After nearly a century, scientists discover a strange new plant species in Peru’s jungle

A scientific expedition has identified a plant species in Peru that had gone undescribed for more than 90 years. The small tree, named Neea myrciifolia, was found in the central jungle’s montane forests.

The discovery took place in protected areas in Oxapampa province, in the Pasco region, including the San Matías-San Carlos Protection Forest, Yanachaga-Chemillén National Park and Yanesha Communal Reserve. The study appeared in the scientific journal Kew Bulletin.

Neea myrciifolia grows between one and five meters tall. It has opposite leaves with a warty surface, globular inflorescences and tubular flowers. Its distribution is restricted to central Peru, between 376 and 1,500 meters above sea level, making it an endemic species of national biodiversity value.

The research was led by Daniel da Silva and Francisco Farronay of Brazil’s National Institute of Amazonian Research, together with Elson Sandoli of the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden Research Institute, Rocío Rojas of the Selva Central Oxapampa Herbarium and Missouri Botanical Garden, and Leandro Giacomin of the Federal University of Paraíba.

Peru’s Environment Ministry said the find shows that the forests of Oxapampa and the central jungle still contain species science has not identified. The national protected-areas service said the discovery also demonstrates the importance of maintaining protected ecosystems where new species continue to appear even after decades of research.

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The presence of Neea myrciifolia in protected areas demonstrates the value of these territories for conserving biodiversity that still has much to reveal and reinforces the need to keep ecosystems protected, where, even after decades of research, new species continue to appear for the world.