Researchers in China have verified Pueraria omeiensis as a new species of legumes, according to a paper published in biodiversity journal Taiwania on Wednesday.

"Pueraria omeiensis was once treated as a new species, but the name was not validly published because only a Chinese description was provided," said a scientific communication on the website of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

To verify and confirm the taxonomic status of Pueraria omeiensis, researchers from the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) of the CAS collected specimens of Pueraria species in southwest China from 2018 to 2021.

"Both morphological characters and phylogenetic analyses strongly supported Pueraria omeiensis as a distinct species," the CAS said.

According to the researchers, Pueraria omeiensis is a woody climber, climbing on the montane forests or thickets at an elevation of 300 to 2,200 meters.

Because Pueraria omeiensis is widely distributed in Chongqing, Guangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan and Yunnan in southwest China, the researchers deemed its conservation status as "least concern," according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.