Overview
- The species, named Thismia selangorensis, is detailed in the journal PhytoKeys and joins the elusive Thismia genus of mycoheterotrophic plants.
- Naturalist Tan Gim Siew first noticed the tiny, non-photosynthetic plant in November 2023 at Taman Eko Rimba Sungai Chongkak in the Hulu Langat Forest Reserve.
- Surveys located individuals near riverside tree buttresses and inside a tree hole, locations that leave the plants vulnerable to trampling or flooding in a busy picnic area.
- Authors assessed the species as Critically Endangered under IUCN criteria after documenting an extremely limited population and range.
- The study urges managed visitor access, continued population monitoring, and expanded botanical surveys to search for additional populations.