19 December 2024
Kew's Top 10 New Species of 2024
Kew's scientists and international partners share their 10 favourite species named as new to science in the past 12 months.
It's been another busy year here at Kew, with our scientists and their partners working hard to unravel the unknowns of biodiversity in virtually every corner of the globe.
In total, they have described 149 plants and 23 fungi as new to science, including the introduction of several entirely new genera and even a new family of plants. And what discoveries they were!
Among the more thrilling highlights are several ‘toothy toadstools’ (tooth fungi), with type specimens collected from near Royal Tunbridge Wells and on Crown Estate land near Windsor. Elsewhere, scientists have named a 'black souled' Aphelandra from Colombia, and in the forests of Borneo, a peculiar climbing rattan has been dubbed the 'ghost palm'.
But why does any of this matter?
The unfortunate reality is that we are losing biodiversity at a disastrous rate and many of the species that were only given a formal scientific name this year are already threatened with extinction. As highlighted in Kew's State of the World’s Plants and Fungi report last year, three in four undescribed plant species are at risk and we are in a race against time to protect them.
Every unknown species of plant and fungus that we lose could have been a potential cure for cancer or a future disease, or part of the solution to global food insecurity, not to mention its ecological function or scientific interest. And unless we know what is out there, we can't implement any meaningful conservation measure to protect it.
But there is hope. Kew's scientists are collaborating with partners to incorporate plants in their natural habitats into a network of Important Plant Areas (IPAs; particularly tropical IPAs - TIPAs). Other protective measures include conserving the seeds of threatened flora in Kew's Millennium Seed Bank at Wakehurst, or by collecting plant material that can be expertly propagated by Kew's horticulturists.
The options are many, but the clock is ticking, and we need the public to take a greater interest in plant and fungal taxonomy. Hopefully, this list will help inspire people to get involved.
So, let's take a look at this year's discoveries.
1) Ghost palm of Borneo published after 90 years – Plectocomiopsis hantu
It can take several years to describe a new species, and this first example is no exception. Although known to the local communities of Borneo (Malaysia and Indonesia), this highly distinctive rattan sat in a herbarium collection for close to a century before being described as a new species.
Known locally as wi mukoup or wee mukup, scientists have named it Plectocomiopsis hantu, from the Malay and Indonesian word for ghost. The spooky name derives from its grey stems and white undersides to the leaves.
The plant is known from only three locations in or near protected rainforest habitat.
2) Three new fishy fungi from Europe and North America
There are about 800 described toadstool species in the genus Russula globally, known for their fishy odour, brittle gills, and apple-flesh-like stalks. And just like many other toadstool species, they are mycorrhizal, meaning their hyphae form mutualisms with the roots of plants.
Now, a group of 13 scientists from Slovakia, Sweden, Germany, USA, and Kew has used DNA sequencing to expand the Russula ranks with three new species. These are Russula lapponica from Swedish and Norwegian Sápmi, also Estonia; Russula neopascua of the high Rockies in Colorado and Montana, USA; and Russula olympiana from the same range but extending to the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia in Canada.
3) The 'black souled' Aphelandra from Colombia – Aphelandra almanegra
Named after its distinct black heartwood, this new species of deciduous shrub is in the same genus as the widely cultivated zebra plant (Aphelandra squarrosa) of Brazilian forests. Aphelandra almanegra, however, hails from the dry forests of north-west Colombia.
With its spectacular pink flowers and spikes of up to 110 flowers each, this new species has a lot of potential as a house plant. Unfortunately, the clearance of its habitat means it is threatened with extinction.
4) Afrothismiaceae, a new African family of non-photosynthesising, fungus-dependent plants.
Informed by the results of DNA sequencing, scientists have moved plants in the genus Afrothismia out of Thismiaceae and into their own family. These are all extremely rare plants, most of which have only been recorded once, while others appear to be extinct.
What is even more peculiar, is that plants in this new family have evolved to do without the process of photosynthesis to produce food. Instead, they have opted to 'cheat' their mycorrhizal fungi partners by taking all of their needs from them.
It's very much a case of all take and no give.
5) Jumping genes and rule-breaking: a shocking new species from Guinea, West Africa – Virectaria stellata
This next species of herb has proven to be something of a genuine head-scratcher. Named after the star-shaped (stellate) hairs on its leaves, Virectaria stellata clearly belongs to the family Rubiaceae or the coffee family.
