Thismia neptunis

Thismia neptunis is a species of Thismia endemic to Borneo.[1] It was discovered by Italian botanist Odoardo Beccari in 1866, and described in 1878. It was not observed again until 2017, when it was first photographed by a team of biologists from the Czech Republic.[2][3] It was found in the Gunung Matang massif in western Sarawak, in the Malaysian part of the island of Borneo.[2][4]

Thismia neptunis
Left: Beccari's original illustration. Right: North's painting based on the original illustration.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Dioscoreales
Family: Burmanniaceae
Genus: Thismia
Species:
T. neptunis
Binomial name
Thismia neptunis

T. neptunis lives underground, and is a myco-heterotroph, a plant which obtains nutrients through a parasitic relationship with fungi. It does not bloom every year, and when it does, its flower appears above the soil for only a few weeks.[5]

References
  1. "Thismia neptunis Becc". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  2. Sochor, Michal; Egertová, Zuzana; Hroneš, Michal; Dančák, Martin (2018). "Rediscovery of Thismia neptunis (Thismiaceae) after 151 years". Phytotaxa. 340: 71–78. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.340.1.5.
  3. Nelson, Bryan (March 4, 2018). "Weird subterranean plant not seen in 150 years re-emerges from the underworld". Mother Nature Network.
  4. "Lost plant refound after 151 years", New Scientist: 18, 10 March 2019
  5. Daley, Jason. "After 150 Years, This Bizarre Plant Was Rediscovered in Malaysia". Smithsonian.com. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
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