1 700 new plant species discovered

IT’S NOT just nature’s wildlife that has an endless capacity to surprise: 1 700 plant species were discovered last year, with uses ranging from food to medicine… to music.

They include new varieties of vanilla, parsnip and begonia. Among the flowers, trees, vegetables and other plants classified by botanists is a tree useful for making violin bows due to the flexibility of its wood.

Previously unknown types of Mucuna, a vine which is a good source of the amino acid L-DOPA, used to treat Parkinson’s disease, have been gathered in various countries.

A herb, Onobrychis, found in Greece, could aid efforts to combat global warming. If added to fodder, it reduces the amount of the greenhouse gas, methane, produced by a cow’s digestive system, which could help limit the impact cattle farming has on the environment.

There are also new varieties of lobelia, violet, camellia, primula, rose, clematis, busy lizzie and gerbera. Four relatives of aloe vera, a succulent used in cosmetics, were found in southern Africa.

Researchers at Kew Gardens revealed their findings in a report,

Professor Cathy Willis, director of science at Kew, said that while the new parsnip is “a most miserable-looking plant”, wild varieties of popular crops can be used to boost resistance to disease in cultivated varieties.

Crops bred for high yields often lost their genetic diversity and resilience to drought and pests, she said. “Wild relatives might not have the yields, but they have survived thousands of years in multiple climate conditions, and in their genomes they have the genes that will enable resilience,” Willis said.

“We need to be able to take these genes and breed these genes back into our crops to make resilient crops in the future.” – Daily Mail