A Sunless ‘Devil Flower’ Is Described as a New Species in Western Thailand

A newly described species obtains nutrients through fungi

Scientists from Chulalongkorn University and Prince of Songkla University reportedly described Thismia daemona in PhytoKeys after comparing its visible features and DNA with other Thismia plants. The report says the species was found in Thong Pha Phum National Park in western Thailand in May 2025.

It lacks chlorophyll and is described as mycoheterotrophic, meaning it obtains carbon and nutrients through fungi in the soil. The researchers also provisionally assessed it as Critically Endangered: one known population reportedly contains fewer than 50 plants in an area under 0.05 square kilometers.

Before this reported find, members of the Thismia subgroup Geomitra had been recorded only in Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo, and Sumatra; Thailand had 15 known Thismia species.

The reported description of Thismia daemona adds a 16th known Thismia species in Thailand and extends the recorded range of the Geomitra subgroup farther north, into western Thailand.

A range record and a preliminary conservation assessment

The report extends Geomitra’s recorded range north to western Thailand. Only one population is known, and the researchers’ provisional Critically Endangered assessment does not mean formal inclusion on the IUCN Red List.