It has long been known to the Iban people of borneo island that the fruit tree species Artocarpus odoratissimus has two different varieties, which they call lumok and pingan, and which are distinguished by the size and shape of the fruit. Despite traditional knowledge, Western botanists regarded the tree as a single species. A new genetic analysis, published June 6 in the journal Current Biology, confirms that the Iban people were right all along.

To determine taxonomy (definition of groups of biological organisms), scientists at Florida International University collected DNA samples from the tree, which belongs to the same genus as the trees that produce the fleshy jackfruit. Through phylogenetic analyses of DNA, the researchers concluded that although closely related, lumok and pingan are genetically distinct species.

"While the scientific effort has long benefited from Indigenous knowledge, it has generally not engaged with it on an equal footing," the scientists write in the study, led by Elliot M. Gardner, a botanist at Florida International University.

Now, scientists recommend that trees be renamed to reflect the new discovery and also suggest that it is time to consider incorporating indigenous names into taxonomic research.

Source: Um só Planeta