Eriobotrya balgooyi (Rosaceae), a new obligate ultramafic endemic from Kinabalu park, Borneo

Background - The still highly incomplete floristic knowledge of ultramafic outcrops in Borneo has been emphasised. Specialised investigation often turns in novel discoveries and in Kinabalu Park, Malaysian Borneo, the recent completion of a floristic inventory has facilitated such research. Methods - Normal practices of herbarium taxonomy have been applied (using material from K, L, MSC, SING and the Kinabalu Park Herbarium). Results - Eriobotrya balgooyi (Rosaceae) is a new species described from Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. It is an obligate endemic to ultramafc soils on a hill near the eastern ridge of Mount Kinabalu and on nearby Mount Tambuyukon, both localities within Kinabalu Park, a World Heritage Site. The new species illustrates a growing list of rarities from the little-documented flora of ultramafc soils that form significant outcrops in northern Borneo, and for which urgent study is needed.