Thismia neptunis explained

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]

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.[4]

Notes and References

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