THE GENUS BUNCHOSIA RICH. EX KUNTH (MALPIGHIACEAE) IN JAVA, INDONESIA

Arifin Surya Dwipa Irsyam (Herbarium Bandungense, SITH, ITB)
Muhammad Rifqi Hariri (Research Center for Biosystematics and Evolution, BRIN)
Muhammad Hisyam Baidlowi (Botani Tropika Indonesia (Botanika) Foundation)
Dian Rosleine (Herbarium Bandungense (FIPIA), School of Life Sciences and Technology, ITB)

Floribunda
Vol. 8 No. 1 (2025): Floribunda

Malpighiaceae Juss. is a diverse family consisting of 72 genera that primarily distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. In Java, eight genera had been previously recorded. During fieldwork in 2024, a newly recorded genus, Bunchosia Rich. ex Kunth, was discovered in West Java (Sumedang) and East Java (Malang). This marks the first report of Bunchosia in Java, increasing the island’s known Malpighiaceae genera to nine. The genus is represented by a single species, Bunchosia armeniaca DC., locally known as kacang brazil. Native to Southern Tropical America, it was recently introduced to Java as an ornamental but is also valued for its edible fruit and seeds. This study provides an updated taxonomic key to the genera of Malpighiaceae in Java, along with a description of B. armeniaca and a discussion of its botanical significance.