Scientists from Curtin University have found a new species of wild tobacco in Australia. This was reported in Curtis's Botanical Magazine.
The plant produces a sticky substance to trap and kill insects. It has been studied by an international team of researchers from Curtin, the Royal Botanic Gardens (RBG) Kew and the University of Vienna.
“We were amazed to find new species for science on such a barren land, including the species we named Nicotania insecticida, all of which are covered with sticky glands that help the plant to catch and kill small insects such as midges, aphids and flies,” – said the author of the study, Professor Mark Chase.
According to study co-author Dr. Maarten Kristenhuis, the arid regions of Australia were considered almost barren with a very limited supply of plants.
Earlier, scientists from the United States and Canada discovered a completely new species of carnivorous plants, which is characterized by a unique structure of traps. The Triantha occidentalis flower is native to the West Coast highlands of North America and is an independent line of carnivorous plants.
