Category: Phytokeys

What are semi-double flowers? New species discovered with rare trait

Single-flowered plants are by far the most common species found in the wild.

More petals often equals more appeal for flower lovers. Double and semi-double blooms are popular among gardeners for their lush, ornate appearance. But, while they are common in cultivated varieties, they are exceptionally rare in the wild. 

So, when researchers from China discovered a new species with naturally occurring semi-double flowers, they knew they had found something special.

What are single, semi-double, and double flowers?

To appreciate this discovery, it’s helpful to understand what makes a flower “single,” “double,” or “semi-double.”

Three flowers, one with a single row of petals, one with a two, and one with several.
Left-to-right: single, semi-double, and double flowers in Rosaceae.
  • Single flowers have the typical number of petals for their species, arranged in a single row. This number is usually five in the rose family (Rosaceae). Single-flowered plants are by far the most common wild species.
  • Double flowers have been bred or mutated to have many extra petals, often replacing stamens, giving them a full, layered look. While they are popular for their aesthetic value, double flowers are often poor (or entirely useless) for pollinators.
  • Semi-double flowers are an intermediate form. They have more than the typical number of petals (often in two whorls), but fewer than fully double flowers, usually around 10–12 petals. Semi-double flowers are rare in the wild and – like double flowers – are almost always cultivated.

Double and semi-double blooms are prized for their beauty and prolonged flowering, but are typically only seen in cultivated ornamentals, not in wild populations.

Rubus semiplenus

Discovered in 2022 during a botanical expedition in Hunan Province’s Nanyue Hengshan National Nature Reserve, Rubus semiplenus is a rare example of a wild species with semi-double flowers. Scientists from Yunnan University and local botanical institutions confirmed it as a new species and published their findings in the open-access journal PhytoKeys.

Rubus semiplenus.

Unlike most of its Rubus relatives, R. semiplenus grows as a small herb or dwarf subshrub rather than a woody shrub. The bramble’s leaves are simple and nearly round, which is also unusual for the genus, and its flowers have 10–12 white petals arranged in two whorls, clearly distinguishing it from related species like Rubus hirsutus, which has the typical five-petaled, single flowers.

The floral trait seen in R. semiplenus is exceptionally rare in wild Rubus species. While some cultivated varieties and a few exceptions (like Rubus rosifolius var. coronarius) show similar traits, spontaneous semi-double flowers are almost unheard of in the wild. The discovery is also taxonomically significant. Genetic and morphological analyses place R. semiplenus within the section Rosaefolii, but it is the only known member of that group with both simple leaves and semi-double flowers, which may provide insight into floral evolution and development within the Rubus genus.

Original source

Wang T-T, Li M-H, Kuang D-Y, Xia J-L, Wang Q-P, Wang H-C (2025) Rubus semiplenus (Rosaceae), a new species with naturally occurring semi-double flowers from Hunan, China. PhytoKeys 257: 79-93. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.257.150519

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Bulgaria joins the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) 

Led by Pensoft and its CEO Prof. Lyubomir Penev, the partnership marks a major step for Bulgarian science and regional biodiversity leadership.

Bulgaria officially joins the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). This major event for Bulgarian science was initiated by a memorandum signed by the Minister of Environment and Water: Manol Genov. 

Logo for the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) featuring stylized green leaves and the acronym "GBIF" in bold text.

GBIF is an international network and data infrastructure funded by governments around the world that provides international open access to a modern and comprehensive database of all species of living organisms on the planet. 

Joining GBIF is an important step for initiatives such as the Bulgarian Barcode of Life (BgBOL), as it will facilitate the integration of genetic data on species diversity into the global scientific community and support the creation of a more accurate and accessible bioinformatic database. This will increase the scientific visibility and relevance of Bulgarian efforts in molecular taxonomy and conservation.

Newly established Bulgarian Barcode of Life to support biodiversity conservation in the country
World map showing GBIF network participants: green for voting participants, blue for associate participants, gray for non-participants.
Prof. Lyubomir Penev

“First of all, I’d like to congratulate all fellow scientists working in the domain of biology and ecology in Bulgaria with this wonderful achievement,” says Prof. Dr. Lyubomir Penev, founder and CEO of the scientific publisher and technology provider Pensoft, as well as a key participant in the talks and preparations for Bulgaria’s joining GBIF. He is also Chair of BgBOL.

