Marie Selby Botanical Gardens proudly announces the discovery and recent publication of four new plant species in the flowering plant family Gesneriaceae revealed through extensive field expeditions and herbarium research in the biodiverse Andean rainforests of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. These remarkable new species are distinguished by an unusual combination of traits: they grow as climbing airplants with flowers emerging from leafless lower stems near the forest floor, while their leafy shoots ascend into the subcanopy. This distinctive growth habit—paired with slanted, tubular flowers borne on clustered, elongated stalks—is rare not only within their plant family but across rainforest ecosystems, where it’s uncommon to see flowering stems without accompanying leaves. Dr. John L. Clark, a research botanist with Selby Gardens, described all four species as part of his ongoing scientific efforts to document and better understand biodiversity in tropical regions, contributing to Selby Gardens’ broader mission of conserving and researching plant biodiversity.

To learn more click here