New Kew discoveries for 2018

Plants and fungi underpin many aspects of everyday life, from clothes and food to medicines. Many of the new species described here have potential benefits for humanity but are sadly threatened with extinction.

Taxonomy is essential for identifying new species of economic importance and understanding biodiversity for targeted conservation efforts. One of Kew's strategic outputs, Tropical Important Plant Areas, directs research and conservation where it matters most.

Plant discoveries

Most of Kew’s plant discoveries are focussed in the tropics, where species diversity is high, poorly known, and where local capacity can be insufficient to meet the needs of researching and protecting it. 

Kew researcher David Frodin described 26 new species and varieties of small trees, shrubs and lianas belonging to the Schefflera genus (Araliaceae) all contained in his co-published book on the Bornean species of the genus. It’s estimated that there could be 150 or more species of Schefflera in Borneo, so there is a considerable number yet to be described. He has worked on this large genus of over 1200 species of tropical trees, climbers and epiphytes for over 50 years.

After seeds collected in Vietnam by horticulturalists back in 2014 were grown in the gardens at RBG Kew and RBG Edinburgh, a new orange flowered plant Oreocharis tribracteata (Gesneriaceae) with distinct features was identified by Kew Research Leader Gemma Bramley along with collaborators at RBG Edinburgh.

The bank card orchid

An Indonesian orchid discovered and described by Kew Research Leader André Schuiteman, and named Bulbophyllum adolinae for Adolina after the wife of the governor of West Papua, was featured on a bank card of local bank, Bank Negara Indonesia. André’s contributions take us ever closer to the possibility that there may be as many as 3000 (or more) species of orchids in New Guinea and the associated islands.

André also co-described a spectacular new, and endangered, slipper orchid from Laos, Paphiopedilum papilio-laoticus, which was discovered on the blackmarket in Vientiane, Laos.

Neotropical novelties

In the neotropics, Kew researcher Elizabeth Woodgyer with her Brazilian colleague Rosana Romero published six new species of Microlicia (Melastomataceae) from Brazil.

In Bolivia, Kew's John Wood and colleagues identified two more Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae; morning glory) species bringing the total number of novelties of Ipomoea that he has described from that country to 21, including close relatives of the sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas. 

A new small tree species of the allspice genus, Pimenta berciliae (Myrtaceae) was discovered on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean and published by Thais Vasconcelos, Eve Lucas and Brigido Pegueiro from the Dominican Republic, the country of origin. Allspice is the dried unripe fruit and a crucial ingredient in Caribbean cuisine.

Purple flowering yam

Back in 2002, a photo of a male Dioscorea hurteri was sent to Paul Wilkin (Kew’s Acting Director of Science) by a South African colleague. It appeared to be a new species, but at least one specimen is needed in order to give it a name and describe it, so it went on the back burner. Fifteen years later Kew’s Paul was working on specimens with a student who noticed that the characteristics of two of them didn’t match any of the recognised species, but did match the photograph. This enabled the species to finally be described.

Anti-cancer potential

A new genus and species, Kindia gangan (Rubiaceae) photo, with only a few hundred plants, was discovered on sandstone cliffs in Guinea, West Africa. Analysis of its bright orange exudate by Kew Research Leader Melanie-Jayne Howes discovered over 40 cycloartane triterpenoids, a class of compounds with high biological activity and of interest for anti-cancer research.

The biggest discovery

Kew’s most massive new species this year is also from Guinea - Talbotiella cheekii (Leguminosae) is a canopy rainforest tree that grows to 24m tall, and the trunk to 83cm in diameter. Only minute scraps of its once widespread forest habitat exists. In these fragments it is the dominant canopy tree, and some trees can be seen from the side of a major international highway. The first specimens were collected in 2015, but identification depended on a flowering collection by Kew’s Xander van der Burgt in 2017. 

Aquatic herb on the edge of extinction

Lebbiea grandiflora (Podostemaceae), is a new genus of waterfall plant expected to become extinct in the next two years due to mining and hydroelectric projects. It is named for Dr Lebbie, Head of the National Herbarium of Sierra Leone who discovered it. 

Cloudforest tree

Vepris bali (Rutaceae) from the Bali Ngemba Forest Reserve of Cameroon is a cloudforest tree known only from a specimen collected in 1951, despite efforts by teams of botanists over several years recently to rediscover it. Sadly, it is probably extinct. Vepris species contain essential oils and alkaloids of known medical application.

Giant palm

Lemurophoenix laevis, a massive palm described by Kew researchers John Dransfield and Jeff Marcus, is known only from three plants in gardens in Hawaii and North Australia, grown from seed collected in Madagascar eighteen years ago. It is a mystery since it is still unknown in the wild in its country of origin.