«The Last of Us» on the contrary: a plant parasitizes on fungi, a new species is discovered

Scientists have discovered a previously unknown plant in the forests in the east of the Malay Peninsula that parasitizes fungi.

The plant has already been named Thismia aliasii. It is mycoheterotrophic plant which differs from other representatives of this species in the shape of its flowers, in which three of the six leaves the perianths end up looking like tentacles elongated processes.

In a few hours, the researchers were able to identify 5 representatives of Thismia aliasii. They suggested that it be classified as an endangered plant due to its rarity, limited habitat, and degradation of its native ecosystem in the context of active tourism.

Plants of the Thismia species have lost ability to conduct photosynthesis and parasitize the fungal mycelia. Almost the entire life of these plants is spent in the soil, where they exist as roots. At the same time, for several weeks a year, Thismia release small shoots with chlorophyll-free leaves and tiny, brightly colored flowers. These flowers are pollinated by insects.

Currently, scientists know of more than 100 species of Thismia, which mainly grow in tropical and subtropical forests in Asia, America, Australia, New Guinea, and New Zealand. Scientists Mat Yunoh Siti Munirah from the Malaysian Forestry Research Institute and Shakri Mohamad Alias, an employee of the Forestry Department of Trenganu State, have proven that unknown species of Thismia still grow in the forests of the Malay Peninsula.

In the fall of 2019 Shakri Mohamad Alias, who works as a ranger and is passionate about wildlife photography, was exploring the forests in the Chemerong mountain range in the southern part of Tenggang State. Along with while walking along a hiking trail, he noticed a flowering plant that resembled Thismia, but did not match the descriptions of any known plants of this species.

Later Mat Yunoh City-Munirah Shakri Mohamad Alias conducted a series of expeditions to search for the mysterious plant. The scientists managed to find several specimens only in the summer of 2023 After examining the samples obtained in 2019 and 2023 (a total of three flowering and one fruiting plant), the authors concluded that they were looking at an unknown species of Thismia

Thismia aliasii is well distinguished from other species by its flowers: they are orange or brown in color and have six perianth leaves with thin processes growing at the tips. In three leaves, these processes are short, up to 3.5 millimeters in length, and in the other three they reach 26-32 millimeters in length and resemble tentacles. The main threat to Thismia aliasii is tourists using hiking trails. Their activities can lead to environmental degradation of the rare plant.

The results of the study were published in the journal PhytoKeys