Rare Coffee Plant Officially Recognized As Novel Genus: Chewlunia Sabahensis – CoffeeTalk

The Chewlunia sabahensis coffee plant, a rare species of coffee plant, has been officially recognized as a novel genus in Sabah, Malaysia. The plant was first collected in 1975 by Leopold Madani, a field-collecting expert. A second sample was collected in 2004 and later in 2023, and the plant was named after Datuk Chan Chew Lun. A third sample was collected in 2024 and verified by Dr Chen Junhao of Singapore Botanic Gardens. The Sabah Forest Department chief conservator of forests, Datuk Frederick Kugan, praised the rediscovery and stressed the need for ongoing exploration and research to understand Borneo’s diverse rainforest ecosystem and preserve Sabah’s biodiversity. The breakthrough came after over a decade of collaborative research led by Dr Chen, Hoo Pui Kat, and Dr KM Wong. The genus was named in honor of Datuk Chan Chew Lun, a distinguished Sabah publisher, naturalist, and historian whose contributions to the field have been widely celebrated.

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