“Becoming a full member of GBIF has been a long-anticipated milestone we have discussed and worked on for several years. Coming not long after we initiated the Bulgarian Barcode of Life, the Bulgarian membership in GBIF gives us yet another uncontested evidence that the nation is on the right path to preserving our uniquely rich fauna and flora,” he adds.

Pensoft is looking forward to sharing our know-how with Bulgarian institutions and scientists in order to streamline the visibility and overall efficiency of biodiversity data collected from Bulgaria.

Prof. Lyubomir Penev

“As close partners of GBIF for over 15 years now, Pensoft is looking forward to sharing our know-how with Bulgarian institutions and scientists, so that they can fully utilise the GBIF infrastructure and tools, in order to streamline the visibility and overall efficiency of biodiversity data collected from Bulgaria.”

GBIF is managed by a Secretariat based in Copenhagen and brings together countries and organisations that collaborate through national and institutional coordinators (also called participant nodes). The mechanism provides common standards, good practices and open access tools for institutions around the world to share information on the location and recording of species and specimens. According to GBIF, a total of 107 countries and organisations currently participate in the network, a significant number of which are European.

The GBIF network, as screenshot from https://www.gbif.org/the-gbif-network on 10/06/2025.

By joining GBIF, biodiversity data generated in Bulgaria can be streamlined through the network’s infrastructure so that the country does not need to build and maintain its own separate infrastructure, which also saves significant financial resources.

As a full voting member, Bulgaria will ensure that biodiversity data in the country will be shared and accessible through the platform, and will contribute to global knowledge on biodiversity, respectively to the solutions that will promote its conservation and sustainable use.

Map of Bulgaria showing biodiversity data with orange heatmap indicating occurrences.
Bulgaria’s page on GBIF, as screenshot from https://www.gbif.org/country/BG/summary on 10/06/2025.

Improvements in data management by Bulgaria will also contribute to better reporting and fulfilment of obligations to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) as well as to the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). As a member of GBIF, Bulgaria will be able to apply for funding for flagship activities in Bulgarian institutions and neighbouring Balkan countries. This will enable the country to expand its leadership role in the Balkans in biodiversity research and data accumulation.

GBIF and Pensoft signed a Memorandum of Cooperation

The partnership between GBIF and Pensoft dates back to 2009 when the global network and the publisher signed their first Memorandum of Understanding intended to solidify their cooperation as leaders in the technological advancement relevant to biodiversity knowledge. Over the next few years, Pensoft integrated its whole biodiversity journal portfolio with the GBIF infrastructure to enable multiple automated workflows, including export of all species occurrence data published in scientific articles straight to the GBIF platform. Most recently, over 20 biodiversity journals powered by Pensoft’s scholarly publishing platform ARPHA launched their own hosted portals on GBIF to make it easier to access and use biodiversity data associated with published research, aligning with principles of Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) data.

A prolific discovery: three new orchid species from Costa Rica and Panama

The new species utilise an unusual method of asexual reproduction known as prolification.

Researchers have discovered three new Pleurothallis orchid species in the cloud forests of Costa Rica and Panama. The new species utilise an unusual method of asexual reproduction known as prolification.

Pleurothallis winkeliana. Credit: Karremans et al.

Found in the cool, misty highlands of the Talamanca range at elevations between 1400 and 2550 metres, the newly discovered species, Pleurothallis matrisilvae, Pleurothallis pridgeoniana and Pleurothallis winkeliana are described in the open-access journal PhytoKeys. 

Prolific stems in species across Pleurothallidinae. Credit: Karremans et al.

Prolificating plants produce miniature plantlets directly from their flowering stems, allowing them to bypass seed production.

Whilst prolification is rarely a fixed feature within this group of orchids, it becomes common under stressful environmental conditions. The ability may be advantageous in the challenging conditions of cloud forests, but remains underexplored scientifically. Methods of asexual reproduction might also be important when pollinators are scarce.

Pleurothallis matrisilvae. Credit: Karremans et al.

The new species have each adapted to exhibit prolification in different ways, such as forming long chains or bushy growths. These adaptations helped researchers identify them as distinct species, despite their initial visual similarities with other plants. 

