New Plant Species Discovered in Big Bend National Park

BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK, TX – A new plant species has been discovered in Big Bend National Park.

According to a release from the National Park Service, in March 2024, a volunteer with the park’s botany program and a supervisory park ranger came across small plants growing among desert rocks in a remote area of the northern part of the park. The plants stood out because of their fuzzy leaves and unusual flowers.

Scientists from the California Academy of Sciences, Sul Ross University, and Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigación para el Desarrollo Integral Regional collaborated with park staff to study the plant. Genetic analysis confirmed that the plant was not only a new species but also a new genus within the daisy family (Asteraceae).

The plant has been named Ovicula biradiata. The name “Ovicula” refers to the plant’s wool-like leaves, with “Ovicula” meaning “tiny sheep.” “Biradiata” refers to the two prominent petals in each flower. Researchers have also coined the nickname “wooly devil” because of its fuzzy look.

Big Bend National Park Superintendent Anjna O’Connor stated, “There’s still a lot we don’t know about this plant. We’re eager to see if there are other populations in the park, what its life cycle is like, and how it’s pollinated. With the drought, it will be interesting to see if it appears this spring.”

Big Bend covers around 801,165 acres and features a range of ecosystems. Other recent discoveries in the park include a new species of Duck-billed dinosaur (Malefica deckerti) and an oak species (Quercus tardifolia) that was once thought to be extinct, says the release.