Ddespite its name, this is not a light source for a woodland sprite. What you are looking at is a type of fairy lantern, an incredibly rare plant. Beyond its mystical appearance and whimsical name, the newly described species is unusual in that it gathers energy not from the sun, like most flora, but from fungi in the soil.
Thismia selorensis was discovered by scientists in the lush Hulu Langat Forest Reserve in Malaysia. In 2023, naturalist Tan Gim Siew was stopping to take some photos in the forest, and he noticed a small plant 4 inches tall that had sprouted in leaf litter near the roots of a riverside tree. During a follow-up survey of the area, less than 20 individuals of T. selangorensis were counted over an area of about 1.5 square miles, according to a document recently published in PhytoKeys. People have spent time in the area for decades—it’s a camping and picnic spot not far from the country’s capital of Kuala Lumpur—but the species has not been officially documented until now.
LITTLE LANTERN: Researchers who hold the petite Thismia selorensis. Photo by Gim Siew Tan.
“This discovery shows that significant scientific findings are not limited to remote jungles; they can also be made in ordinary environments where constant human activity leaves little room for expectation,” said paper author Siti-Munirah Mat Yunoh, a plant taxonomist at the Forest Research Institute Malaysia, in a statement.
This petite plant belongs to the otherworldly Thismia a genus, also called “fairy lanterns”, which includes 120 species known to obtain energy from fungi in a parasitic relationship. Such plants, which are called mycoheterotrophs, are very elusive—they often live underground, and can only be seen if they are flowering or fruiting. Mysterious members of this genus tend to live in undisturbed shady forests in moist microhabitats full of leaf debris. Still, scientists have documented an increasing number of Thismia species in recent years.
Read more: “7 of the World’s Strange Plants“
Now, the authors of the study hope that researchers, government officials, and the public can collaborate to conserve T. selangorensiswhich is classified as critically endangered. For example, plants that grow near campsites and picnic areas can be accidentally stepped on or be vulnerable to flooding. “The most important effort now is to raise awareness about this species so that the public realizes that it exists—right here, in this little corner of the world, and nowhere else, at least for now,” said Siti-Munirah. “Understanding its presence is the first step to ensure that this extraordinary plant is not lost before more people know it exists.”
Now, the discovery of this tiny fairy light can illuminate even the smallest components of nature, inviting people to take a closer look.
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Lead image: Gim Siew Tan
This story was originally featured on Nautilus.