Orchids are usually prized for their grace and beauty, but a newly described strain from Madagascar is unlikely to win any beauty contests. The small flowers are mottled brown and it resembles a moldy paper bag (or perhaps an eyeless, worm-like head with a mouth that opens in a silent scream or to consume your soul).
It’s no wonder the newly discovered species has been dubbed “the world’s ugliest orchid” by the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew (RBG Kew) in the United Kingdom, which recently topped the domestic newcomer with an emphasis on species discovered in 2020, representatives said in a statement.
The leafless orchid, called Gastrodia agnicellus, grows underground in decaying leaf litter for most of its life cycle, and is fed by fungus. In addition to the “small, brown and rather ugly” orchid, researchers and employees at RBG Kew described more than 150 plants and fungi this year, the statement said.
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In 2019, British botanist Johan Hermans, an honorary research associate of RBG Kew, found a number of G. agnicellus orchids hiding under leaf litter in a humid forest in Madagascar. Their lumpy, elongated shapes indicated that the flower belonged to a group known as potato orchids, and the flowers, which are about 1.1 inches long, give off a “ noticeable musk rose-like fragrance ” that intensifies as the air gets warmer, Hermans wrote. in a study published Nov. 5 in the journal Curtis’ Botanical Magazine.
Other newly described species on the list include a scaly, heat-resistant shrub that thrives in Namibian salt pans (Tiganophyton karasense); a Peruvian plant with purple tubers that could be a new food crop (Ipomoea noemana); and a vibrant, colorful bromeliad – a family of tropical, flowering plants that includes the pineapple – from Brazil (Acanthostachys calcicola) which grows on limestone cliffs and, according to the statement, can be pollinated by hummingbirds.
“In a challenging and difficult year, it is so exciting to see botanical and mycological science advance, with a huge list of incredible newly named species documented with our collaborators around the world,” said Martin Cheek, an RBG Kew- botanist and senior scientist in the Identification and Naming Department.
However, the bleak reality we face cannot be underestimated: With two out of five plants in danger of extinction, it is a race against time to find, identify, name and preserve plants before they disappear. , ”said Cheek.
Originally published on Live Science.