Devil Flower Found
Fewer than 50 'devil flowers' discovered in Thai national park, now critically endangered
A new species of leafless flowering plant, Thismia daemona, also known as the 'devil flower', has been discovered in Thong Pha Phum National Park in western Thailand. The species was found at an elevation of nearly 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) above sea level by botanists from Chulalongkorn University and Prince of Songkla University.
The discovery brings the number of Thismia species recorded in Thailand to 16. The species belongs to the genus Thismia, which is sometimes called 'fairy lanterns'. Thismia daemona is known from a single population of fewer than 50 individuals in an area smaller than a football field.
The species has been provisionally assessed as Critically Endangered. It belongs to Thismia section Geomitra, previously known only from Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo, and Sumatra. The study was published in the open-access journal PhytoKeys.
## Why it matters The discovery of Thismia daemona is significant not only for Thailand but also for the wider region. The find pushes the known range of the whole section northward for the first time. The species' unique appearance, with a mostly black flower and horn-like appendages, has earned it the name 'devil flower'. The discovery highlights the importance of conservation efforts to protect rare and endangered species, especially in areas with unique and fragile ecosystems.
The discovery of Thismia daemona is a major surprise, as the species was found in a seasonal, montane evergreen forest at an elevation of nearly 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) above sea level, an unusually high and seasonally dry setting for the genus. Typically, Thismia species are known to occur in perennially humid lowland rainforests.
