This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Researchers have described a new species of leafless flowering plant found on the forest floor of a national park in western Thailand, and its otherworldly appearance has earned it a fittingly dramatic name: Thismia daemona, the "devil flower." The species belongs to Thismia, a genus of small plants sometimes called "fairy lanterns." Unlike most plants, they contain no chlorophyll and cannot photosynthesize, instead drawing nutrients from underground fungi and spending almost their entire lives hidden beneath leaf litter. The new species was found by botanists from Chulalongkorn University and Prince of Songkla University during surveys of Thong Pha Phum National Park.
It was growing at an elevation of nearly 1,000 meters (3,300 feet), an unusually high and seasonally dry setting for the genus. The study, published in the open-access journal PhytoKeys, brings the number of Thismia species recorded in Thailand to 16. "Finding Thismia daemona in Thong Pha Phum National Park was indeed a major surprise," said Dr.
Sahut Chantanaorrapint of Prince of Songkla University. "Typically, Thismia species are known to occur in perennially humid lowland rainforests; however, this population was discovered in a seasonal, montane evergreen forest at an elevation of nearly 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) above sea level." The find matters well beyond Thailand's borders. The new species belongs to Thismia section Geomitra, previously known only from Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo and Sumatra, so its discovery pushes the known range of the whole section northward for the first time.
Its looks live up to the name. The flower is mostly black, with horn-like appendages crowning a dome-shaped "miter," while patches of vivid reddish-orange around its base recall a demon's glowing eyes. "Combined with its hidden, subterranean and mysterious lifestyle on the forest floor, our team unanimously agreed that naming it Thismia daemona perfectly captured its enigmatic and devil-like essence," Chantanaorrapint said.
Despite its interesting appearance, its future is precarious. Known from a single population of fewer than 50 individuals in an area smaller than a football field, it has provisionally been assessed as Critically Endangered, partly because its habitat sits within a national park popular with tourists. Chantanaorrapint sees community involvement as key to its survival: "A key next step is adopting a sustainable conservation approach aligned with the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere concept, harmonizing biodiversity conservation with human engagement.
Inspiring local people to take pride in their natural heritage not only safeguards the microhabitat, but also supports sustainable, community-led ecotourism." Tosak Seelanan et al, Thismia daemona (Thismiaceae), a new species from Thailand supported by morphological and molecular evidence, PhytoKeys (2026). DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.278.202868 Swati Mestri holds a bachelor's degree in Electronics Engineering and has worked as a content editor since 2019. She has experience editing research documents across technology, health care, and materials science, and has a particular interest in technology and space.
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