A new species emerges from the shadows

Researchers from the Diversity, Adaptation and Development of Plants laboratory (IRD / Université de Montpellier) have been involved in the discovery of a hitherto unknown flowering plant. Many questions remain.
It lived hidden from the eyes of the world, and could probably have remained so for many centuries, lurking in the thick Gabonese rainforest. She is Sirdavidia solannona, the flowering plant brought out of anonymity by Gabonese and French botanists from the Écologie, systématique et évolution (Université Paris-Sud / CNRS) and Diversité, adaptation, développement des plantes (IRD / Université de Montpellier) laboratories. For any botanist, the discovery of an unrecorded plant is a grail. And when it doesn't belong to any known genus, it's a real jackpot!

New species

The discovery of this plant with its delicate red flowers is an unexpected one, to say the least. The region that shelters it - the Crystal Mountains - is one of the most explored areas of Gabon by botanists. Proof that the tropical forest and its maze of plants still hold many surprises in store...
DNA sequence analysis confirmed the need to create a new genus to classify this plant, whose most closely related species turned out to be endemic to Tanzania, located in an isolated forest over... 3,000 km away!
Another curiosity is that Sirdavidia solannona, which belongs to the Annone family (Annonaceae), is characterized by a mode of pollination never before seen in the Magnoliidae (the group of plants that includes, among others, the Annone family). Many unknowns remain to be deciphered in order to unravel the mysteries of this species. In any case, one thing is certain: Sirdavidia solannona can kiss its peace and quiet goodbye...