Tropical trees are in critical danger, warns Irish scientist

A SCIENTIST who discovered a new tree in a tropical forest has warned it could be wiped out before we know its value to mankind. Dr Daniel Kelly, professor emeritus in the botany department at Trinity College Dublin, found the ten-metre tall species by chance in a national park in Honduras after pitching his tent beneath it. Part of the coffee family, it bears cream-coloured flowers and cherry-like fruits. Only 17 of the Sommera cusucoana have been located in a hectare of a deep mountain valley within earshot of loggers’ chainsaws.

‘We know so little about this plant and other plants,’ Dr Kelly said. ‘The problem would be if it was discovered to be valuable then how do you protect it.’

Unsuccessful attempts were made at Dublin’s Botanic Gardens and in Hawaii to germinate seeds collected from the tree. Dr Kelly said: ‘There is a real danger that this and other species will be lost to the world before they have even been properly investigated. Exploring the rainforest is not just fascinating, it is really, really urgent.’

Dr Kelly is lobbying to save the area and is writing to authorities in Honduras in an attempt to prevent loggers accessing the area, although the deep, narrow valley where it is growing may offer a natural protection.

The Sommera cusucoana, named after the Cusuco National Park where it was discovered, was immediately placed under the critically endangered banner of the IUCN. Dr Kelly’s latest find, made in 2013 and confirmed this year, has been detailed in the international journal PhytoKeys.