BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK, Texas — A new plant species has been discovered at the Big Bend National Park, according to the National Park Service (NPS), in a news release Monday.
At first, two park staff members saw the tiny plant and they didn’t recognize it. NPS said a further investigation revealed the species was previously unknown to science.
“The California Academy of Sciences, Sul Ross University, and Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigación para el Desarrollo Integral Regional joined park staff in the study of the new plant. A genetic analysis revealed that this plant is so distinctive that it is not just a new species but best classified as an entirely new genus within the Asteraceae (Daisy) family,” NPS said.
The plant has been named Ovicula biradiata from Ovicula, which means tiny sheep, in reference to the thick white “wool” that covers the leaves, and Biradiata, in reference to the “two conspicuous ray petals in each flower,” NPS reported.
NPS stated in the release researchers wanted to give the plant a more unique name and they decided to go with “wooly” or “wooly devil.”
Big Bend National Park Superintendent Anjna O’Connor said now that the species has been identified and named, there is so much more to learn about “wooly.”
“I’m excited to discover whether there are other populations in the park, details of its life cycle, what are the pollinators, and due to the current drought, if it will be observed at all this spring,” said O’Connor.