Latest news with #Asteraceae
Otago Daily Times
22-05-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Threatened plant gets a helping hand
Craspedia argentea flowers at Dunedin Botanic Garden. PHOTO: SUPPLIED Craspedia argentea is a real trooper of a herb, holding on for dear life in Otago. This small Asteraceae plant grows in rosettes of downy silvery leaves encircling stems atop which spherical flowerheads called "glomerules" sit. Each glomerule opens out into many tiny, pale yellow flowers in spring. It survives in Central Otago, on exposed land sparse of vegetation and subject to the more extreme sides of New Zealand's temperature ranges. Few remain in the wild, making this Craspedia one of New Zealand's most threatened plant species. At Dunedin Botanic Garden, we have been involved in the conservation of this precious native plant since early 2024. At the request of the Department of Conservation (Doc), we received a small number of these plants via Manaaki Whenua — Landcare Research, and have been caring for them at our propagation nursery. Our aim is to produce more plants and seeds ex-situ to eventually help boost population numbers in-situ. Challenges include managing different environmental conditions to the plant's natural home base, such as Dunedin's humidity. In the nursery setting, these plants are sheltered, in well-draining media, and have a careful irrigation plan. Caring for a plant with such a long tap root is another part of the puzzle. We also conducted a hand-pollination trial, thought necessary due to lack of natural pollinators in Dunedin. Happily, several hundred filled seeds were produced by the end of the season. These have now been sown, with many germinating, which is a promising sign of things to come. Garden Life is produced by Dunedin Botanic Garden. For more details, contact botanic garden ranger Kat Lord.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Researchers thrilled after discovering new species residing in US national park: 'There is a tremendous amount we have yet to learn'
Big things are happening at Big Bend National Park. A brand-new plant genus has been discovered in Texas, and it's great news for conservationists and botanists alike. Deb Manley, a volunteer for the park's botany program, stumbled upon the peculiar plant in March of last year, per CBS News. Manley snapped photos of the fuzzy-looking plant with yellow flowers and posted them to iNaturalist, which describes itself as "an online social network of people sharing biodiversity information to help each other learn about nature." When park staffers couldn't identify the plant, Manley worked with scientists to try to find out more, but it soon became clear that this was something entirely new — so new, in fact, that "it is not just a new species but best classified as an entirely new genus within the Asteraceae (Daisy) family," according to the National Park Service. The plant is nicknamed wooly devil for its fuzzy appearance and the location where it was found, the Devil's Den. Its scientific name is Ovicula biradiata — Ovicula meaning tiny sheep and biradiata for its two petals. It's the first time a plant genus has been discovered in a national park since 1976, when July gold (Dedeckera eurekensis) was found in Death Valley National Park, according to the California Academy of Sciences. As climate change threatens thousands of existing species, new species help conservationists better understand how a changing environment affects the ecosystem and develop more effective ways to protect plants and animals. Although the wooly devil was just discovered, the plant's small, arid location preliminarily qualifies it as "vulnerable and under a high threat of extinction," according to the study, published in PhytoKeys. Anjna O'Connor, the superintendent of Big Bend National Park, is looking forward to learning more about the wooly devil. "Now that the species has been identified and named, there is a tremendous amount we have yet to learn about it," she told the NPS. "I'm excited to discover whether there are other populations in the park, details of its life cycle, what are the pollinators, and due to the current drought, if it will be observed at all this spring." Should we be actively working to kill invasive species? Absolutely It depends on the species I don't know No — leave nature alone Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Washington Post
31-03-2025
- Science
- Washington Post
Scientists hope a newly discovered flower will return after rain in West Texas
