DDespite its name, this is not a light source for woodland elves. What you are looking at is a fairy lantern, an extremely rare plant. Aside from its mysterious appearance and whimsical name, what’s unusual about the newly described species is that it doesn’t absorb energy from the sun, as most plants do, but from fungi in the soil.
Selangor thrips Scientists discovered the substance in Malaysia’s dense Hulu Langat forest reserve. In 2023, naturalist Tan Gim Siew was taking photos in the forest when he noticed a small 4-inch-tall plant growing among the fallen leaves near the base of a tree by the river. During a follow-up investigation of the area, fewer than 20 people Selangor red caterpillar The areas cover about 1.5 square miles, according to a recent paper published in the journal Science. plant key. People have lived in the area – a camping and picnic spot not far from the country’s capital Kuala Lumpur – for decades, but until now the species had not been officially recorded.
Small lantern: Researchers hold petite Selangor thrips. Photography: Gim Siew Tan.
“This discovery shows that important scientific discoveries are not limited to remote jungles; they can also be made in ordinary environments where there is little expectation of continued human activity,” said paper author Siti-Munirah Mat Yunoh, a plant taxonomist at the Malaysian Forestry Research Institute, in a statement.
This petite plant is otherworldly Timia The genus, also known as “fairy lanterns,” includes 120 known species that obtain energy from fungi through a parasitic relationship. Known as mycoheterotrophs, the plants are very elusive – they usually live underground and are only visible when they are blooming or fruiting. Cryptic members of this genus tend to live in undisturbed, shady forests, in moist microhabitats filled with leaf debris. Nonetheless, scientists have documented an increasing number of Timia varieties in recent years.
Read more: »Seven of the strangest plants in the world“
Now, study authors hope researchers, government officials and the public can work together to protect the environment Selangor red caterpillarlisted as critically endangered. For example, plants growing near campgrounds and picnic areas may be accidentally stepped on or susceptible to flooding. “The most important thing now is to raise awareness of this species and make the public aware that it exists – right here, in this little corner of the world, and not anywhere else, at least for now,” Siti-Munira said. “Knowing that it exists is the first step in ensuring that this remarkable plant does not disappear before many people know it exists.”
Now, the discovery of this tiny fairy lamp can illuminate even the tiniest components of nature, inviting people to take a closer look.
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Main photo: Gim Siew Tan
This story originally appeared on the Nautilus .
