SANTO DOMINGO, Ecuador — A Sarasota botanist has discovered a new plant species in a region previously thought to be completely extinct of unique plant life.
While on a 2022 research expedition in western Ecuador, Selby Gardens botanist John L. Clark came across a 2-inch plant with iridescent foliage and small, white ephemeral flowers growing on vertical wet rocks.
The plant, named Amalophyllon miraculum for its "miraculous" nature, was discovered in a farmer's backyard in a forest called Centinela, less than 20 miles from the major city of Santo Domingo.
And while the plant is small, its impact is much larger.
Before this discovery, Centinela was widely known in the botany world for its mass extinction of unique plant species. The forest is part of a western Ecuadorian lowland region that saw the loss of 70-97% of rainforests due to agriculture, according to Selby Gardens.
Amalophyllon miraculum
A video taken on July 12, 2022, captures the moments after Clark discovered the new species.
"Very exciting here. Check it out! This right here, Amalophyllon with deeply serrate margins, almost an iridescent green foliage," Clark says as he points to the small plant. "It only grows on rocks. I've only seen it twice in my life...Yeah — that's cool!"
On the expedition, Clark discovered this new species and found several other plants that are considered critically endangered.
The "miraculous discovery" has "shattered a prevailing assumption that the once-thought-lost biodiversity of Centinela had vanished entirely," Clark and fellow researchers wrote in a journal article published on Tuesday.
Clark credits "the heroic efforts of local landowners" for conserving these forest fragments in the region.
The researchers explained that while the current landowners are committed to preserving the forest fragments on their properties, there is a need for governmental and non-governmental agencies to step in and protect the land.
"Extensive deforestation in western Ecuador, especially Centinela, has resulted in an alarming habitat loss," the article reads. "Effective conservation of this and the other endemic species of the Centinela region will require constant vigilance."
