2009 bumper plant discoveries

Giant plants of tropical forests, tiny mushrooms, and wild coffee are among 300 species first described by botanists in England in 2009.

Newly discovered species include (from left to right) Berlinia korupensis, Lecomtedoxa plumosa, Carapichea lucida, Talbotiella velutina, Eucalyptus brandiana, Cyrtostachys bakeri

The findings were recorded after the investigation of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (RBG Kew) with a group of researchers from 100 countries around the world.

New discoveries show that plants once known are only a few. Of the newly discovered species, nearly one-third of species are at risk of extinction.

Stephen Hopper, Director of RBG Kew, said the new discoveries underscored the fact that many plants in the world have yet to be discovered and recorded. We will not have a scientific basis for effective conservation of plants if we do not know what the world of plants is and is developing.

Kew's botanists described 2009 as a bumper year with 292 new species discovered compared to the average of 200 species of other years.

Beans explode

The trunk is nearly 1 meter in diameter and large pea pods will spread seeds on a large scale;The Berlinia korupensis species has large, beautiful white flowers

The largest of the newly discovered species grows in Korup National Park in Cameroon's rainforest. It is longer than 42m.

Berlinia korupensis is a member of the pea family with a cylindrical trunk with a diameter of nearly 1m, blooming white flowers and then the result. It was a giant bean pod that could be up to 30cm long.

When ripe, this pea will explode and spread seeds inside a fairly wide range.

Xander van der Burgt, the head of the research team, said only 17 plants were found in this survey. He added that even if the Korup park is protected, the Berlinia korupensis is still seriously threatened by human impacts.

The smallest species discovered is woody mushroom, less than 1mm thick and covering the host plant like a paint stain.

Wild coffee

World's largest coffee beans of Coffea ambongensis wild coffee (on the left) compared to Arabica coffee beans (on the right)

Seven wild coffee species are also on the list of new species and most of them are found in the mountains of northern Madagascar.

Two of these new plants, Coffea ambongensis and Coffea boinensis have larger seeds than any other coffee plant - their seeds are more than twice the size of popular Arabica coffee beans.

RBG Kew coffee expert Aaron Davis said coffee was the second most popular trade item after oil with at least 25 million farming families dependent on its products for livelihood. However, we still do not know much about the wild relatives of coffee.

Dr. David estimates that nearly three-quarters of the world's wild coffee species are threatened by the disappearance of habitat and climate change.

Professor Hopper said about 2,000 species are known for the first time globally, so appropriate support and investment in plant research science is required.

RBG Kew has published new species information on its website and added information to Google Earth

Below is a picture of a number of new plant species discovered in 2009:

Dendrobium serena-alexianum is a species of orchid found on Borneo's highest mountain

The afro-orientalis gymnosiphon is a flowering plant but is not photosynthetic but only parasites on the host plant

Dr.Rhian Smith collected samples of Isoetes eludens in a rock lake in South Africa

Isoetes eludens belongs to an ancient aquatic plant group of more than 150 million years old but has only been discovered until now

Indigofera serpenticola, one of the new species of indigo

The botanist Linda Loffler is testing the Dioscorea strydomiana, which is the most unique and unusual tuber (yam) she has ever known.This species is also threatened with extinction and is known to have only about 200 plants in the wild.