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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Science
Patrick Barkham

‘Queen’s hedgehog’ fungus among 2022’s new discoveries recorded by Kew

Queen’s hedgehog fungi, found in ancient beech woodland in Surrey.
Queen’s hedgehog fungi, found in ancient beech woodland in Surrey. Photograph: Geoffrey Kibby

The world’s largest giant waterlily from the wetlands of Bolivia, a spiny fungus named after the Queen and a herb threatened with extinction by pigeon droppings are among more than 100 plants and fungi recorded as being new to science in 2022 by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Many of the discoveries, including a tall tree from Brazil’s Atlantic forest and a busy lizzie from Cameroon, are extremely rare, and one is already considered globally extinct. Two in five plants globally are estimated to be at the risk of extinction.

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