In 2024, researchers at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, recorded 172 new species of plants and fungi across the globe, from England to Cameroon.
Scientists highlighted 10 particularly remarkable species described this year.
- Plectocomiopsis hantu, a climbing palm in Borneo called wi mukoup or wee mukup by locals, who use the plant for weaving. Scientists call it the “ghost palm” owing to the stark white undersides of its leaves.
Scientists note that many of the plants identified this year are already at risk of extinction. Among those not yet recorded by science, an estimated three in four are under threat, according to a report from Kew.
“The devastating reality is that more often than not, new species are being found on the brink of extinction and it’s a race against time to find and describe them all,” said Martin Cheek, a senior researcher with Kew. He added that the loss of plants has implications for humans: “Every unknown species we lose could have been a potential new food or new medicine that we never even knew existed.”
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