‘Ghost’ orchid that grows in the dark among new plant finds
Hundreds of new species include pink voodoo lily and an ylang-ylang tree named after Leonardo DiCaprio.
A ghost orchid that grows in complete darkness, an insect-trapping tobacco plant and an “exploding firework” flower are among the new species named by scientists in the last year. The species range from a voodoo lily from Cameroon to a rare tooth fungus unearthed near London, UK.
A new tree from the ylang-ylang family is the first to be named in 2022 and is being named after the actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio. He campaigned to revoke a logging concession which threatened the African tree, which features glossy yellow flowers on its trunk.
The highlighted plants are among the 205 new species named in 2021 by scientists from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and their collaborators around the world. All are vital parts of the planet’s biodiversity and some may provide food and medicine.
However, several are already extinct in the wild and many threatened by the destruction of forests, expanding palm oil plantations and mining. There are 400,000 named plant species and two in five are threatened with extinction. The scientists said it was a race against time to identify new plants before they disappeared for ever.
In total, scientists across the world have named about 2,000 new plant species each year for at least a decade. “It’s almost bewildering that we’re still discovering so many,” said Dr Martin Cheek, at RBG Kew. “But now is our last chance to find unknown species, name them and hopefully protect them before they become globally extinct.”
The new ghost orchid is one of 16 new orchids from dense and remote forests in Madagascar, It was named Didymoplexis stella-silvae by Kew’s Johan Hermans, meaning “star of the forest” as it grows in complete darkness and has star-like flowers. It has no leaves or chlorophyll for photosynthesis and gets all its nutrients in symbiosis with underground fungi. The flower only pokes through the forest-floor humus for a day to attract pollinators, which may be ants
However, several are already extinct in the wild and many threatened by the destruction of forests, expanding palm oil plantations and mining. There are 400,000 named plant species and two in five are threatened with extinction. The scientists said it was a race against time to identify new plants before they disappeared for ever.
In total, scientists across the world have named about 2,000 new plant species each year for at least a decade. “It’s almost bewildering that we’re still discovering so many,” said Dr Martin Cheek, at RBG Kew. “But now is our last chance to find unknown species, name them and hopefully protect them before they become globally extinct.”
The new ghost orchid is one of 16 new orchids from dense and remote forests in Madagascar, It was named Didymoplexis stella-silvae by Kew’s Johan Hermans, meaning “star of the forest” as it grows in complete darkness and has star-like flowers. It has no leaves or chlorophyll for photosynthesis and gets all its nutrients in symbiosis with underground fungi. The flower only pokes through the forest-floor humus for a day to attract pollinators, which may be ants.
