A new type of sunflower named the “wooly devil” was discovered in Big Bend National Park in Texas, NPR reported last month.
The team of researchers studying the plant recently published their findings in the peer-reviewed journal PhytoKeys.
Formally known as ovicula biradiata, the flower is remarkable as it represents the simultaneous discovery of a new species and genus.
The plant was found by two park employees in March 2024 and caused an uproar in the botanical community when they uploaded photos to the community science app iNaturalist.
"It caused an email chain of different botanists emailing each other," said Isaac Lichter Marck, a post-doctoral research fellow at the California Academy of Sciences who was part of the research team.
"It was very clear at first that it was a member of the sunflower family, because all members of the sunflower family have flowers that are made up of a bunch of flowers put together," Marck explained.
"[The] goal was to solve the mystery of what its closest relatives were. And based on that, how it should be classified."
By sequencing its DNA and using a scanning electron microscope, the team was able to find a group for the mystery plant.
However, the plant didn't quite fit “cleanly” within any known genus – the classification rank above the species – meaning the team had discovered more than just a new species but an entire genus as well, Marck explained, calling the simultaneous discovery "very rare."
The name was chosen because of the plant’s wooly hairs, as well as its two ray florets that "sort of look like devil horns."
So far, the plant, which can be less than half an inch to about three inches across, has only been identified in small sections of the park.
What we know about the wooly devil
What is known is that it's an annual plant, blooming after desert rain. However, the area has suffered drought in recent years.
“The truth is that desert plants in many cases are very sensitive," Marck said, adding that because the plant is so "restricted geographically," it may have already passed its peak.
There are two sides to the discovery. "It's a great thing that we're able to document one of our coinhabitants on Earth," he said.
Unfortunately, Marck added, because of climate change, "we probably are documenting a species that's on its way out."
"There are countless other species that are probably not going to be recognized before they go extinct,” he said.
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