With close to 1700 species currently recorded, a third of which not known from anywhere else in the world, Costa Rica is a well-known orchid biodiversity hotspot. The discovery of these orchids displays the Talamanca range’s significance as a rich and largely unexplored area. 

Pleurothallis pridgeoniana. Credit: Karremans et al.

With these additions, Costa Rica now boasts 67 recognised species of Pleurothallis, though researchers believe many more await formal identification. Such abundance highlights the importance of conserving these unique ecosystems.

Thanks to Costa Rica’s robust system of protected areas (SINAC), local institutions such as Lankester Botanical Garden of the University of Costa Rica are able to uncover and describe floristic novelties in an effort to study and conserve the country’s unique biodiversity.

Original source

Karremans AP, Pupulin F, Gange J, Bogarín D (2025) Three new species of Pleurothallis (Orchidaceae) from Costa Rica and Panama, with a note on asexual reproduction by prolification in Pleurothallidinae. PhytoKeys 256: 197-220. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.256.140316

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Journals published on ARPHA now archived in the Biodiversity Heritage Library

To date, the content available on BHL includes 16,000 legacy articles and also extends to future articles.

Content from more than 30 biodiversity journals published on the ARPHA Platform will now be archived in the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL), the world’s largest open-access digital library for biodiversity literature and archives.

A vibrant orange butterfly perched on yellow flowers, with text announcing journal archiving in the Biodiversity Heritage Library.

A global consortium of natural history, botanical, research, and national libraries, BHL digitises and freely shares essential biodiversity materials. A critical resource for researchers, it provides vital access to material that might otherwise be difficult to obtain.

Under the agreement, over 16,000 articles published on Pensoft’s self-developed ARPHA Platform are now available on BHL. Both legacy content and new articles are made available on the platform, complete with full-text PDFs and all relevant metadata.

Thanks to this integration, content in our journals will become even more accessible and readily discoverable, helping researchers find the biodiversity information they need.

Prof. Lyubomir Penev

More content published on ARPHA will gradually be added to the BHL archive.

The publications will be included in the Library’s full-text search, allowing researchers to easily locate relevant biodiversity literature. Crucially, the scientific names within the articles will be indexed using the Global Names Architecture, enabling seamless discovery of information about specific taxa across the BHL collection.

This automated workflow is facilitated by the ARPHA platform and uses the Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH) to enable exposure and harvesting of repository metadata. 

“Pensoft is pleased to collaborate with BHL in our joint mission to support global biodiversity research through free access to knowledge. Thanks to this integration, content in our journals will become even more accessible and readily discoverable, helping researchers find the biodiversity information they need,” said Prof. Lyubomir Penev, CEO and founder of Pensoft and ARPHA.

The news comes soon after BHL announced it is about to face a major shift in its operation. From 2026, the Smithsonian Institution – one of BHL’s 10 founding members – will cease to host the administrative and technical components of BHL. As the consortium explores a range of options, the BHL team is confident that “the transition opens the door to a reimagined and more sustainable future for BHL.”

Biodiversity Knowledge Hub makes an appearance at the European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2025

The Biodiversity Knowledge Hub fosters interoperability between diverse resources to make it easier to use and combine information.

Gabriel Peoluze (LifeWatch ERIC) presents the Biodiversity Knowledge Hub poster at EGU 2025
(Vienna, Austria).

On Monday, 28 April, the first day of the European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2025 (EGU 2025), participants had the chance to discover one of the most promising initiatives in biodiversity informatics: the Biodiversity Knowledge Hub (BKH). BKH was presented as part of a dedicated poster session, titled “Biodiversity Knowledge Hub: Addressing the impacts of environmental change by linking Research Infrastructures, Global Aggregators and Community Networks“.

Understanding and addressing the impacts of environmental change on biodiversity and ecosystems demands access to reliable FAIR data (as in Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable). However, the current landscape is often fragmented, making it difficult to combine and use these resources effectively.

Enter the Horizon-funded project Biodiversity Community Integrated Knowledge Library (BiCIKL): a pioneering initiative that demonstrates the transformative power of interdisciplinary collaboration. Coordinated by Pensoft, BiCIKL ran between 2021 and 2024.

New BiCIKL project to build a freeway between pieces of biodiversity knowledge
The Vision of BiCIKL

Within BiCIKL, 14 European institutions from ten countries teamed up with the aim to integrate biodiversity data across research infrastructures, scientific repositories, and expert communities.

