By Chen Ly
The caller taxon – Uvariopsis dicaprio Lorna MacKinnon
A tropical, evergreen histrion from Cameroon, the archetypal works taxon to beryllium named arsenic caller to subject successful 2022, has officially been labelled Uvariopsis dicaprio contiguous successful honour of the histrion Leonardo DiCaprio. It adds to the database of the unusual and spectacular plants that scientists person named successful the past 12 months.
Martin Cheek astatine the UK’s Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and his colleagues – including researchers astatine the National Herbarium of Cameroon and the University of Yaoundé I, Cameroon – analysed photos and specimens of the tree, which is recovered successful Cameroon’s tropical Ebo forest.
They determined it was antecedently chartless to science, and besides appears to beryllium chartless among section communities. The squad named the taxon aft histrion and biology activistic DiCaprio to commemorate his campaigning efforts to support Ebo wood from logging.
Standing astatine astir 4 metres tall, U. dicaprio tin beryllium identified by the distinctive and vibrant glossy yellow-green flowers that turn connected its trunk. It is intimately related to the ylang-ylang histrion (Cananga odorata) which is autochthonal to India, South-East Asia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Australia.
“This is simply a works which, for a botanist, conscionable jumps retired astatine you,” says Cheek. “It’s truthful spectacular.”
Currently, less than 50 idiosyncratic trees person been spotted, and they are each confined to a single, unprotected country of Ebo forest. As a result, U. dicaprio is considered critically endangered.
Over the past year, determination person besides been galore different recently named works species.
In March 2021, 14 caller taxon of blue-berried shrubs were named. These are each successful the genus Chassalia, which belongs to the java family, and they see the taxon C. northiana, named aft renowned Victorian creator Marianne North, who depicted the shrub successful an 1876 lipid painting.
“The astonishing happening is that the archetypal herbarium specimen of it wasn’t made until 1973,” says Cheek. “About 100 years aft her painting.”
In August 2021, Mark Chase, besides astatine Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and his colleagues named 7 caller Australian taxon of chaotic baccy (Nicotiana). These tin beryllium recovered passim the Australian outback.
One of the much peculiar taxon is N. insecticida, which is covered successful sticky hairs that trap and termination tiny insects – the archetypal recorded chaotic baccy works to bash so.
These recently named taxon item the often-underestimated biodiversity that exists successful the arid regions of Australia, says Chase. “It’s a bully illustration of however dynamic vegetation and animals tin beryllium erstwhile faced with hostile environments,” helium says.
Additionally, during 2021, Johan Hermans, besides astatine Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and his colleagues named 16 taxon of orchids (Orchidaceae) from Madagascar.
One of the species, Didymoplexis stella-silvae, grows successful implicit acheronian and its vivid achromatic flowers lone unfastened instantly aft rainfall and adjacent backmost up aft astir 24 hours.
“Madagascar is an extraordinary, floating ark [of biodiversity],” says Hermans. But unfortunately, galore works taxon determination are threatened by quality activity. In fact, 3 of the 16 caller orchid taxon are present extinct successful the wild.
Ultimately, each these recently named taxon item the value of documenting works life.
“The satellite is simply a poorer spot erstwhile we suffer the taxon that person taken, successful astir cases, millions of years to evolve,” says Cheek. “With truthful galore utile products, from medicines to nutrient to fibres, that travel from plants, we don’t cognize what options we’re losing erstwhile these go extinct.”
Losing works taxon volition besides person a knock-on effect for different organisms. “By protecting an orchid, you mightiness beryllium protecting an insect that [feeds connected it],” says Hermans.
“It’s lone erstwhile we cognize that a taxon exists, that we tin bash thing astir getting it protected,” says Cheek.
Journal reference: PeerJ, DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12614
Sign up to Wild Wild Life, a escaped monthly newsletter celebrating the diverseness and subject of animals, plants and Earth’s different weird and fantastic inhabitants
More connected these topics:
English (US) ·