The first new plant species to be given a scientific name in 2022 was this new tropical evergreen tree from the Ebo forest of Cameroon.
The 4-meter tall plant, with distinctive yellow-green flower that grows on its trunk, was named Uvariopsis dicaprioin honor of the actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who has campaigned to save the forest from logging.
The plant was previously unknown to the scientific community as well as to local inhabitants. The tree was identified as new by Martin Cheek of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, together with his colleagues from the National Herbarium of Cameroon and the University of Yaoundé I in Cameroon. "This is a plant which, for a botanist, just jumps out at you," says Cheek, "It's so spectacular."
As there are fewer than 50 individual U. dicaprio trees found - and all are located in the same area of the Ebo forest, the species is considered critically endangered.
Photo by: Lorna MacKinnon
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