Sometimes newfound flower species are lurking where scientists least expect to see them — in parks, gardens and even in planters on balconies.
That’s where researchers in Japan recently identified a new species of orchid, its pink-and-white blooms so delicate and fragile they look like they were spun from glass.
The newly described flower is a neighbor to populations of a related orchid species common in Japan that it closely resembles. Its discovery is an important reminder that unknown species are often living right under our noses, scientists reported Friday in the Journal of Plant Research.
“The incredible diversity of the orchid family, Orchidaceae, is truly astonishing, and new discoveries like this Spiranthes reinforce the urgency to study and protect these botanical gems,” Justin Kondrat, lead horticulturist for the Smithsonian Gardens Orchid Collection, told CNN in an email. Kondrat was not involved in the research.
Orchids in this genus — Spiranthes — are called “ladies’ tresses” for their resemblance to wavy locks of hair. Spiranthes have a central stem, around which grow an ascending spiral of tiny, bell-shaped flowers that can be white, pink, purple or yellow.
There are about 50 species of Spiranthes found in Eurasia, Australia and the Americas, typically in temperate or tropical regions, and these flowers have been known in Japan for hundreds of years, according to the study.
Populations of the floral newcomer were discovered in Tokyo prefecture near Hachijo Island, inspiring the species name Spiranthes hachijoensis. Before this discovery, three species of Spiranthes orchids were found in Japan: S. australis, S. sinensis and S. hongkongensis, and only S. australis was thought to grow on the Japanese mainland.
However, during a survey on mainland Japan over a decade ago, lead study author Kenji Suetsugu, a professor in Kobe University’s Division of Biodiversity, Ecology and Speciation, found something unusual: flowers presumed to be S. australis but with smooth stems. (S. australis typically has hairy stems.)
The hairless populations also flowered about one month earlier than S. australis usually did — another indication these rogue orchids might not be S. australis, Suetsugu told CNN in an email.
“This led us to investigate further,” Suetsugu said.
From 2012 to 2022, he and his colleagues searched for the hairless orchids and analyzed the plants’ physical features, genetics and means of reproduction. Because Spiranthes species often overlap geographically and can look alike, “it is important to have a comprehensive understanding of the distribution and ecology of related species to distinguish the unique features of a new species,” he said.
Colors of S. hachijoensis blooms varied “from purple-pink to white,” with petals measuring about 0.1 to 0.2 inches (3 to 4 millimeters) long, researchers reported.
S. hachijoensis had smaller flowers with wider bases and straighter central petals than other Spiranthes species; it also lacked a structure for self-pollination. Morphologically, it was a close match to S. hongkongensis and S. nivea, but minute physical differences and genetic analysis confirmed it was unique. In addition to the Tokyo population, the study authors found S. hachijoensis elsewhere in the Kanto District and in Kyushu, Shikoku and Chubu districts.
“We were thrilled to have identified a new species of Spiranthes,” Suetsugu said. “Spiranthes is the most familiar orchid in Japan and has been cherished for centuries,” he said, adding that the flower is mentioned in Japan’s oldest anthology of poetry that dates to 759.
Identifying new plant species in Japan is an uncommon event, with the nation’s flora extensively documented and studied. This discovery will likely spark interest in the flower, which is much rarer than S. australis, he added.
“This discovery of new species concealed in common locales underscores the necessity of persistent exploration, even in seemingly unremarkable settings!” Suetsugu said via email. “It also highlights the ongoing need for taxonomic and genetic research to accurately assess species diversity.”
The fragile beauty of the newfound “ladies’ tresses” is a hallmark of orchids — but so is vulnerability. There are about 28,000 known orchid species worldwide. However, habitat loss has endangered many species, and the flowers’ popularity won’t save them if they aren’t protected.
“Orchids have closely interwoven connections within so many ecosystems as well as different aspects of science and culture,” Kondrat said. “People can’t help but be captivated by their many forms and colors. It’s this emotional response that hopefully encourages and inspires people to take action to safeguard them.”
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The body of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei — who died after being set on fire by her partner in Kenya — was received Friday by family and anti-femicide crusaders, ahead of her burial a day later.
Cheptegei’s family met with dozens of activists Friday who had marched to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital’s morgue in the western city of Eldoret while chanting anti-femicide slogans.
She is the fourth female athlete to have been killed by her partner in Kenya in yet another case of gender-based violence in recent years.
Viola Cheptoo, the founder of Tirop Angels – an organization that was formed in honor of athlete Agnes Tirop, who was stabbed to death in 2021, said stakeholders need to ensure this is the last death of an athlete due to gender-based violence.