Through this integration, BiCIKL bridged the gap between isolated knowledge systems and delivered actionable insights to guide conservation and resilience efforts. The project embodies the principles of open science by demonstrating how interdisciplinary collaboration can turn fragmented data into cohesive, usable knowledge for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners.

How to ensure biodiversity data are FAIR, linked, open and future-proof?
The Biodiversity Knowledge Hub

At the heart of BiCIKL’s success is the Biodiversity Knowledge Hub (BKH): an innovative platform that provides seamless access to biodiversity data, tools, and workflows. The BKH fosters interoperability between diverse resources, thus making it easier to combine information from different sources. Whether for advanced research analytics or policymaking in support of sustainable development, the BKH empowers users with tools tailored to their needs.

A few of the standout features of the BKH include:
  • Modular design to allow continuous expansion and adaptability to new challenges in biodiversity and climate resilience
  • Interoperable systems that connect a variety of databases, repositories, and services to deliver integrated knowledge.
  • Community building by welcoming a broad network of stakeholders to ensure the platform’s long-term sustainability and growth.
Watch the Biodiversity Knowledge Hub video on YouTube.
Setting a New Benchmark in Biodiversity Informatics

Through its collaborative approach, BiCIKL set a new standard for how biodiversity and climate resilience initiatives can be harmonised globally. By showcasing best practices in data integration, capacity building, and stakeholder engagement, BiCIKL became much more than a project: it turned into a blueprint for future biodiversity knowledge infrastructures.

The Biodiversity Knowledge Hub serves to demonstrate how harmonised standards and active collaboration are key to unlocking the full potential of biodiversity data. In doing so, its mission is to create scalable, long-term solutions that are crucial for addressing today’s pressing environmental challenges.

The poster presentation at EGU25 outlined the methodologies and technologies driving the BKH, emphasizing its role as a pioneering model for integrated biodiversity knowledge and action. As environmental pressures continue to mount, the work of BiCIKL and the Biodiversity Knowledge Hub offers a hopeful path forward—one where knowledge flows freely, collaborations flourish, and data-driven solutions guide our way to a more resilient future.

Visit the Biodiversity Community Integrated Knowledge Library (BiCIKL) project’s website at: https://bicikl-project.eu/.

Don’t forget to also explore the Biodiversity Knowledge Hub (BKH) for yourself at: https://biodiversityknowledgehub.eu/ and watch the BKH’s introduction video. 

Revisit highlights from the BiCIKL project on X/Twitter from the project’s hashtag: #BiCIKL_H2020 and handle: @BiCIKL_H2020.

BiCIKL project sums up outcomes and future prospects at a Final GA in Cambridge

More than 20 journals published by Pensoft with their own hosted data portals on GBIF to streamline and FAIR-ify biodiversity research

The portals currently host data on over 1,000 datasets and almost 325,000 occurrence records across the 25 journals.

In collaboration with the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), Pensoft has established hosted data portals for 25 open-access peer-reviewed journals published on the ARPHA Platform.

A screenshot featuring a close-up of a turtle on a forest floor, overlayed with a web portal design for biodiversity data browsing.
A screenshot of the Check List data portal.

The initiative aims to make it easier to access and use biodiversity data associated with published research, aligning with principles of Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) data.

The data portals offer seamless integration of published articles and associated data elements with GBIF-mediated records. Now, researchers, educators, and conservation practitioners can discover and use the extensive species occurrence and other data associated with the papers published in each journal.

A video displaying an interactive map with occurrence data on the BDJ portal.

The collaboration between Pensoft and GBIF was recently piloted with the Biodiversity Data Journal (BDJ). Today, the BDJ hosted portal provides seamless access and exploration for nearly 300,000 occurrences of biological organisms from all over the world that have been extracted from the journal’s all-time publications. In addition, the portal provides direct access to more than 800 datasets published alongside papers in BDJ, as well as to almost 1,000 citations of the journal articles associated with those publications.  

The Biodiversity Data Journal launches its own data portal on GBIF

“The release of the BDJ portal and subsequent ones planned for other Pensoft journals should inspire other publishers to follow suit in advancing a more interconnected, open and accessible ecosystem for biodiversity research,” said Dr. Vince Smith, Editor-in-Chief of BDJ and head of digital, data and informatics at the Natural History Museum, London.

