fairy lanterns<\/a>,\u201d these plants are known for not having chlorophyll, and thus, lacking the ability to photosynthesize. Instead, they\u2019re mycoheterotrophic, meaning they draw their subsistence from underground fungi that have a symbiotic relationship with more traditional green plants. In other words, they\u2019re parasites.<\/p>\n ![\"Thismia](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Thismia-Daemona-3.jpg\")
Various views of Thismia daemona. \u00a9 Seelanan, et al\/PhytoKeys <\/p>\n
Thismia plants are eye-catching in general, but T. daemona might be the most interesting example found yet\u2014and not only due to its devilish look, according to corresponding study author Sahut Chantanaorrapint. That\u2019s because the plant was discovered in an environment far drier and higher in elevation than other genetically similar Thismia plants.<\/p>\n
\u201cT. daemona\u00a0belongs to\u00a0Thismia\u00a0section\u00a0Geomitra, a lineage previously thought to be restricted to the perennially wet, lowland rainforests of the Malesian region, such as Thai-Malay Peninsular, Borneo, and Sumatra,\u201d Chantanaorrapint, a botanist at the Prince of Songkla University in Southern Thailand, told Gizmodo. \u201cFinding this species in western Thailand not only establishes the northernmost geographical limit for the section, but also demonstrates that these plants can adapt to seasonal, montane forests at higher elevations (nearly 1,000 meters above sea level).\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course, the plant\u2019s appearance is still plenty noteworthy, Chantanaorrapint adds. \u201cIts distinctive morphology\u2014particularly the striking combination of dark coloration and horn-like appendages\u2014adds an intriguing layer to our understanding of floral diversification and potential pollinator specialization in mycoheterotrophic plants.\u201d<\/p>\n
Critically endangered ![\"Thismia](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Thismia-Daemona-2.jpg\")
A closer look at Thismia daemona. \u00a9 Sahut Chantanaorrapint <\/p>\n
Intriguing as this discovery is, T. daemona is probably facing a tough time surviving. The researchers have so far only documented a single population of fewer than 50 plants in an area no bigger than a football field. And though this area is protected, it\u2019s also commonly visited by tourists, raising the risk that human activity could threaten it. The team has preliminarily designated the plant as critically endangered under the International Union for Conservation of Nature guidelines\u2014the category right before a species goes fully extinct in the wild.<\/p>\n
More research is needed to better understand\u00a0T. daemona and its less scary fairy brethren, the team says, along with sustainable efforts to ensure its survival moving forward. In the meantime, the team hopes their nifty discovery can highlight the crucial role these plants play in their environments.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Thismia species do not photosynthesize and rely entirely on subterranean mycorrhizal fungal networks, they serve as vital indicators of undisturbed, healthy forest ecosystems,\u201d Chantanaorrapint said. \u201cDiscoveries like T. daemona emphasize how fragile and interconnected soil ecosystems are; protecting such peculiar organisms requires preserving the intact forest habitats and mycorrhizal networks that sustain them, ideally through community-led stewardship and conservation awareness.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you\u2019re looking for some real-life inspiration for your Halloween decorations this year, you\u2019re in luck: Scientists have…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":588236,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[1389,6819,273,111,139,69,5301,147],"class_list":["post-588235","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-conservation","tag-endangered-species","tag-environment","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-plants","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/588235","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=588235"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/588235\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/588236"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=588235"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=588235"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=588235"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}