'Zombie' fungus and strange snowdrop in top new species

A "ZOMBIE" fungus, a "bloodstained" orchid and a strange snowdrop are among the plants and fungi named new to science in 2025, experts have said.

- EMILY BEAMENT

Purpureocillium atlanticum - a spider-eating fungus and, right inset, Galanthus subalpinus - a new species of snowdrop

(Joao Paulo Machado/ Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew/PA Wire)

Scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and international partners have unveiled a list of the top 10 plants and fungus named for the first time last year, from the 125 new plants and 65 fungi they identified around the world in 2025.

The annual list highlights how much of the natural world remains to be described by science, and how many of those newly identified are already threatened with extinction as nature losses accelerate, Kew said.

Among the new species and subspecies described by Kew and partners in 2025 are a "living stone" from savannah woodlands in Namibia, a fruit tree from Papua New Guinea whose fruits taste of a mix of banana and guava, and a Peruvian flower named after a fire demon in the film Howl's Moving Castle.

Dr Martin Cheek, senior research leader in RBG Kew's Africa team, said: "Describing new plant and fungal species is essential at a time when the impacts of biodiversity loss and climate change accelerate before our eyes: it is difficult to protect what we do not know, understand and have a scientific name for.

"Each identification of a new species to science helps us better understand ecosystems. Without this foundational knowledge, species conservation efforts fail.