A bizarre 'devil flower' discovered in Thailand lives underground and steals nutrients from fungi

Botanists have described a new plant species as strange as its nickname: Thismia daemona, the "devil flower," discovered in Thong Pha Phum National Park, Thailand. The study was published in the open-access journal PhytoKeys.

A plant that lives underground

This black flower spends most of its life underground and looks strikingly unlike a typical plant: it steals nutrients from fungi (mycoheterotrophy) instead of photosynthesizing. It grows at nearly 1,000 meters of elevation, an unusually high and seasonally dry environment for the genus.

Already critically endangered

"Finding Thismia daemona in this park was indeed a major surprise," said Dr. Sahut Chantanaorrapint of Prince of Songkla University. Scientists know of only one population of fewer than 50 individuals, in an area smaller than a football pitch. The species is therefore provisionally assessed as Critically Endangered, especially since its habitat lies in a park with substantial tourist traffic.

With this discovery, Thailand is now home to sixteen Thismia species. The researchers call for conservation that involves nearby communities, in the spirit of UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere program.

Sources

• ScienceDaily — Scientists discover a bizarre “devil flower” hidden in Thailand
• PhytoKeys — Thismia daemona, a new species from Thailand (DOI)