A team of botanists described a new flowering plant species, Thismia daemona, in the journal PhytoKeys on 3 September 2026. The species was found in Thong Pha Phum National Park in western Thailand during a 2025 field survey and was nicknamed the “devil flower” because of its dark, horned appearance.
Taxonomy and Plant Group
Thismia daemona belongs to the genus Thismia, a group of small flowering plants commonly called fairy lanterns or torch lilies. The genus includes species that are often difficult to detect because they emerge briefly above the forest floor.
The official description increased the number of Thismia species recorded from Thailand to 16. The species was placed in the section Geomitra, a taxonomic group previously known from Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, and Borneo.
Mycoheterotrophic Adaptation
The plant is mycoheterotrophic, which means it does not contain chlorophyll and does not perform photosynthesis. It lacks leaves and branches and obtains nutrients through underground fungal networks connected to its roots.
Mycoheterotrophic plants are fully or partially dependent on fungi for carbon and mineral nutrients. This life strategy is found in several plant families, including Burmanniaceae, Orchidaceae, and Gentianaceae.
Habitat, Range and Conservation Status
The species was recorded at an elevation of 950 to 970 metres in a seasonal montane forest. This habitat is drier and higher than the humid lowland rainforests where many Thismia species occur.
Researchers noted that the discovery extends the known northern range of the section Geomitra. The known global population is fewer than 50 individual plants, and the species has been provisionally classified as Critically Endangered.
Important Facts for Exams
- PhytoKeys is an international peer-reviewed journal that publishes plant taxonomy and biodiversity research.
- Thong Pha Phum National Park is located in western Thailand and contains forest habitats with high botanical diversity.
- Mycoheterotrophy is a nutritional mode in which a plant depends on fungi rather than photosynthesis.
- Critically Endangered is the highest threat category before Extinct in the IUCN Red List system.
Thismia species are often small, short-lived, and hidden beneath leaf litter for much of their life cycle. The discovery raised the documented count of Thismia species in Thailand to 16.
