You could be forgiven for thinking that we’ve already discovered all the plants on Earth. Yet in 2020 and 2021, more than 360 new plant and fungi species were named by scientists at Kew Gardens. Some are pretty out-there, from a ‘ghost’ orchid which can grow in almost complete darkness to a rare fungus with teeth. This year is off to a strong start too, with new discoveries including the world's largest waterlily in London. Here’s our pick of the best recent finds in the botanical world.

Far more than being a place to watch planes come and go, it turns out Heathrow airport, 14 miles (23km) west of central London, is a haven for fungi. This new species, Cortinarius heatherae, was found in 2020 along the airport’s boundary by field mycologist Andy Overall – the ‘Heather’ in the name is a tribute to his wife. The mushroom is a member of the Cortinarius genus, which is important for providing nitrogen to trees and plays a role in the carbon cycle of forests.

The discovery of this odd-looking shrub was a huge milestone for scientists. Not only they found a new species, but an entire new family of plants, which is quite rare. Found in semi-desert regions of southern Namibia, the unique shrub is endemic to the salt pans of this specific area, hence the name Tiganophyton: ‘tigani’ means frying pan in Greek, while ‘phyton’ means plant. 

From odd-looking shrubs to vibrant flowers, there’s no shortage of diversity in the plant world. Named Acanthostachys calcicola, this new species of bromeliad was discovered in Brazil by two Brazilian botanists and a Kew researcher. Sadly, the stunning flower, which is from the same family as the pineapple, is under threat from limestone extraction in the area and just 25 individual plants are known to exist.

Yet not all flowers are quite so pretty. Scientists were bemused to discover this brand new orchid species, Gastrodia agnicellus, in Madagascar, which looks like it fell off the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down. With its small, brown, unattractive flowers, the plant is quite unusual: it’s entirely dependent on fungi for food as it has no leaves to carry out photosynthesis.

The aloe genus, of which the most famous species is the widely used aloe vera, contains more than 500 individual species. Two new ones were discovered by Kew scientists in 2020, the Aloe vatovavensis and Aloe rakotonasoloi (pictured). Unlike other aloes, which usually grow in wide-open areas with lots of sunlight, these two were found in a rainforest in eastern Madagascar.

With its dainty yellow-and-red striped flowers, you could be forgiven for thinking that this Marsdenia chirindensis is just a pretty face. Yet the species, found in the Chirinda forest of eastern Zimbabwe, could be medically important. It comes from a family of plants known to treat a wide range of issues, including paralysis, burns and skin infections. This rare species, whose exact medical uses are not yet known, is thought to have great potential. 

Australian botanist Lex Thomson had been studying historic images of hibiscus species online when he came across this flame-red plant. He realised that the flower, which grows in coastal scrubland in southern Tanzania, had previously been mislabelled as the similar-looking Hibiscus schizopetalus. However, it had features which had not been documented before. The jagged-petalled plant was named Hibiscus hareyae after Dr Hareya Fassil, a specialist in studying plant medicines in Africa.

Even though this bright pink flower has been known to local communities for decades, it was only in 2020 that it was recognised by scientists. Endemic to the Marañón river region of Peru, where it’s known by indigenous people as yura, the species of morning glory was named by Peruvian philanthropist Noema Cano along with a team of researchers from Peru and Britain. It’s from the same genus as sweet potatoes and scientists believe it may have potential as a food crop.

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Found in the arid zones of Australia, this delicate-looking flower is surprisingly lethal – to bugs that is. One of seven species of wild tobacco discovered in 2021, Nicotiana insecticida is covered in sticky glands which help it trap and kill insects. Seeds of the deadly plant were collected off the Northwest Coastal Highway in Western Australia, before being taken to Kew Gardens, London to be studied by botanists.

Researchers were stunned when they found a fungus growing inside a banana seed at Kew Gardens’ Millennium Seed Bank (MSB), the world’s largest collection of seeds from wild plants. For context, this is the first time it's ever happened at the MSB. The microscopic Fusarium chuoi was found inside a banana seed that hailed from Vietnam – chuoi means banana in Vietnamese – and is a type of fungus which can grow in plants without harming them. 

From plants which are virtually invisible to those which grow in almost complete darkness, this new species, dubbed the ‘ghost orchid’, dwells deep in the forests of Madagascar. That’s not the only mysterious thing about it. The elusive plant, which has no leaves, produces its dainty white flowers for just 24 short hours after rainfall. It was named Didymoplexis stella-silvae, meaning ‘star of the forest’, for its star-shaped flowers.

