Ghost palms and toothy toadstools among species named by Kew scientists in 2024

More than 170 plants and fungi previously unknown to science have been named for the first time in 2024 by scientists from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and their partners.

New finds of toothy toadstools from the UK, orchids from across Indonesia and climbers from tropical Asia are among the list of 149 plants and 23 fungi discovered across almost every corner of the globe.

But the Kew scientists and their collaborators warned that several are already at risk of extinction due to human activities as they called attention to the ongoing loss of global biodiversity.

But he added: “The devastating reality is that more often than not, new species are being found on the brink of extinction and it’s a race against time to find and describe them all.”

Teams urgently need more funding, training and public awareness of the importance of plant and fungal taxonomy, he said.

Of the dozens of newly-named species, the Kew scientists highlighted marzipan-scented lianas and a ghostly palm from the island of Borneo.

Other top picks include a bracket fungus found in Buckinghamshire in the UK and family of plants without the ability to photosynthesise, which instead rely entirely on mycorrhizal fungi for sustenance.

Where possible, the scientists work with international partners to protect plants in their natural habitats by incorporating them into a network of important plant areas (IPAs).

Kew warned that the scale of the challenge is immense, with scientists globally describing an average 2,500 new plants and 2,500 fungi each year.

But estimates indicate there could be as many as 100,000 plant species left to uncover and 2-3 million fungi species.

But Dr Bazzicalupo said there have been many positive developments in 2024, including the international fungal conservation pledge to protect and conserve fungi, made at the UN biodiversity summit Cop16 in Colombia in November.