DALLAS — Scientists who want to learn more about a tiny flower recently discovered in West Texas are hoping it will bloom again in a couple of weeks after rain finally fell in the area. Dubbed the wooly devil, the flower with furry leaves, purplish-striped petals and pops of yellow is a new genus and species in the same family as sunflowers and daisies: Asteraceae. It was discovered last year in Big Bend National Park, known for its rugged terrain of desert, canyons and mountains, on the border with Mexico. 'There's a lot to learn with this species so they're really just getting started,' said Carolyn Whiting, a Big Bend botanist. Scientists are hopeful the flowers will bloom again after rain fell on the drought-stricken park last week, giving them the opportunity to learn more including when the plants germinate, Whiting said. The flower was discovered in March 2024. Park volunteer Deb Manley and a park ranger were hiking in a remote area when they saw a patch of flowers that were smaller than a quarter and close to the ground. 'We stopped and took some photos and neither one of us had any idea,' Manley said. 'I could get it to family but I couldn't figure out any more than that. So we took photos and moved on, not realizing we had found a new genus.' When Manley got back from the hike, she started researching what the flower could be. She soon found that not only was she stumped, but others were too. Her post about the flower on iNaturalist, an online platform for nature enthusiasts 'caused a stir,' said Isaac Lichter Marck, a researcher at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. A. Michael Powell, curator and director of the herbarium at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, said when Manley contacted him about the flower, he immediately thought it was something new. 'It wasn't anything I'd seen before,' said Powell, who has extensively studied the region. By the time a team went to collect samples of the flower over a month after the discovery, they had already begun to wither away. 'We really got out there just in the nick of time before the specimens would have been completely dried up,' Whiting said. The discovery of the flower was announced last month. Lichter Marck said they were able to extract DNA from the flower but that there's still a lot to learn. He said they don't know yet how it reproduces, or what potential uses it might have. They also need to determine if it's endangered. The wooly devil's official name — Ovicula biradiata — takes inspiration from its appearance: Ovicula, which means tiny sheep, is a nod to the hairs that cover its leaves; while biradiata, or bi-radial, refers to its two striped petals. Kelsey Wogan, environmental lab manager at Sul Ross State University, said she's excited to see if the wooly devil can be found in other places as well and what its range is. Whiting said the park is so well-studied that finding a new species was a surprise. 'The fact that there's still species out there that had slipped under the radar is pretty remarkable,' she said. Wogan said part of the excitement about the flower's discovery is that it shows 'there's still new and undescribed things out there.' 'It's the great reminder to keep your eyes open,' she said, 'and if you don't know what something is, it might be completely new.'
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists hope a newly discovered flower will return after rain in West Texas
DALLAS (AP) — Scientists who want to learn more about a tiny flower recently discovered in West Texas are hoping it will bloom again in a couple of weeks after rain finally fell in the area. Dubbed the wooly devil, the flower with furry leaves, purplish-striped petals and pops of yellow is a new genus and species in the same family as sunflowers and daisies: Asteraceae. It was discovered last year in Big Bend National Park, known for its rugged terrain of desert, canyons and mountains, on the border with Mexico. 'There's a lot to learn with this species so they're really just getting started,' said Carolyn Whiting, a Big Bend botanist. Scientists are hopeful the flowers will bloom again after rain fell on the drought-stricken park last week, giving them the opportunity to learn more including when the plants germinate, Whiting said. The flower was discovered in March 2024. Park volunteer Deb Manley and a park ranger were hiking in a remote area when they saw a patch of flowers that were smaller than a quarter and close to the ground. 'We stopped and took some photos and neither one of us had any idea,' Manley said. 'I could get it to family but I couldn't figure out any more than that. So we took photos and moved on, not realizing we had found a new genus.' When Manley got back from the hike, she started researching what the flower could be. She soon found that not only was she stumped, but others were too. Her post about the flower on iNaturalist, an online platform for nature enthusiasts 'caused a stir,' said Isaac Lichter Marck, a researcher at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. A. Michael Powell, curator and director of the herbarium at Sul Russ State University in Alpine, said when Manley contacted him about the flower, he immediately thought it was something new. 