• Outdoors Outdoors

Officials celebrate after incredibly rare species resurfaces after 85 years: 'Spotting it in the wild was an unforgettable experience'

"We don't just lose a species, we lose a member of a habitat community …"

"We don’t just lose a species, we lose a member of a habitat community ..."

Photo Credit: iStock

In news that bodes well for conservation and a cleaner future for all, a rare and endangered species of plant, the Sapria himalayana, an Indian cousin of the world's largest flower, the Rafflesia, has been found alive almost 85 years after one was last spotted.

The Sapria himalayana is a parasitic plant known for its striking crimson flowers and is found only in the Eastern Himalayas. According to the Arunachal Observer, despite its initial discovery nearly two hundred years ago, the species has remained mostly a mystery because of its unusual life cycle and blooming only in winter.

Anisha Mandal of Bengaluru's Indian Institute of Science's Centre for Ecological Sciences said the find was a career highlight. 

Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty?

Definitely 👍

Only in some areas ☝️

No way 👎

I'm not sure 🤷

Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

"Spotting it in the wild was an unforgettable experience," Mandal said. "This endoparasitic plant has no visible vegetative structures apart from its stunning flower. The flower is unisexual, vibrant red in color, and emits a putrid odor."

A find like this is incredibly important because the return of any species can help revive a healthy and diverse ecosystem. 

Giulia Albani Rocchetti, a postdoctoral researcher at Roma Tre University, said that "when a plant becomes extinct, we don't just lose a species; we lose a member of a habitat community with a specific role and relations with other species; we lose millennia of evolution and adaptation; we lose genes which could have provided insight into the species and its community and yielded new pharmacological compounds and other products," per Yale Environment 360

Watch now: Would you wear a shirt made out of oysters?

Would you wear a shirt made out of oysters?
0 seconds of 56 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:56
00:56
 

Other exciting findings like this include two flowers in Ecuador, a ghost orchid in England, and false mermaid-weed in Vermont. Similarly to spotting the Sapria himalayana, these findings bring hope. 

If a species can be returned to life, the possibility follows that all of those missing elements can be recovered. 

Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.

Cool Divider