“Very exciting here!” exclaims botanist John L. Clark in an Instagram video posted during the summer of 2022. He and his team have just spotted a tiny, new-to-science plant species in a rare patch of northwestern Ecuadorian forest. This scene marks the finding of Amalophyllon miraculum, an undescribed plant barely 5 centimeters (2 inches) tall, found clinging to a large boulder in a forest fragment near the town of Santo Domingo. The find, researchers say, highlights the importance of preserving even small patches of threatened ecosystems. https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/06/28140411/Amalophyllon_Instagram-1-1.mp4 Clark, a research botanist with Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Florida, and his team were driving outside Santo Domingo on the western slopes of the Andes when they spotted a rare tree and pulled over. The landowner came to see what the fuss was about and allowed them to explore the patch of forest on his land. “We knew right away it was something unique,” Clark told Mongabay. Amalophyllon miraculum has distinctive features, including green leaves with purple undersides and minuscule white flowers. The new species just described in the journal PhytoKeys. Amalophyllon miraculum was found on the Western slopes of the Andes. Photo courtesy of John Clark. The new species was found growing on a large bolder in Centinela. Photo courtesy of John Clark. The area where the plant was found, known as Centinela, was once a vast, lush tropical forest, but is now largely cleared for agriculture. Experts estimate that 70-97% of western Ecuador’s original forests have been destroyed since the mid-20th…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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