The Masungi Georeserve is a famous conservation site located in the Southern Sierra Madre range. Specifically, it is situated in Baras, Rizal, which is about 47 kilometers east of Manila.
At the heart of the area is Masungi Rock — geological formations that has an elevation of 640 meters. This and its surrounding part was proposed to be declared as a Strict Nature Reserve and Wildlife Sanctuary by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources since 1993.
As a conservation site, it serves as a home to an indigenous ecosystem.
Now, spotted in the area is what is deemed as “Jurassic” plants.
According to a post on Masungi Georeserve’s Facebook Page, “This Cycad (which they dubbed as JURASSIC plants) comes from the most ancient line of seed plants still present today. They flourished in the age of the dinosaurs and emerged even before them. Some scientists refer to Cycads as the “Rosetta Stone” of plant biology, holding the keys to our knowledge of the past.”
“Prevailing identification of this one is a female Cycas riuminiana, which was named after the president of the Moscow Horticultural Society where it was imported and first described,” they elaborated.
They said that if you want to learn more about this plant, you can check out the Cycad Action Plan of the IUCN.
Photo from: Masungi Georeserve
For more info about Masungi Georeserve, visit their website: www.masungigeoreserve.com.
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