Another orchid species that scientists discovered in 2021 was the Aerangis bovicornu. Tragically, however, this pretty tree-dwelling flower had already gone extinct by the time the discovery was published in research papers. It was found in the Fianarantsoa province of south-central Madagascar and it’s thought that the flower’s habitat was cleared for the production of geranium oil, which is used in aromatherapy. 

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Sadly the Aerangis bovicornu wasn’t the only one. Of 16 orchid species discovered by Kew researchers in 2021, three were already extinct. They include this rosy-hued Bulbophyllum cochinealloides, which is no longer thought to exist in the wild – although there is one living plant in cultivation at present.

With its stunning bluish-purple flowers, this newly discovered plant is a member of the Barleria genus, which grows in high-elevation grasslands in the Kalahari Desert of southern Africa. Named by researchers from Namibia, Britain and the US, it was given the name thunbergiiflora after another genus of the same name which has similar-looking flowers.

One of five new Cape primroses found by researchers in 2021, the Streptocarpus malachiticola has already been classified as endangered. The dainty flower grows in the Katanga area of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is known for its copper mining – its name refers to malachite, the ore from which copper is extracted. Yet with copper being such an in-demand material, the plant’s future survival is on the line.

This flamboyant flower is certainly no shrinking violet, with its display of white petals likened to an exploding firework. Found in the forests of Borneo by Malaysian and Japanese researchers working with scientists from Kew, it’s only known to exist in a small number of locations and has already been named endangered. Sadly, the forests in which it grows are being razed to the ground to produce palm oil, which is found in a surprising number of everyday products. 

The Hydnellum nemorosum might have sharp teeth, but don’t worry, it doesn’t bite. In fact the tooth-like structures found on this rare fungus, which was discovered in Windsor in the UK, are similar to most fungis’ gills and are used to produce spores. Just 40 mature individuals are known to exist and the species is currently under (preliminary) classification as endangered by the Global Fungal Red List (a part of the IUCN Red List which assesses species under threat of extinction).

With its bright yellow, star-shaped flowers, the Bolivian periwinkle is certainly one of the prettier plants that was found in 2021. But the species could also have medical potential. The periwinkle family, which it’s part of, has long been known to treat a wide range of conditions – chemicals found in Madagascar periwinkles have even been used in anti-cancer drugs. Scientists hope to analyse compounds in Philibertia woodii and see if they are beneficial.

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Cameroon’s startlingly biodiverse Edo Forest, which contains more than 75 threatened plant species, is home to this large and intriguing plant. Flowers of the voodoo lily, known as Pseudohydrosme ebo, can reach up to 12 inches (30cm) in height and are produced from an underground tuber after leaves die. Until the discovery of this species, the Pseudohydrosme genus was considered endemic to neighbouring Gabon.

The amazing thing about this plant? It was painted by Victorian artist Marianne North back in 1876, when it was thought to have been the first member of the Chassalia genus ever to be illustrated. Despite this, it wasn’t until some 145 years later that the species was identified. The blue-berried plant, depicted in a painting which is displayed at Kew Gardens, was discovered by scientists from Kew and Queen Mary’s London and named Chassalia northiana in the artist’s honour.

Discovered in the Guiana Highlands of Venezuela, this yellow-and-white orchid is already classified as vulnerable to extinction on the IUCN Red List. The plant was named Epidendrum katarun-yariku by members of the Pemón Arekuna Indigenous community of Paruima: ‘katarun’ means high and ‘yariku’ means flower. Researcher Mateusz Wrazidlo said: “I thought it would be a nice gesture to ask my Indigenous friends for their opinion and include them in the naming process, selecting a name in their Indigenous language instead of Latin.”

In the botanical world this year got off to a good start with a new tree being named after Leonardo DiCaprio. The tropical tree, which is a member of the ylang-ylang family, was found in the Ebo Forest in Cameroon by scientists from Kew and Cameroon. Researchers chose the name because the actor and environmentalist had lobbied to prevent logging in the forest in 2020 – a decision which helped to protect many endangered and threatened species which may otherwise have become extinct.

In early July 2022, a brand new species of waterlily was discovered in London, which has been hiding in Kew Gardens for 177 years. With lily pads reaching over 10 feet (3.2m) across, the newly discovered plant, which typically resides in Bolivia, has been named the largest waterlily in the world. The incredible find marks the first discovery of a giant waterlily in over a century, dubbed by scientists as 'one of the great botanical wonders of the world'. The waterlily has been named Victoria boliviana in honour of its South American home.

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