New plant species has flowers with tiny 'horns' and a devilish appearance

A tiny desert flower with horn-like tips has been hiding in plain sight in West Texas. Scientists have confirmed Ovicula biradiata is both a new species and a new genus, a rare one two in botany.

The plant, informally called the woolly devil, sits within the Asteraceae family, the same group as sunflowers and daisies. It turned up inside Big Bend National Park and surprised experts who know this rugged country well.

Finding Ovicula biradiata

Lead researcher Isaac H. Lichter Marck works at the California Academy of Sciences (CAS) and coordinated the formal description.

Researchers compared its DNA and examined specimens in an herbarium, the scientific library of preserved plants, to check what it was not.

They then built a phylogenetic tree, a diagram that maps evolutionary relationships, to test where it belongs.

The detailed paper reports that the plant is a member of the sunflower group yet differs enough from its nearest relatives to require a new genus, which is a taxonomic rank above species.

“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,” said Lichter Marck.

What makes Ovicula biradiata unique

The species is named Ovicula biradiata, nicknamed the woolly devil for its fuzzy leaves and small red and white flowers. It is tiny, usually about 1 to 3 inches across, and it grows low among pale limestone gravel.

Each head carries two ray florets, the narrow outer flowers that look like small petals in the daisy family. Seeds develop with a five scaled pappus, the set of small scales or bristles at the top of a seed that help it detach.

The leaves are covered with dense trichomes, which are tiny hairs that trap air and reduce water loss. That woolly coat likely helps the plant endure short bursts of sun and wind at ground level.

Where it lives and why that matters

Ovicula biradiata grows in the northern corner of Big Bend on coarse limestone alluvium within a very narrow range. The plant is ephemeral, which means it lives fast and blooms only after rain.

The Chihuahuan Desert is a hot, dry region spanning West Texas and northern Mexico, and Big Bend offers many microhabitats within that larger desert.

The park announced the discovery and noted that the plant appears after spring rainfall in harsh, rocky terrain.

Ovicula biradiata extinction risk

“We have only observed this plant in three narrow locations across the northernmost corner of the park, and it’s possible that we’ve documented a species that is already on its way out,” said Lichter Marck.

The study team withheld exact coordinates because of the small populations and sensitive habitat.

Based on known range and short life cycle, the authors note the plant would preliminarily qualify as vulnerable under IUCN criteria, the global standard for conservation status.

That call signals the need for careful monitoring, not panic, while scientists gather more data.

Big Bend has been surveyed for decades, yet a volunteer still found something new by looking closely at the ground. Community science tools like iNaturalist make it easier to flag unusual finds so specialists can respond quickly.

The woolly devil is also the first new plant genus described from a U.S. national park in nearly 50 years. The last time a similar step was taken was with July gold, a shrub described from Death Valley in 1976.

How scientists figured out its family ties

The team sequenced nuclear DNA and compared the results with related sunflowers stored in museum collections. The analysis shows Ovicula is sister to Psilostrophe, a western group sometimes called paper flowers.

That placement explains some of the look, such as very small flower heads and dense hair on leaves and stems. It also confirms that the unusual two ray florets are not a quirk of a known species but a trait of a line all its own.

What scientists want to learn next

The plant’s glands could be chemically interesting because related sunflowers produce compounds linked to anti inflammatory and anti cancer activity.

The press team reports that researchers saw specific glands under the microscope and plan to test for these compounds in future work.

Climate trends raise concern because hotter, drier conditions can squeeze short lived desert annuals. Long term modeling projects a more arid Southwest as temperatures rise, which could make rainy windows less frequent and shorter.

The obvious next steps include tracking when the plant appears, how many individuals emerge after different rain years, and what insects visit the flowers. Those answers will guide any long term protection plan.

Helping Ovicula biradiata thrive

Small plants can be easy to overlook, yet they often hold the clearest signals about how a desert is changing.

Finding a new genus inside a well studied park is a reminder that careful field work still moves science forward.

It also shows why preserving habitat matters even when a species is tiny. If the habitat is intact, the species has a fighting chance to persist through hard years and rebound when conditions improve.

If you visit Big Bend during a wet spring, stay on durable surfaces and avoid fragile gravel flats where small annuals grow.

Report unusual wildflowers with clear photos and location details using community science apps, and let experts do the collecting.

That approach protects sensitive sites and gives researchers good data over time. It also makes every careful observer part of the discovery pipeline.

The study is published in PhytoKeys.

—–

Like what you read? Subscribe to our newsletter for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates. 

Check us out on EarthSnap, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

—–