New flower species found in Japan: glass orchid

Mindy Weisberger, CNN, 3/17/23; Kelly Ani, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

A new species of orchid has been discovered in Japan, and its petals look like they’re spun from glass

In a past life, I was a Japanese flower

Sometimes newfound flower species are lurking where scientists least expect to see them — in city parks, backyard gardens, and even in planters on apartment balconies.

That’s where researchers in Japan recently identified a new species of orchid, its pink-and-white blooms so delicate and fragile they look like they were spun from glass.

The newly described flower is a neighbor to populations of a related orchid species common in Japan that it closely resembles. Its discovery is an important reminder that unknown species are often living right under our noses, scientists reported Friday in the Journal of Plant Research.

“The incredible diversity of the orchid family, Orchidaceae, is truly astonishing, and new discoveries like this Spiranthes reinforce the urgency to study and protect these botanical gems,” Justin Kondrat, lead horticulturist for the Smithsonian Gardens Orchid Collection, told CNN in an email.

Kondrat was not involved in the research. Orchids in this genus — Spiranthes — are called “ladies’ tresses” for their resemblance to wavy locks of hair. Spiranthes have a central stem, around which grow an ascending spiral of tiny, bell-shaped flowers that can be white, pink, purple, or yellow.

There are about 50 species of Spiranthes found in Eurasia, Australia, and the Americas, typically in temperate or tropical regions, and these flowers have been known in Japan for hundreds of years, according to the study.

A new species of orchid has been discovered in Japan, and its petals look like they’re spun from glass (© Provided by CNN via MSN.com). We're dubbing it the "glass orchid."

Colors of the floral newcomer's blooms vary "from purple-pink to white," researchers said.

• Populations of the floral newcomer were discovered in Tokyo prefecture near Hachijo Island, inspiring the species name Spiranthes hachijoensis. - Masayuki Ishibashi 

Before this discovery, three species of Spiranthes orchids were found in Japan: S. australis, S. sinensis, and S. hongkongensis, and only S. australis was thought to grow on the Japanese mainland.

However, during a survey on mainland Japan over a decade ago, lead study author Prof. Kenji Suetsugu, in Kobe University’s Division of Biodiversity, Ecology, and Speciation, found something unusual: flowers presumed to be S. australis but with smooth stems. (S. australis typically has hairy stems). More