New plant discoveries in 2019.

Galanthus bursana

On average 2000 new vascular plant species are published each year. With a meagre 1614, 2019 did not reach this average, but when realising that new species papers get very few citations and funding for fundamental biodiversity studies are wanting, it is still an impressive feat. The majority of the new species came from Australia, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia and tropical Africa, which are certainly the least explored regions and those with the highest concentration of botanical diversity. It is also not surprising that most new species discoveries were in the mega-diverse families of orchids (Orchidaceae), daisies (Asteraceae) and legumes (Fabaceae), but the ginger family Zingiberaceae and the myrtle family Myrtaceae were also well represented among new species. Annonaceae, Apocynaceae, Araceae, Areaceae, Asphodelaceae, Plantaginaceae, Solanaceae were also prominent. The mega-genera Astragalus, Begonia, Bulbophyllum, Carex, Dendrobium, Euphorbia, Peperomia, Piper and Psychotria all increased in size. With 87 new species of Psychotria and 34 new species of Begonia, these were the biggest increases in 2019

Here are some of the highlights of new botanical discoveries of 2019:

Aloë sanguinalis Awale & Barkworth

The 'Somali red aloe' is a new species that differs from all other Aloë species in having yellow sap that turns blood-red soon after it is exposed to air. It is one of the 27 known species of Aloë in Somaliland. It is only known from two populations and is not under immediate threat, although prolonged drought has negative effect on establishment of new plants.

Anthurium 

A total of 21 new Anthurium species were published in 2019, not in the least due to the excellent contributions by Thomas Croat who described 13 new ones from the wet forests of Esmeraldas in Ecuador. Here we highlight the amazing Anthurium decipiens A.Hay & M.Cedeño from cloud forests in Risaralda, Colombia.

Arisaema

Three new 'Jack-in-the-pulpit' species are published, two from India and one from China. This genus never stops to fascinate gardeners. They are likely to soon appear in the horticultural trade. Here is the small but delicate Arisaema fischeri from the south western Ghats. 

Aristolochia adiastoma G.A.Romero & Elad.Fernández is a variable new species, one of three new ones described from the well-studied island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean. It joins a total of 13 new Aristolochiaspecies, with the majority described from China and a few from Peru. Although many Chinese species were published under the synonym Isotrema, so these need new combinations in 2020 to accommodate them in Aristolochia. 

Ceropegia chuakulii Kidyoo is one of four new species published in this genus last year. It is remarkable in being a small herb but has the distinctive 'Chinese lantern' morphology. Known only from a single degraded locality in Thailand, this species is probably Critically Endangered. It is named for Dr Wongsatit Chuakul, who first discovered it.

Catimbaua pendula L.P.Felix & E.M.Almeida

The flora of Brazil never ceases to amaze, and through the efforts of Erton Almeida some unusual species were found on rock outcrops in the north-east of the country. Catimbaua pendula is a pendent plant that superficially looks like a Gesneriaceae, but morphologically matches Linderniaceae, where it is tentatively placed. It is only found on the famous rock outcrops in the Catimbau reserve, where it was named for.

Curcuma

Five new species of the genus that includes the spice turmeric, Curcuma, were discovered and published in five separate papers. There seem to be many researchers interested in the genus. Most are found in South-east Asia and China and this is where the new species were found. One of the new species, Curcuma tongiiY.H.Tan & L.X.Zhang does not have the distinctive yellow roots of turmeric, but it has equally pretty flowers. It is only found in southern Yunnan, China, where it is considered Endangered due to forest degradation.

Dahlia mixtecana J.Reyes, Islas & Art.Castro

Named for the Mixteca culture of Oaxaca, Mexico, this new herbaceous Dahlia has stubbing buttercup-yellow flowers and could prove to be a valuable addition in horticulture. However, it is only known from a single locality were only few plants were seen and thus it is Critically Endangered. A propagation and reintroduction programme may help this species survive. 

