In a race against time to document Earth's vanishing biodiversity, scientists have unveiled a list of ten "weird and wonderful" new species of plants and fungi named in 2025. The discoveries, compiled by experts at the Royal Botanic Gardens (RBG), Kew and their global partners, include a spider-eating zombie fungus and an orchid that mimics bloodstained female flies to attract mates for pollination.
A Catalogue of Curiosities from Around the Globe
The annual list highlights the astonishing diversity still being catalogued by science. Among the 125 new plants formally described last year is Telipogon cruentilabrum, an orchid found in the high Andes of Ecuador. Its showy yellow flowers are stained red at the lip, resembling blood, and evolved to mimic female flies. This clever ruse attracts sexually aroused male flies, which then pollinate the plant as they attempt to mate.
Tragically, more than half of this orchid's habitat has already been destroyed by mining and agriculture, placing it in immediate danger of extinction. This story of discovery shadowed by threat is a common theme. Scientists estimate there could be 100,000 unknown plant species and up to 3 million unknown fungi globally, with about 2,500 new plants named each year. Alarmingly, up to three-quarters of undescribed plants may already be threatened.
From Studio Ghibli Demons to Overlooked Snowdrops
The new species showcase remarkable adaptations and stories. From the Atlantic rainforest of Brazil comes a new zombie fungus (Purpureocillium atlanticum) that infects trapdoor spiders. It envelops its host in white threads before a fruiting body springs up through the spider's own trapdoor to release spores. Researchers used portable genome technology to decode its genetics in the field.
In Peru, a spectacular 3-metre-tall shrub with bright orange-red flowers inspired scientists to name it Aphelandra calciferi, after Calcifer, the fire demon in the Studio Ghibli film Howl's Moving Castle. Meanwhile, a beautiful snowdrop, widely grown in UK gardens but unknown to science, was traced back to Mount Korab in the Balkans. Named Galanthus subalpinus, it is already critically endangered in the wild due to over-collection, overgrazing, and fires.
The Urgent Race for Discovery and Conservation
Dr Martin Cheek of RBG Kew issued a stark warning: "Wherever we look, human activities are eroding nature to the point of extinction, and we simply cannot keep up with the pace of destruction." He emphasised that describing new species is fundamental, stating, "It is difficult to protect what we do not know, understand and have a scientific name for." Even among named plants, about 40% are threatened.
The losses extend beyond biology to potential new foods and medicines. A new 18-metre-tall tree from Papua New Guinea, Eugenia venteri, produces round fruits tasting of banana and guava with a eucalyptus aftertaste. Its fruit grows on whip-like stems along the ground, likely an adaptation for pollination and seed dispersal by giant ground rats. Similarly, a new elegant, red-fruited Christmas palm relative from the Philippines, Adonidia zibabaoa, was well-known locally but new to science.
Where possible, scientists are working with local partners to protect these species in their habitats or conserve their seeds in banks like Kew's Millennium Seed Bank. As Dr Irina Druzhinina at Kew notes, fungal discovery remains "one of science’s most exhilarating frontiers," but the challenge of documenting life before it vanishes is immense. The 2025 list is a vivid reminder of the wonder awaiting discovery—and the urgent need to preserve it.
