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'Woolly devil' flowers in Texas desert are the 1st new plant genus discovered in a US national park in almost 50 years
www.livescience.com ^ | March 28, 2025 | Olivia Ferrari

Posted on 03/28/2025 8:56:09 PM PDT by Red Badger

The wooly devil (Ovicula biradiata) was discovered by a volunteer at Big Bend National Park. (Image credit: James Bailey © California Academy of Sciences) While walking in Big Bend National Park in Texas' Chihuahuan Desert, a park volunteer came across a fuzzy flower that turned out to be a never-before-seen species. The "woolly devil," as researchers have named it, is in the sunflower family and also represents a new genus.

This is the first time in nearly 50 years that a new plant genus has been described in a U.S. national park, since the discovery of the July gold shrub (Dedeckera eurekensis) in Death Valley National Park in 1976, according to a statement from the California Academy of Sciences.

The new discovery suggests that researchers are far from documenting all of the plant diversity of the Chihuahuan Desert, which covers parts of Mexico and the southwestern U.S.

"While many assume that the plants and animals within our country's national parks have probably been documented by now, scientists still make surprising new discoveries in these iconic protected landscapes," Isaac Lichter Marck, a botanist at the California Academy of Sciences and co-author of research describing the new species, said in the statement.

(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...


TOPICS: Gardening; History; Outdoors; Society
KEYWORDS: bigbend; bigbendnp; botany; chihuahuandesert; deathvalley; desert; flower; nationalparks; newgenus; ovicula; oviculabiradiata; southwest; sunflower; texas; thesouthwest; woolydevil; woolydevilplant

1 posted on 03/28/2025 8:56:09 PM PDT by Red Badger
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To: Red Badger

It sounds like someone needs a grant for further study.


2 posted on 03/28/2025 9:04:50 PM PDT by crusty old prospector
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To: Red Badger

I think we need a billion dollar National Park survey to see what visitors think of the “wooly devil.”


3 posted on 03/28/2025 9:05:39 PM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom (PDJT doesn’t just walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. He swaggers.)
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To: Red Badger

Quick! Classify this plant as an endangered species, and prohibit any development within 100 miles of it.

That’s what I would have if Slow Joe were still president. But such insanity is less likely now that Trump is in office.


4 posted on 03/28/2025 9:06:30 PM PDT by Leaning Right (It’s morning in America. Again.)
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To: All

Hmm, interesting;

All you FRbotanists out there.... Is there another plant that looks VERY similar out there? Because just about every summer I run across a few that look very much like that on my place, and I’m ~400 miles north of Big Bend.


5 posted on 03/28/2025 9:09:41 PM PDT by LegendHasIt
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To: Red Badger

Matty told Hatty
About a thing she saw
Had two big horns
And a wooly jaw
Wooly bully
Wooly bully
Yeah drive
Wooly bully
Wooly bully
Wooly bully


6 posted on 03/28/2025 9:45:34 PM PDT by tumblindice (America's founding fathers: all armed conservatives)
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To: Leaning Right

It probably is an endangered species given that it hasn’t been until now that it was discovered, and, there is no telling what may come from studying a new species like this, which has the ability to survive in an incredibly harsh environment.

Many plants contain compounds which can be quite useful, or are useful in and of themselves when cultivated, so we should make an effort to be good stewards of every one we discover.

From a religious standpoint we are required to be good stewards.


7 posted on 03/29/2025 2:46:43 AM PDT by piasa (Attitude adjustmilents offered here free of charge)
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To: Red Badger

Now that 5he word is out that there is a new plant, I wonder how long it will be before some Chinese herbalist is selling stolen wooly devils to Asian men after proclaiming that when combined with rhinoceros horn and a tiger’s pecker, they can be made into a tea to cure impotence.


8 posted on 03/29/2025 2:50:19 AM PDT by piasa (Attitude adjustmilents offered here free of charge)
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To: Red Badger

“While many assume that the plants and animals within our country’s national parks have probably been documented by now, scientists still make surprising new discoveries...”

Yeah...like once every 50 years or so...

/s


9 posted on 03/29/2025 2:59:11 AM PDT by Adder (End fascism...defeat all Democrats.)
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To: Red Badger

Clearly this is Trump’s fault.


10 posted on 03/29/2025 3:25:20 AM PDT by rrrod (6)
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To: Red Badger

Looks like a moldy flower.


11 posted on 03/29/2025 4:34:09 AM PDT by maddog55 (The only thing systemic in America is the left's hatred of it!)
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To: Red Badger

I thing a 2 billion grant is in order to study its affect on the transgender community.


12 posted on 03/29/2025 5:28:19 AM PDT by WeaslesRippedMyFlesh
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To: Red Badger

Brought up from mexico by the illegals.


13 posted on 03/29/2025 5:53:43 AM PDT by dynachrome (Auslander Raus!)
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