10 new plant species discoveried in 2021 | Jun - Aug | Times of Botany

10 new plant species discovered in 2021

    Plant Discoveries are the most important part of Botanical Studies. A newly discovered plant can helps us economically and ecologically. So, the discovery of a new plant species in 2021 is very good news for all the Botanist, Researchers and Scientists.

In this article, I mentioned below the list of 10 new plant species discovered in 2021. 

List of 10 new Plant species discovered in 2021.

1. Jacquemontia boliviana
2. Jaquemontia chuquisacensis
3. Jacquemontia cuspidata
4. Jacquemontia longipedunculata
5. Jacquemontia mairae
6. Triantha occidentalis 
7. Lepanthes microprosartima, 
8. Lepanthes caranqui 
9. Lepanthes oro-lojaensis
10. Cremanthodium indicum

In the above mentioned list, the 5 species of Jaquemontia genus are discovered in the Bolivia and Peru in the Andean Mountain region of South America. Jaquemontia is commonly known as clustervine. The mostly grow in open, bushy or grassy habitats. 

Jaquemontia is a medium-sized pantropical genus of around 120 species, but the majority of species are Neotropical, the greatest diversity being in Brazil.Most species in the genus are modest, twining or trailing species with pretty blue flowers.

Some species are highly specialized, growing even on bare rock with very little soil or water, while some require fire to stimulate seed germination.

Most species flower during and just after the end of the rainy season so the best time to find species of Jacquemontia in flower is in the February-June period.

In the above number 6th, Triantha occidentalis, a new discovered carnivorous plant in Western North America. It is a species of flowering plant in the family Tofieldiaceae.

Triantha occidentalis makes its home in wetlands and bogs from Alaska to California and inland to Montana. In the summer, it shoots up tall flowering stems coated with sticky hairs that trap small insects like gnats and midges. The scientists discovered that the plant acquires more than half of its nitrogen by digesting these ensnared insects, a welcome treat in its nutrient-poor habitat.

In the above number 7,8 & 9, The Three new endemic orchid species Lepanthes microprosartima, L. caranqui and L. oro-lojaensi just discovered in Ecuador. 

Lepanthes microprosartima, found on the western slopes of Pichincha volcano in northern Ecuador. It is endemic to the Yanacocha and Verdecocha reserves, where it grows at 3200 to 3800 m above sea level in evergreen montane forest -- remarkably, this species can thrive even under deep shade in the forest.

Over three years of monitoring, only 40 individuals of L. microprosartima were found, which suggests it is a rare species. Because of this, and because it is only found in a small area, researchers preliminarily assessed it as Critically Endangered according to IUCN criteria.

Within the same hummingbird monitoring project, another new orchid -- Lepanthes caranqui -- was discovered in eastern Pichincha. Around the same time, a different research group from the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador found the same species in Imbabura. While in Imbabura it was found growing in páramo, with small groups on roadside embankments, in Pichincha it grew in evergreen montane forest, on top of tree trunks or lower branches, in the company of other orchid species. Its name, Lepanthes caranqui, honors the Caranqui culture that historically occupied the areas where this plant grows.

But the wonders of Ecuadorean biodiversity don't stop there -- a research project of Ecuador's National Institute of Biodiversity found another new species, as small as 3 cm, in the southwest of El Oro. Lepanthes oro-lojaensis was actually discovered on the border between El Oro and Loja provinces, hence its name. It was only found from one locality, where its populations are threatened by cattle ranching, fires, plantations of exotic species, and the collection of shrubs as firewood. This is why researchers believe it should be listed as Critically Endangered according to IUCN criteria

In the above number 10th , Cremanthodium indicum a new endemic plant species is discovered in Penga-Teng Tso Lake of Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh in India. It is a species of Himalayan Sunflower. Something surprising is that the species newly found is critically endangered as per the IUCN guidelines. The plant species generally flowers from July to August. Cremanthodium indicum is a perennial herb and stands 16–24 cm tall. The flowering plant grows in boggy soil among mosses along the banks of alpine lake.