By Melissa Fleur AfsharShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberA newly discovered and extremely rare plant species has been found in a popular forest park and picnic spot in Malaysia, with scientists warning that—with less than 20 known species—it is already critically endangered.
Officially named Thismia selangorensis, the first of the new 'fairy lantern' plant species was discovered hidden away in a tree hole on a riverbank in Taman Eko Rimba Sungai Chongkak, Selangor, Malaysia.
Given the tiny numbers of the plants found the species has been classified as 'Critically Endangered' in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
The plant is now part of the Thismia genus—a group of plants that are notable for not using sunlight and photosynthesis for energy production, but instead rely on a parasitic relationship with underground fungi to survive.
Because they lack chlorophyll, they are often hard to detect thanks to their neutral coloring—a sort of peach-to-pink—and are typically found in undisturbed forest areas rich in leaves and moist soils.
“This discovery shows that significant scientific finds are not limited to remote jungles; they can also be made in ordinary environments where constant human activity leaves little room for expectation," the study's lead author, Siti-Munirah Mat Yunoh of the Forest Research Institute Malaysia, said in a statement.
"Protecting Thismia selangorensis will require cooperation among researchers, the forest department, stakeholders and the public, as its survival depends on how carefully we tread in its habitat.”
Standing at just 10 centimeters tall, T. selangorensis features coral-like roots and a peach flower that develops into a distinctive umbrella-shaped structure known as a “mitre,” topped by three slender, club-shaped appendages.
...Despite the plant's striking appearance, it had gone unnoticed for decades in what is a popular area frequented by international tourists and locals alike.
Naturalist Tan Gim Siew first came across the species in November 2023 during a visit to the Taman Eko Rimba Sungai Chongkak, part of the Hulu Langat Forest Reserve, near Kuala Lumpur.
Siew spotted the tiny plant growing among moist leaves near the roots of a riverside tree, and upon returning to the area to learn more, concluded that fewer than 20 of them are present.
This discovery adds to the roughly 120 known species within the Thismia genus, many of which are equally elusive and poorly understood. As a result of the plant’s rarity and habitat, conservationists are concerned about its vulnerability to environmental disturbances.
The study's authors now recommend that the small area the plants are native to be carefully managed, especially when it comes to busy visitor periods.
They will continue monitoring the newfound population and look into whether T. can be found anywhere else.
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Reference
Siti-Munirah, M, T., Tan, G, S., Mat-Tahir, M, F., Azhar, A. (2025). Thismia selangorensis (Thismiaceae): a new mitriform fairy lantern species from Selangor, Malaysia. PhytoKeys. 267, 9-21. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.267.157968.
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