New 'devil flower' species discovered in Thai national park
Botanists have discovered a new species of leafless, non-photosynthetic plant in Thailand's Thong Pha Phum National Park. Named Thismia daemona, or the 'devil flower,' the plant survives by drawing nutrients from underground fungi.
Why it matters
The discovery expands the known range of the Thismia genus and provides new insights into biodiversity in montane evergreen forests.
edited by Swati Mestri , reviewed by Robert Egan
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Add as preferred source Thismia daemona in natural habitat. Credit: Neeranuch Taosiri Researchers have described a new species of leafless flowering plant found on the forest floor of a national park in western Thailand, and its otherworldly appearance has earned it a fittingly dramatic name: Thismia daemona, the "devil flower."
The species belongs to Thismia, a genus of small plants sometimes called "fairy lanterns." Unlike most plants, they contain no chlorophyll and cannot photosynthesize, instead drawing nutrients from underground fungi and spending almost their entire lives hidden beneath leaf litter.
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