Scientists excited by exotic new plants and fungi found this year

A new bug-eating pitcher plant, an edible “hedgehog” mushroom and a weird species living in a waterfall are among the new plants and fungi found this year.

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, is highlighting some of its top discoveries for 2018 from among the scores of species of plants and fungi found in places ranging from the Andes to Asia.

Kew and its partners have found some 128 vascular plants and 44 species of fungi around the world this year, many of which are already under threat of extinction just as they have been recorded for the first time.

The biggest new discovery is an 80ft (24m) tree from Guinea, which is endangered by the clearance of tiny remnants of rainforest among the hills of the coastal plain where it dominates the canopy.

And a new genus of plant with large pillar-like structures which was found in a waterfall in Sierra Leone has been classified as critically endangered because it faces threats from mining and a hydroelectric project.

Scientists are planning to travel to Guinea in early 2019 to search for the plant in the wild so seeds can be collected to store for conservation.

Some of the new species discovered this year could have uses for humans, including “hedgehog” mushrooms – named because the spores are not carried on gills but spikes or “teeth” -– many of which are thought to be edible.

The pollen of an attractive white flower from Guinea has been found to contain more than 40 chemicals classified as “triterpenoids”, known for their medicinal value, with potential anti-cancer properties.

Kew botanist Dr Martin Cheek said: “It seems unbelievable that we scientists are still discovering species of plants and fungi new to science out in the wild – often in the most unlikely of places.”

One of 22 new species of Hydnum, or “hedgehog” mushrooms, recently discovered by scientists and botanists.