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This Newly Discovered Demonic-Looking Flower Is Nightmare Fuel
Gizmodo • • world
Key Points:
- Scientists have discovered a new plant species in Thailand called Thismia daemona, named for its devil-like appearance with dark orange lobes and horn-like appendages.
- Thismia daemona is a rare, leafless, mostly black plant that does not photosynthesize but instead parasitizes underground fungi, making it mycoheterotrophic.
- The plant was found in an unusual environment for its genus, thriving in a drier, higher elevation forest nearly 1,000 meters above sea level, expanding the known range of its lineage.
- Only one population of fewer than 50 plants has been documented in a protected but tourist-frequented area, leading researchers to preliminarily classify it as critically endangered.
- Researchers emphasize the importance of conserving intact forest habitats and fungal networks to protect this species and highlight its role as an indicator of healthy, undisturbed ecosystems.
