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| ▲ This photo, provided by the social media of the research team, shows the newly discovered plant. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, Apr. 13 (Yonhap) -- A flower that has never been spotted was discovered in Thailand and named after the South Korean supergroup BLACKPINK’s Lisa.
Per Bangkok Post on Thursday, a research team at Chiang Mai University found a new species of flowering plant that has never before been seen anywhere else around the globe. The research team then gave the plant the name “Lalisa,” in honor of the Thai-born K-pop singer Lalisa “Lisa” Manoban, a member of the world-class girl group BLACKPINK.
One of the researchers from the team is said to be a huge fan of the singer, whom the researcher was personally inspired by to pursue her doctorate degree. The newly discovered plant reportedly belongs to the Annonaceae family and was found among samples collected from the southern province of Narathiwat in Thailand. This endangered plant is known for its pungent smell.
The research team has been carrying out projects to find and preserve rare and unknown plants in the Annonaceae family in Thailand, with support from the Thailand Science Research and Innovation Office and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation.
BLACKPINK, who plucked to stardom since its debut, has been enjoying its heyday also in Thailand, which is known as the member’s hometown. This sensational K-pop band is set to hold an additional concert at Bangkok’s Rajamangala National Stadium, also known as the country’s largest concert hall, for two days from May 27, as a part of the live tour that took the group all across Asia since last January.
Thai fans are known to have shown keen interest and support for the Thai-born singer, to the point where every move she makes garners the nationwide attention and the spotlight of local media outlets.
When Lisa said she missed meatballs from her hometown of Buriram, fans gathered from all across the country to taste those meatballs, and when the singer shared a picture holding Ya Dom, a Thai inhaler, on her social space, the item was soon sold out.
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Ha eun Lee)
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