The discovery “of another planet”
plant-fairy.avif
The discovery was made deep in the jungle.
The Malayan thismia is a plant from the fairy lantern family, known for the peculiar shape of its very attractive, colorful leaves. These serve to attract mosquitoes and other pollinating insects.
Its main characteristic is that it does not have chlorophyll, so it must be fed underground mushrooms, from which it steals sugars and other nutrients. This characteristic is what allows its leaves to not be green, but to have attractive colors.
The thismia malayana can grow up to 10 centimeters in height, but its rarity stems from the fact that blooms brieflyand spends most of its life underground.
Their flowers They are particularly strange, even for the fairy lantern family. They are found barely peeking above the leaves of the jungle floor, almost always close to rotting trunks.
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Endangered
plant-flower.avif
The rare flower that only blooms briefly.
Even though it is a plant new, it is already considered endangered, because its small size makes it very easy to step on.
Researcher Siti-Munirah Mat Yunoh, who recently published a work on the plant, explained that “its limited distribution and the potential threat of being trampled due to its proximity to hiking trails underscore the importance of continuing conservation efforts.”
