"Missing" for more than a century, why is the sharp -toothing spear reappeared?

Flowers, fruits, leaves (taken on August 10, 2021) shooting spiked spears in the wild. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Hu Jun)

In 1908, sharp dental monopoly was discovered in western Sichuan Province

But for more than 110 years, no one has discovered the species

Until August 2021

Hu Jun, assistant researcher at the Chengdu Institute of Biological Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences

When leading the team to conduct inspection tasks

On a cliff on a canyon in the south slope of Gongga Mountains

About 15 species of suspected sharp -toothing spear are found

Observation, molecular experiments, etc.

The final confirmation is that this is a century -old spiked spear!

Researchers also entrusted painting teachers to draw scientific hand -drawn drawings for the species

Skin Spear hand -painted. Interviewee confidence

The picture shows a photo of the sharp -toothing spear wax leaf leaf. On the left is the main mode specimen collected in 1908, and on the right is the new specimen collected by Hu Jun and others in 2021. Interviewee confidence

When discovering, some plants are blooming

This makes the inspector feel very excited

Because all previous information about this species describes "flowers have not seen"

Hu Jun showed his spiked spear specimen (taken on August 17). Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Kun

Currently

According to the classification and standard of the Red List of the International Nature Protection (2022)

Skin -dental spear is evaluated as extreme endangered species

Hu Jun introduced that there are very little distribution zone and population volume of sharp dental governments

Mainly grow on cliffs

It is more sensitive to light and humidity environment

Human interference may have a adverse effect on its growth

This discovery

For the first time describing and clarifying the characteristics of the flower parts of the sharp -toe spear

Filled and fixed a number of wrong morphological features recorded attribute information

"In October, we plan to go to the sharp -toothing spear again to discover the land,

Collect its seeds,

Put it in the seed library to save the germ resources,

Subsequent development, artificial breeding and other tasks,

To better protect it. "Hu Jun said.

Hu Jun observed the specimen with a magnifying glass (taken on August 17). Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Kun

For ten years

Scientific researchers of Chengdu Institute of Biological Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences

I also found it in western Sichuan

Nearly 20 new species such as the serpentine vine, Wolong basin, brown and white bead tree, etc.

(Source: Xinhua News Agency)

【Edit: Yao Hao】

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