'It wasn't anything I'd seen before,' said Powell, who has extensively studied the region. By the time a team went to collect samples of the flower a few weeks after the discovery, they had already begun to wither away. 'We really got out there just in the nick of time before the specimens would have been completely dried up,' Whiting said. The discovery of the flower was announced last month. Lichter Marck said they were able to extract DNA from the flower but that there's still a lot to learn. He said they don't know yet how it reproduces, or what potential uses it might have. They also need to determine if it's endangered. The wooly devil's official name — Ovicula biradiata — takes inspiration from its appearance: Ovicula, which means tiny sheep, is a nod to the hairs that cover its leaves; while biradiata, or bi-radial, refers to its two striped petals. Kelsey Wogan, environmental lab manager at Sul Ross State University, said she's excited to see if the wooly devil can be found in other places as well and what its range is. Whiting said the park is so well-studied that finding a new species was a surprise. 'The fact that there's still species out there that had slipped under the radar is pretty remarkable,' she said. Wogan said part of the excitement about the flower's discovery is that it shows 'there's still new and undescribed things out there.' 'It's the great reminder to keep your eyes open," she said, "and if you don't know what something is, it might be completely new.'
The Independent
31-03-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Scientists hope a newly discovered flower will return after rain in West Texas
Scientists who want to learn more about a tiny flower recently discovered in West Texas are hoping it will bloom again in a couple of weeks after rain finally fell in the area. Dubbed the wooly devil, the flower with furry leaves, purplish-striped petals and pops of yellow is a new genus and species in the same family as sunflowers and daisies: Asteraceae. It was discovered last year in Big Bend National Park, known for its rugged terrain of desert, canyons and mountains, on the border with Mexico. 'There's a lot to learn with this species so they're really just getting started,' said Carolyn Whiting, a Big Bend botanist. Scientists are hopeful the flowers will bloom again after rain fell on the drought-stricken park last week, giving them the opportunity to learn more including when the plants germinate, Whiting said. The flower was discovered in March 2024. Park volunteer Deb Manley and a park ranger were hiking in a remote area when they saw a patch of flowers that were smaller than a quarter and close to the ground. 'We stopped and took some photos and neither one of us had any idea,' Manley said. 'I could get it to family but I couldn't figure out any more than that. So we took photos and moved on, not realizing we had found a new genus.' When Manley got back from the hike, she started researching what the flower could be. She soon found that not only was she stumped, but others were too. Her post about the flower on iNaturalist, an online platform for nature enthusiasts 'caused a stir,' said Isaac Lichter Marck, a researcher at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. A. Michael Powell, curator and director of the herbarium at Sul Russ State University in Alpine, said when Manley contacted him about the flower, he immediately thought it was something new. 'It wasn't anything I'd seen before,' said Powell, who has extensively studied the region. By the time a team went to collect samples of the flower a few weeks after the discovery, they had already begun to wither away. 'We really got out there just in the nick of time before the specimens would have been completely dried up,' Whiting said. The discovery of the flower was announced last month. Lichter Marck said they were able to extract DNA from the flower but that there's still a lot to learn. He said they don't know yet how it reproduces, or what potential uses it might have. They also need to determine if it's endangered. The wooly devil's official name — Ovicula biradiata — takes inspiration from its appearance: Ovicula, which means tiny sheep, is a nod to the hairs that cover its leaves; while biradiata, or bi-radial, refers to its two striped petals. Kelsey Wogan, environmental lab manager at Sul Ross State University, said she's excited to see if the wooly devil can be found in other places as well and what its range is. Whiting said the park is so well-studied that finding a new species was a surprise. 'The fact that there's still species out there that had slipped under the radar is pretty remarkable,' she said. Wogan said part of the excitement about the flower's discovery is that it shows 'there's still new and undescribed things out there.' 'It's the great reminder to keep your eyes open," she said, "and if you don't know what something is, it might be completely new.'
