Amalophyllon miraculum is a plant species in the family Gesneriaceae endemic to the Andes of Ecuador. It was discovered in Centinela, Ecuador in 2024.[1]
| Amalophyllon miraculum | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Gesneriaceae |
| Genus: | Amalophyllon |
| Species: | A. miraculum
|
| Binomial name | |
| Amalophyllon miraculum (Wiehler) J.L.Clark
| |
The plant is small in stature and an obligate lithophyte. It lives near waterfalls due to its need of constant moisture.[2]
This small plant with serrated leaves and tiny white flowers is named "miraculum" because its miraculous the species was still there after being thought to be extinct.[3]
References
edit- ^ Clark, John L.; Fernández, Andrea; Zapata, J. Nicolás; Restrepo-Villarroel, Camilo; White, Dawson M.; Pitman, Nigel C. A. (2024). "Amalophyllon miraculum (Gesneriaceae), an exceptionally small lithophilous new species from the western Andean slopes of Ecuador". PhytoKeys (242): 307–316. doi:10.3897/phytokeys.242.118069. PMC 11188077.
- ^ James Ashworth (11 June 2024). "Tiny flower that survived deforestation named as new species". Natural History Museum.
- ^ Ashley Stimpson (25 June 2024). "Decades after mass deforestation, scientists encounter 'miraculous' new plant species". Science.
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