“The programme will provide a scalable solution for more than thirty of the journals we publish thanks to our partnership with Plazi, and will foster greater connectivity between scientific research and the evidence that supports it,” said Prof. Lyubomir Penev, founder and chief executive officer of Pensoft.

On the new portals, users can search data, refining their queries based on various criteria such as taxonomic classification, and conservation status. They also have access to statistical information about the hosted data.

Together, the hosted portals provide data on almost 325,000 occurrence records, as well as over 1,000 datasets published across the journals.

Exquisite but endangered: new ‘fairy lantern’ flower discovered in Malaysia

The tiny new Thismia species is threatened by habitat degradation.

Species belonging to the genus Thismia are some of the strangest and most magical-looking in the plant kingdom, which has earned them the nickname ‘fairy lanterns.’

No exception to the rule, a newly discovered Thismia species from eastern Peninsular Malaysia looks like something that belongs in a fantasy world.

Take a look below.

Thismia aliasii.

Standing just 11 cm tall, Thismia aliasii is an easy-to-miss and Critically Endangered new species described in the open-access journal PhytoKeys.

The genus Thismia consists of plants that are mycoheterotrophic, meaning they do not photosynthesise and instead rely entirely on fungi for their nutrition. The unusual flowers seen on Thismia species facilitate specialised pollination mechanisms involving small insects such as fungus gnats.

Sun-shunning thief: new plant species robs underground fungi to survive

Thismia aliasii was first documented by co-author Mohamad Alias Shakri in 2019 during a field expedition in Terengganu’s Chemerong Forest Eco Park, not far from a hiking path.

Terengganu’s Chemerong Forest Eco Park, habitat of the new species.

“The discovery of Thismia aliasii is very interesting as it was found in a mountainous region known for its natural beauty. The discovery was made on the edge of a popular mountaineering trail, but, remarkably, the species was first recognised by Alias.

“It was not easy to obtain specimens for further study as its habitat is on the mountain and COVID time delayed search efforts. Fortunately, targeted field work to find this plant was successful with the support of NAGAO.”

Siti-Munirah Mat Yunoh, co-author of the paper.
Woman holding an orange flower.
Siti-Munirah Mat Yunoh with Thismia aliasii.
Three men crouching and pointing at a small flower.
From left to right Angan and Alias and Zubir with Thismia aliasii.

Thismia aliasii is provisionally classified as Critically Endangered (CR) under the IUCN Red List criteria, with only five individuals observed across multiple surveys. The primary threats to its survival stem from habitat degradation due to increasing hiking activities in the region.

This discovery adds to Terengganu’s reputation as a hotspot for Thismia diversity, being home to 13 species of the genus, including six endemics. 

Macro image of an orange flower.
Macro image of an orange flower.
Thismia aliasii.

Siti-Munirah Mat Yunoh, Forest Research Institute Malaysia, and Mohamad Alias Shakri, Terengganu Forestry Department completed the research with funding from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability under the 12th Malaysian Plan and support from the Nagao Research Grant.

Original source

Siti-Munirah MY, Mohamad Alias S (2025) Thismia aliasii (Thismiaceae), a new species from Terengganu, Peninsular Malaysia. PhytoKeys 254: 175-188. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.254.136085

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Plants of the Carribbean: Pensoft at the XIII Latin American Congress of Botany in Havana

Researchers gathered in Cuba to share the latest advancements in plant science.

From the 10th to 14th March, 2025, Havana, Cuba, hosted the XIII Latin American Congress of Botany, a fantastic event that brought together botanists and mycologists from far and wide to share knowledge and celebrate the rich botanical heritage of Latin America. 

Organised by the Latin American Botanical Association and Planta! – Plantlife Conservation Society, the event welcomed around 300 attendees and provided fertile ground for experts to engage in meaningful discussions and forge new partnerships. 

Pensoft's stand at the XIII Latin American Congress of Botany in Havana, with many visitors.
Pensoft’s stand welcomed hundreds of visitors.

Pensoft was proud to participate in the congress, showcasing its commitment to advancing plant research and establishing relationships with the global academic community. As always, the Pensoft team was thrilled to meet up with familiar authors, editors, and reviewers, as well as hundreds of new faces.

