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Amalophyllon miraculum

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Amalophyllon miraculum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Gesneriaceae
Genus: Amalophyllon
Species:
A. miraculum
Binomial name
Amalophyllon miraculum
(Wiehler) J.L.Clark

Amalophyllon miraculum is a plant species in the family Gesneriaceae endemic to the Andes of Ecuador. It was discovered in Centinela, Ecuador in 2024.[1]

The plant is small in stature and an obligate lithophyte. It lives near waterfalls due to its need of constant moisture.[2]

This small plant with serrated leaves and tiny white flowers is named "miraculum" because its miraculous the species was still there after being thought to be extinct.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Clark, John L.; Fernández, Andrea; Zapata, J. Nicolás; Restrepo-Villarroel, Camilo; White, Dawson M.; Pitman, Nigel C. A. (2024). "Amalophyllon miraculum (Gesneriaceae), an exceptionally small lithophilous new species from the western Andean slopes of Ecuador". PhytoKeys (242): 307–316. doi:10.3897/phytokeys.242.118069. PMC 11188077.
  2. ^ James Ashworth (11 June 2024). "Tiny flower that survived deforestation named as new species". Natural History Museum.
  3. ^ Ashley Stimpson (25 June 2024). "Decades after mass deforestation, scientists encounter 'miraculous' new plant species". Science.