Hydnophytum

A revision of the tuberous, epiphytic Rubiaceae genus Hydnophytum by M. Jebb and C. Huxley resulted in recognition of 55 species of these ant-plants. This included 19 new species and solves the long-standing problems in identification of this genus. Hydnophytum davisii Jebb & C.R.Huxley is named for Dr Aaron Davis, who first collected this species in West Papua.

Kniphofia vandeweghei Eb.Fisch. & Mark.Ackermann

Often associated with South Africa, this new species of red-hot poker hails from the high mountains of Rwanda and adjacent Congo, where it is pollinated by birds like this blue-headed sunbird (Cyanomitra alinae).

Lavandula nooruddinii A.Patzelt & A.Al Hinai

A remarkable find is the new species of Lavandula from Oman. This species does not smell like commercial lavender, but is nevertheless a pretty plant and could become a useful subject in dryland gardening particularly across the Middle East. 

Paphiopedilum erythroanthum Z.J.Liu, X.Y.Liao & S.R.Lan

Each year new slipper orchids are found and most are already critically endangered before they are known to science. Because of the high demand of unusual slipper orchids in the orchid trade, the exact locality in Yunnan, China, where this species occurs had to be kept a secret and is not disclosed in the original publication. Fortunately, the authors have a plant in cultivation, which could be used to propagate and satisfy the horticultural trade.

 

Solanum medusae Gouvêa

The large genus Solanum surprises me each year with another set of new species. These hail mostly from Australia, Africa or from South America, and the spiny Solanum medusae from Minas Gerais, Brazil is no exception. It is apparently named so, because it forms a mound of entangled spiny branches that resemble the hair of the monster of Greek mythology. Two other species of Solanum, one from Brazil and one from India, were also published last year.

Bulbous and cormous plants featured heavily, with a new tulip, Tulipa berkariensis Rukšāns from the Karatau Mountains in Kazakhstan, three new Narcissus species from Estremadura, Spain, a Ledebouriafrom South Africa, seven Allium species, Fritillaria baisunensis Rukšāns from Uzbekistan, Gagea spelaeaLevichev & Lazkov from Kyrgyzstan, three Iris species from Iran, Galanthus bursanus Zubov, Konca & A.P.Davis from the Marmara region in Turkey, two Crocus from Turkey, five new Muscari species from Turkey, Gladiolus virgineus Goldblatt & J.C.Manning from Zambia, Hippeastrum peruvianum Meerow & Campos-Rocha from Amazonas, Peru, Ismene parviflora Meerow & A.Cano from Ancash, Peru, and probably several more that I have missed to mention here. This is partially due to the excellent efforts of Dr Janis Rukšāns from Latvia, who has an impressive collection of rare bulbous plants from across Asia and Europe and who has found many novelties over the years.

In addition to the 1614 new species, 52 new generic names were first used in literature. Not all plant genera are morphologically distinctive; a genus is a human construct and does not necessarily reflect any biological reality, although monophyly is often applied. Some genera were already known at a subgenus level, others are completely new. More than 50 is still a fairly high number of new genera, which probably reflects our better understanding of the relationships of groups due to DNA studies.

I like to mention Pibiria, a genus collected in Guyana and known form many years as the 'unknown yellow'. It has now been shown to be the 'missing link' between Passifloraceae and Turneraceae, proving that the two families should be treated as a single family.

Pibiria flava Maas, a new Passifloraceae, solving the link between Passifloroideae and Turneroideae.

To conclude I should mention that during the last 250 years 571 plant species became extinct. This is a much higher number than for mammals and birds combined and represents 0.2% of all plant species. Many of the newly described plant species are already Endangered or Critically Endangered, and if we humans continue to use the land in the destructive ways as we are now, most of these new species will no longer be found in the wild. Habitat protection is urgently needed in all parts of the world.

I hope many new species will be found in 2020, and that many threatened species will be preserved.