  • Eldis R. Bécquer
  • Alicia Rodriguez and Denitsa Peneva
  • Carolina Garrizo Garcia and Boriana Ovcharova
  • Rafael Silva and Boriana Ovcharova
  • Event organisers Alejandro Palmarola and Ramona Oviedo with Lyubomir Penev
  • Alejandra Jamarillo
  • Lyubomir Penev and John Clark

Pensoft’s stand was hub of activity, featuring information on its numerous journals in botany and mycology. These included PhytoKeys, MycoKeys, IMA Fungus, Plant Ecology and Evolution, Italian Botanist, Biodiversity Data Journal, Neotropical Biology and Conservation, and Check List. At the stand, attendees were welcomed to explore the journals, discuss publishing opportunities, learn about Pensoft’s cutting-edge publishing and technology solutions, take some stickers, and even enter a raffle!

The stand was adorned with many promotional materials featuring artwork by Denitsa Peneva, which proved to be a major draw for the attendees. 

Promotional material at Pensoft’s stand.

On Friday, March 14, 2025, Pensoft’s CEO and Founder, Prof Dr Lyubomir Penev, delivered a compelling talk titled “Advancing Plant Taxonomy and Conservation through Scholarly Communication.” This presentation delved into the workflows and tools designed to streamline data publishing and enhance scholarly communication throughout the academic portfolio of the open-access publisher. Key aspects covered included semantic enrichment, data publishing, automated data import/export and science communication, all of which are crucial for advancing biodiversity research and conservation efforts.

The event marked another milestone in Pensoft’s ongoing efforts to bridge the gap between research and publication, ensuring that botanical knowledge reaches a wider audience and contributes to the conservation of plant diversity worldwide. As the botanical community looks forward to future gatherings, Pensoft remains ready to support and enhance the dissemination of botanical science globally.

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New blazing star discovery highlights the power of citizen science

The rare plant was identified thanks to photographs uploaded to iNaturalist.

Discovered in the Andean cloud forests of northern Peru, a new species in the blazing star family (Loasaceae) has reinforced the vital role of citizen science in plant research. 

Nasa katjae. Credit: Joshua P. Allen

An international research team collected, identified and documented the rare plant after seeing photographs uploaded by Peruvian naturalist, Carlos Pérez Peña, on the citizen science platform iNaturalist. Assigning the species the name Nasa katjae, they published the discovery in the open-access journal PhytoKeys.

Nasa katjae has striking scarlet-red flowers adapted for hummingbird pollination and is endemic to a single forest near Colasay in the Cajamarca region of Peru, not far from a populated area. Due to its extremely narrow range, it is likely particularly vulnerable to the threat of habitat loss.

The discovery highlights the importance of protecting the remaining pristine habitats in the Amotape-Huancabamba Zone, a biodiversity hotspot home to many rare and isolated species. The team behind the study emphasise that, without immediate conservation efforts, these ecologically fragile regions could be lost to agricultural expansion and climate change before they are fully understood.

Nasa katjae habitat. Credit: Joshua P. Allen

Lead author Dr Tilo Henning of the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research remarked on the significance of the find: “If we have overlooked this striking plant, think about what we have missed in more unobtrusive organismal groups such as mosses, fungi and insects.”

“Discovering such a conspicuous flowering plant in a forest directly adjacent to a larger human settlement signifies that we have not even begun to fully map the biodiversity of some regions. We urgently need more taxonomists and funding to meaningfully tackle this.”

While some areas in northern Peru have recently received formal protection, the forest fragment in which Nasa katjae is found remains unprotected. The authors of the study urge decision makers to take action to safeguard these habitats before it is too late.

The discovery of Nasa katjae displays the power of digital tools and citizen science in biodiversity research. Platforms like iNaturalist prove invaluable in detecting and documenting rare species, complementing traditional fieldwork and accelerating new discoveries.

Original source

Henning T, Allen JP, Montesinos-Tubée D, Rodríguez-Rodríguez EF, Peña JLM, Acuña-Castillo R (2025) No end to endemism – contributions to the difficult Nasa Weigend Series Alatae (Loasaceae). A new species from Peru and the rehabilitation of “ Loasa” calycina Benth. PhytoKeys 252: 163-186. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.252.141635

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The woolly devil: a landmark U.S. plant discovery

Belonging to the sunflower family, the tiny plant was found in Big Bend National Park, Texas.

