Throughout 2020, the work of Spanish botanists has been defined by one word: “lockdown”. Not only because this year’s coronavirus pandemic has made it difficult for them to do what is in their blood – heading out into the countryside to study plants – but also because they have described more than forty plant species new to science. Despite the health and social difficulties imposed by the crisis, they have continued to analyse and collect data, examine specimens held in herbaria and collaborate remotely to carry out their crucial task: the description and study of plant biodiversity. Specifically, the Spanish Botanical Society has recorded at least 43 species new to science described by Spanish botanists, or those working in Spanish institutions, during 2020. This represents a significant increase compared with the previous year.

Among the species discovered, we find some that are endemic to our territory – that is to say, they do not exist anywhere else in the world: four species from mainland Spain, a grass from Menorca and two species from the mountainous regions of the Canary Islands (a violet from Tenerife and a moss from Gran Canaria). However, around 80% of the species discovered by Spanish botanists are found far from our territory, in places as diverse as North America, the Andes, Central Asia, Madagascar and South Africa, which has required close collaboration with international researchers. Pandemic or no pandemic, the work of our botanists is becoming increasingly global, and continues to involve a wide variety of activities, ranging from the meticulous study of specimens under magnifying glasses to complex genetic analyses.

The list of new species includes plants of economic interest, such as the South American Ipomoea australis, a wild relative of the sweet potato and a potential source of genetic resources for the improvement of the cultivated plant. Furthermore, there are species of scientific and conservation interest, such as two carnivorous plants from the Iberian mountains (Pinguicula casperiana y Pinguicula tejedensi(s) which had hitherto been confused with other similar species, or a species found exclusively in south-western Portugal that inhabits only small temporary lagoons (Helosciadium milfontinum).

At a time of health, climate and biodiversity crises, basic science is crucial to our future as a society. At the Spanish Botanical Society, we highlight the contribution made by botanists in our country to the generation of knowledge and we emphasise the importance of researching, describing and cataloguing the plant biodiversity of our planet, on which we so heavily depend, and of which so much remains to be discovered.

Seven examples of species new to science discovered in 2020 by Spanish botanists: moss Maltese Ulota (from Chilean Patagonia) and flowering plants Iris Zhaoana (from Central Asia), Carex giovanniana (from Argentina and Bolivia), Senecio festucoides (from Chile), Ipomoea australis (from South America), Pinguicula tejedensis (from Granada, Spain) and Werneria rockhauseniana (from Peru). Photographs provided by R. Garilleti, M.B. Crespo, P. Jiménez-Mejías, J. Calvo, P. Muñoz Rodríguez and H. Trinidad.

The full list of new species can be found via this link

Throughout 2020, the work of Spanish botanists has been defined by one word: “lockdown”. Not only because this year’s coronavirus pandemic has made it difficult for them to do what is in their blood – heading out into the countryside to study plants – but also because they have described more than forty plant species new to science. Despite the health and social difficulties imposed by the crisis, they have continued to analyse and collect data, examine specimens held in herbaria and collaborate remotely to carry out their crucial task: the description and study of plant biodiversity. Specifically, the Spanish Botanical Society has recorded at least 43 species new to science described by Spanish botanists, or those working in Spanish institutions, during 2020. This represents a significant increase compared with the previous year.

Among the species discovered, we find some that are endemic to our territory – that is to say, they do not exist anywhere else in the world: four species from mainland Spain, a grass from Menorca and two species from the mountainous regions of the Canary Islands (a violet from Tenerife and a moss from Gran Canaria). However, around 80% of the species discovered by Spanish botanists are found far from our territory, in places as diverse as North America, the Andes, Central Asia, Madagascar and South Africa, which has required close collaboration with international researchers. Pandemic or no pandemic, the work of our botanists is becoming increasingly global, and continues to involve a wide variety of activities, ranging from the meticulous study of specimens under magnifying glasses to complex genetic analyses.

The list of new species includes plants of economic interest, such as the South American Ipomoea australis, a wild relative of the sweet potato and a potential source of genetic resources for the improvement of the cultivated plant. Furthermore, there are species of scientific and conservation interest, such as two carnivorous plants from the Iberian mountains (Pinguicula casperiana y Pinguicula tejedensi(s) which had hitherto been confused with other similar species, or a species found exclusively in south-western Portugal that inhabits only small temporary lagoons (Helosciadium milfontinum).

At a time of health, climate and biodiversity crises, basic science is crucial to our future as a society. At the Spanish Botanical Society, we highlight the contribution made by botanists in our country to the generation of knowledge and we emphasise the importance of researching, describing and cataloguing the plant biodiversity of our planet, on which we so heavily depend, and of which so much remains to be discovered.

Seven examples of species new to science discovered in 2020 by Spanish botanists: moss Maltese Ulota (from Chilean Patagonia) and flowering plants Iris Zhaoana (from Central Asia), Carex giovanniana (from Argentina and Bolivia), Senecio festucoides (from Chile), Ipomoea australis (from South America), Pinguicula tejedensis (from Granada, Spain) and Werneria rockhauseniana (from Peru). Photographs provided by R. Garilleti, M.B. Crespo, P. Jiménez-Mejías, J. Calvo, P. Muñoz Rodríguez and H. Trinidad.

The full list of new species can be found via this link