to the Bugkalot, the plant with white, starburst-like flowers was found to be a distinct species and given a formal scientific name: Clerodendrum kelli.

Growing within the Pantabangan-Carrangalan Watershed Forest Reserve, the rare flower stands a meter tall, has green leaves accented by pale purple undersides and open clusters of white, tube-shaped flowers blooming from reddish-pink bases.

Traditional use by the Bugkalot IP is not considered the cause of the plant’s scarcity. As forest clearing and slope failures continue, C. kelli is now assessed as critically endangered and is known to exist in a total area of just eight square kilometers.

Researchers warn that, without stronger protection, the species could vanish, a press release from the Ateneo de Manila University Research Communications (ADMURC) says.

The discovery of C. kelli is more than a scientific milestone; it highlights how Indigenous knowledge and science can overlap — bridging traditional and formal understanding of biodiversity.

David Justin R. Ples, John Patykowski, Leonardo C. Udasco, John Charles A. Altomonte, Adriane B. Tobias, and Rene Alfred Anton Bustamante published their discovery, titled Clerodendrum kelli (Lamiaceae), a new species from Carranglan, Nueva Ecija, Philippines, and lectotypification of Clerodendrum mindorense, in December 2025 in the Gardens’ Bulletin Singapore. With Danika Geronimo, ADMURC