The new tree species, named Aenigmanu alvareziae, is about 6 meters tall with small citrus fruits shaped like paper lanterns.
Researcher at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Robin Foster originally collected the mystery plant in Peru’s Manu National Park. While on a forest path, he came across a small tree he had never seen before.
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“The fruit looks like an orange Chinese lantern and is juicy when ripe with a few seeds that caught my eye,” said Dr. Robin Foster quoted SCI News, Monday (11/10/2021).
Mysterious plant it was in the Field Museum herbarium for years, but Dr. Foster and his colleagues didn’t know.
In the new study, they analyzed the DNA of Aenigmanu alvareziae using both dry and fresh specimens. Analysis revealed that this plant is the closest relative of the Picramniaceae family.
The researchers then sent the specimens to Dr. Wayt Thomas of the New York Botanical Garden, an expert on Picramniaceae.
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