“We are here to say that enough is enough, we are tired of burying our sisters due to GBV,” she said.
It was a somber mood at the morgue as athletes and family members viewed Cheptegei’s body which sustained 80% of burns after she was doused with gasoline by her partner Dickson Ndiema. Ndiema sustained 30% burns on his body and later succumbed.
Ndiema and Cheptegei were said to have quarreled over a piece of land that the athlete bought in Kenya, according to a report filed by the local chief.
Cheptegei competed in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics less than a month before the attack. She finished in 44th place.
Cheptegei’s father, Joseph, said that the body will make a brief stop at their home in the Endebess area before proceeding to Bukwo in eastern Uganda for a night vigil and burial on Saturday.
“We are in the final part of giving my daughter the last respect,” a visibly distraught Joseph said.
He told reporters last week that Ndiema was stalking and threatening Cheptegei and the family had informed police.
Four in 10 women or an estimated 41% of dating or married Kenyan women have experienced physical or sexual violence perpetrated by their current or most recent partner, according to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022.
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A rare Bronze-Era jar accidentally smashed by a 4-year-old visiting a museum was back on display Wednesday after restoration experts were able to carefully piece the artifact back together.
Last month, a family from northern Israel was visiting the museum when their youngest son tipped over the jar, which smashed into pieces.
Alex Geller, the boy’s father, said his son — the youngest of three — is exceptionally curious, and that the moment he heard the crash, “please let that not be my child” was the first thought that raced through his head.
The jar has been on display at the Hecht Museum in Haifa for 35 years. It was one of the only containers of its size and from that period still complete when it was discovered.
The Bronze Age jar is one of many artifacts exhibited out in the open, part of the Hecht Museum’s vision of letting visitors explore history without glass barriers, said Inbal Rivlin, the director of the museum, which is associated with Haifa University in northern Israel.
It was likely used to hold wine or oil, and dates back to between 2200 and 1500 B.C.
Rivlin and the museum decided to turn the moment, which captured international attention, into a teaching moment, inviting the Geller family back for a special visit and hands-on activity to illustrate the restoration process.
Rivlin added that the incident provided a welcome distraction from the ongoing war in Gaza. “Well, he’s just a kid. So I think that somehow it touches the heart of the people in Israel and around the world,“ said Rivlin.
Roee Shafir, a restoration expert at the museum, said the repairs would be fairly simple, as the pieces were from a single, complete jar. Archaeologists often face the more daunting task of sifting through piles of shards from multiple objects and trying to piece them together.
Experts used 3D technology, hi-resolution videos, and special glue to painstakingly reconstruct the large jar.
Less than two weeks after it broke, the jar went back on display at the museum. The gluing process left small hairline cracks, and a few pieces are missing, but the jar’s impressive size remains.
The only noticeable difference in the exhibit was a new sign reading “please don’t touch.”
VICTORIA – The British Columbia government is partnering with a bear welfare group to reduce the number of bears being euthanized in the province.
Nicholas Scapillati, executive director of Grizzly Bear Foundation, said Monday that it comes after months-long discussions with the province on how to protect bears, with the goal to give the animals a “better and second chance at life in the wild.”
Scapillati said what’s exciting about the project is that the government is open to working with outside experts and the public.
“So, they’ll be working through Indigenous knowledge and scientific understanding, bringing in the latest techniques and training expertise from leading experts,” he said in an interview.
B.C. government data show conservation officers destroyed 603 black bears and 23 grizzly bears in 2023, while 154 black bears were killed by officers in the first six months of this year.
Scapillati said the group will publish a report with recommendations by next spring, while an independent oversight committee will be set up to review all bear encounters with conservation officers to provide advice to the government.
Environment Minister George Heyman said in a statement that they are looking for new ways to ensure conservation officers “have the trust of the communities they serve,” and the panel will make recommendations to enhance officer training and improve policies.
Lesley Fox, with the wildlife protection group The Fur-Bearers, said they’ve been calling for such a committee for decades.
“This move demonstrates the government is listening,” said Fox. “I suspect, because of the impending election, their listening skills are potentially a little sharper than they normally are.”
Fox said the partnership came from “a place of long frustration” as provincial conservation officers kill more than 500 black bears every year on average, and the public is “no longer tolerating this kind of approach.”
“I think that the conservation officer service and the B.C. government are aware they need to change, and certainly the public has been asking for it,” said Fox.
Fox said there’s a lot of optimism about the new partnership, but, as with any government, there will likely be a lot of red tape to get through.
“I think speed is going to be important, whether or not the committee has the ability to make change and make change relatively quickly without having to study an issue to death, ” said Fox.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2024.
