Scientists spot a rare, never-before-seen ‘fairy lantern’-shaped species: “It exists in this tiny corner of the world”
Hidden beneath rainforest floors, a newly identified species shows how much biodiversity can still surface in the most unexpected places.
Nature always has the power to surprise us, and deep within humid forests around the world, tiny and highly unusual plants remain hidden underground, only occasionally sending their flowers above the surface. Known as fairy lanterns, they belong to the genus Thismia and could be considered biological monsters, as they steal nutrients from subterranean fungi.
This is because they lack the green chlorophyll required to produce their own food. Around 120 fairy lantern species were already known, but a new one – Thismia selangorensis – has now been discovered at a recreational site in Malaysia. The plant could be considered critically endangered, as only 20 individual specimens have been identified so far.
Monsters of the biological world
Mat Yunoh Siti-Munirah, a botanist at the Forest Research Institute Malaysia, realized the plant was an unidentified species after seeing photographs taken by Gim Siew Tan, who first spotted the newly identified species growing alongside the roots of a riverside tree near a popular picnic area.
In a statement, Siti-Munirah said that “this discovery shows that important scientific findings are not limited to remote jungles, but can also be made in ordinary environments where constant human activity leaves little room for expectation.” It is a small, vulnerable flower that “exists in this tiny corner of the world,” in one region of Malaysia.
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