Based on this press release by the California Academy of Sciences.

Researchers have discovered the first new genus and species of plant in a U.S. national park for nearly 50 years.

Described in the OA journal PhytoKeys, the new-to-science woolly devil (Ovicula biradiata) is a member of the sunflower family, despite looking quite different to its sunburst-shaped relatives.

Small wooly plants between rocks.
The small, fuzzy flower grows in the harsh, rocky soils of the Chihuahuan Desert and only appears after rainfall. (Photo courtesy of Big Bend National Park)

Scientists from the California Academy of Sciences, Big Bend National Park, Sul Ross State University, and Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigación para el Desarrollo Integral Regional (CIDIIR) made the discovery in Big Bend National Park, Texas.

The national park is located within the Chihuahuan Desert, the largest and most biologically diverse warm desert in North America, and is a highly studied floristic region.

“While many assume that the plants and animals within our country’s national parks have probably been documented by now, scientists still make surprising new discoveries in these iconic protected landscapes,” says corresponding author and Academy researcher Isaac Lichter Marck, PhD. 

Desert landscape.
From an elevation of less than 1,800 feet along the Rio Grande to nearly 8,000 feet in Chisos Mountains, Big Bend includes massive canyons, vast desert expanses, forest mountains, and an ever-changing river. (Photo courtesy of Big Bend National Park)

Park volunteer Deb Manley was first to observe the plant in March of 2024 by who uploaded the unknown species to the community science app iNaturalist, where an international community of botanists assembled to identify the mysterious flower. 

Known to botanists as a “belly plant,” or a small, discreet plant that can only be properly observed by lying on the ground, this distinctive wild flower with furry white foliage and maroon ray florets is an ephemeral species that only blooms after rain. It thrives in harsh rocky habitats with scant rainfall and grows alongside a variety of drought-tolerant shrubs, such as ocotillo, hedgehog cactus, and creosote.

Researchers have only observed the plant in three narrow locations across the northernmost corner of the park, and it is possible that populations of the species are already diminishing.

Three researchers on hands and knees.
Big Bend National Park staff members Carolyn Whiting, Deb Manley, and Patty Manning discovered the plant while hiking through the northernmost reaches of the park. (Photo courtesy of Big Bend National Park)

“Plants that thrive in deserts are often quite unique, having evolved specific mechanisms to withstand the extreme drought-and-deluge conditions of these arid landscapes—from water-storing structures to rapid life cycles triggered by rain,” says Lichter Marck. 

“But as climate change pushes deserts to become hotter and drier, highly specialized plants like the woolly devil face extinction.”

The plant’s woolly appearance and striking red petals inspired the name Ovicula biradiata. Ovicula, meaning “tiny sheep,” refers to the thick, white hairs that cover the plant’s leaves and honors a more iconic endangered species in Big Bend: the bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis). Biradiata, or “bi-radial,” refers to the two ray florets in each of the plant’s flowers. Researchers working with the plant affectionately dubbed the fuzzy flower the “woolly devil,” which has become its suggested common name.

A researchers photographing a tiny plant using a phone.
Park botanist Carolyn Whiting observes the unknown species in March 2024. (Photo courtesy of Big Bend National Park)

“Now that the species has been identified and named, there is a tremendous amount we have yet to learn about it,” says Big Bend National Park botanist Carolyn Whiting.

“I’m excited to discover whether there are other populations in the park, the details of its life cycle, what pollinates it, and whether we’ll observe it this spring, given the current drought.”

Researchers are now investigating the woolly devil’s potential medicinal properties.

“Under the microscope, we noticed specific glands that are known to possess compounds with anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties in other plants within the sunflower family,” says Academy co-author Keily Peralta.

“While further research is needed to determine these properties, this discovery underscores the potential knowledge we stand to gain from preserving plant diversity in fragile desert ecosystems.”

Original source

Manley DL, Lichter Marck IH, Peralta K, Castro Castro A, Wogan KA, Whiting CV, Powell AM (2025) Ovicula biradiata, a new genus of Compositae from Big Bend National Park in Trans-Pecos Texas. PhytoKeys 252: 141-162. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.252.137624

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