Scientists recently discovered a new species of leafless flowering plant named Thismia daemona that grows on the forest floor of a national park in western Thailand.
About Thismia daemona:
It is a new species of leafless flowering plant.
It was discovered from Thong Pha Phum National Park in western Thailand.
It belongs to Thismia, a genus of tiny species also known as "fairy lanterns."
The distinctive quality of these plants is that they lack chlorophyll and do not carry out photosynthesis.
Instead, they produce their food from fungi beneath the earth's surface and also remain concealed beneath layers of leaf litter for nearly their entire lives.
Thismia daemona plant was found growing at an elevation of approximately 1,000 meters, an unusually high and seasonally dry setting for this genus.
Its unusual, almost supernatural appearance inspired its name: Thismia daemona, the "devil flower."
Its flower is mostly black and topped with horn-like appendages that rise from a dome-shaped "miter."
Bright reddish-orange patches near the base resemble glowing eyes, adding to its demon-like appearance.
It is known from fewer than 50 individuals and has therefore been provisionally assessed as Critically Endangered.
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