What is unusual is that such stellate hairs have never been observed in any other species in this family before. They do, however, appear in the genus Barleria in the unrelated family Acanthaceae.
How do we explain this mystery? Perhaps there was a transfer of genes at some point from one plant to another via sap-feeding insects.
6) Three new species of toothy toadstools from the UK
Turn a toadstool over and you're bound to find pores or gills under the cap, but not with these new fungi in the genus Phellodon, which bear their spores on long tooth-like structures.
Described following an extensive analysis of many Phellodon species occurring in Europe, as well as sequencing their DNA, scientists have described four new species in the genus, including three found here in the UK.
The first is Phellodon castaneoleucus, which forms mycorrhizal partnership with several species of tree. It is followed by Phellodon frondosoniger and Phellodon aquiloniniger, both of which boast inky black caps.
7) Critically Endangered by cement manufacture in Vietnam: new genus and species Chlorohiptage
Chlorohiptage vietnamensis is a bargain case of 'two for the price of one': it is a new species of liana endemic to Vietnam, as well as an entirely new genus of plants.
The plant belongs to the tropical family Malpighiaceae, and the genus is named after its flowers, which are uniquely green instead of the usual yellow. At the moment, the Vietnamese and Kew authors are at a loss as to which insect would pollinate these delicate flowers.
Sadly, the species is under threat as its habitat is being cleared to establish quarries for the manufacture of cement.
8) Five new spectacular orchids from around Indonesia
The orchid family (Orchidaceae) is one of the largest in number of species, so it's no surprise to see multiple new orchids on this year's list. The five new species below have all been described from Indonesia, a country of spectacular biodiversity.
The new species, which are the product of a long-standing collaboration between Indonesian and Kew orchid experts, are, in alphabetical order:
Coelogyne albomarginata from Sumatra.
Coelogyne spinifera from Seram.
Dendrobium cokronagoroi from West New Guinea.
The Critically Endangered Dendrobium wanmae from West Papua Province.
And the Endangered Mediocalcar gemma-coronae, also from West Papua Province.
9) New genus and species of African rainforest liana with scent of marzipan – Keita deniseae
The stems and roots of this new species, which is also a new genus, smell strongly of marzipan when scraped. Climbing with strange, hooked structures up into the forest canopy, this liana bears large edible fruits.
The name deniseae honours Denise Molmou (see photo above), the Guinean botanist who collected the type specimen in the Boyboyba forest of Guinea.
The species is Endangered by its small range and threats of clearance of its forest habitat.
10) Threatened by cinnamon in China – Cheniella longistaminea
In a collaborative effort led by Kew and Chinese scientists, three new plants have been added to the genus Cheniella, a small group of tendrilled forest lianas in the bean family (Fabaceae).
One of these species is Cheniella pubicarpa, which features hairy pods and hairy angled stems.
Another is Cheniella longistaminea, which flowers at night and is pollinated by moths. Unfortunately, the plant's habitat is being destroyed and replaced with plantations, in this case, of Chinese fir and Chinese cinnamon.
A Christmas bonus: a new fungus discovered in the UK on dead willows – Fomitopsis solaris
In the festive spirit of giving, here is an 11th species described this year, a small, white bracket fungus found growing on dead willow (Salix) wood in the UK, as well as other European countries from Sweden to France, and extending all the way to Canada, Israel and Argentina.
The fungus is a prime example of scientists dividing a previously known species into several new ones based on an analysis of DNA.
Here in the UK, F. solaris has been recorded in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Kent, Somerset, and Surrey in wet woodlands.
A Malagasy dyeball, pea stone... dung fungus - P. madagascariensis
This newly described fungus from Madagascar belongs to the genus Pisolithus, a known group of mycorrhizal fungi used commercially to improve plant health growth. Some members of this genus are known in Australia as 'horse dung fungi', while other common names include dyeball, due to its use as a reddish-brown dye.
The genus name itself means pea stone and is a reference to the spore-filled sacs (peridoles) embedded in the gleba or spore-bearing inner mass. As the fruiting body ages and weathers, the gleba erodes and the peridioles of spores are dispersed.
The new species was named P. madagascariensis after Madagascar.
