Real life is filled with wonders that surpass our wildest imaginations. The universe itself is a testament to this strangeness, as Werner Heisenberg once noted. As a student of living organisms, I have encountered many peculiarities, but nothing quite like a plant that produces flowers and fruits exclusively underground. This newly discovered plant belongs to the palm family and has been named Pinanga subterranea by scientists from the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew.
Pinanga subterranea raises numerous questions about its lifestyle. How is it pollinated? What creatures are responsible for pollination? How do these pollinators locate the hidden flowers? Despite its recent formal description, many mysteries remain unanswered, including its pollination process. It is believed that wild boars disperse the fruits, but the specifics of its pollination are still unknown.
This unique palm is native to the tropical island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Local Indigenous Peoples in the region have long been acquainted with it and enjoy indulging in its sweet and juicy fruits. It coexists with over 300 known palm species in the primary rainforests of western Borneo, from Sarawak in Malaysia to Kalimantan in Indonesia. However, globally, there are over 2,500 palm species known to science, and alarming estimates suggest that up to half of these species are at risk of extinction.
This extraordinary palm species was first discovered by Paul Chai, a Malaysian botanist, during a visit to the Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary in Sarawak. Dr. Chai’s keen eye spotted the bright red fruits of the palm peeking from beneath the dense leaf litter. In 2018, a team of scientists from Kew revisited the sanctuary and collected several specimens of Pinanga subterranea for further study.
Benedikt Kuhnhäuser, a biologist and data scientist at Kew, expresses gratitude for Dr. Chai’s discovery, stating that without his guidance, they might have overlooked this remarkable new species. The team scientifically described this once-in-a-lifetime find as a rare case of geoflory, where flowering occurs underground, making it the first known instance within the palm family.
Agusti Randi, an Indonesian researcher and botanist, independently encountered multiple specimens of Pinanga subterranea in Kalimantan in 2017. Some of these plants showed signs of disturbance by wild pigs, suggesting their involvement in dispersing the palm’s fruits. Mr. Randi noted that the pigs would dig the soil around the palm and leave behind feces containing the seeds.
Pinanga subterranea is just one of the 140 species of small, erect forest understory palms belonging to the Pinanga genus. The majority of these species are found in Southeast Asia, with Borneo serving as the epicenter of their biodiversity. Despite their small size, these palms can be easily mistaken for the offspring of larger species. However, Mr. Randi’s expertise allowed him to identify Pinanga subterranea as a distinct new species through careful comparison.
While underground flowers and fruits are uncommon among flowering plants, there have been observations of these reproductive strategies in approximately 171 species across various plant families. For example, the peanut flowers above ground but develops its fruits underground. Nevertheless, the exclusive occurrence of underground flowering and fruiting in Pinanga subterranea is an exceedingly rare phenomenon, paralleled only by the small orchid genus Rhizanthella. These underground orchids are endemic to Australia and are under grave conservation concern due to their scarcity.
The conservation status of Pinanga subterranea remains unknown, but its discovery highlights the fascinating world of underground flowering plants. It joins the recent description of Nepenthes pudica, an underground pitcher plant also found in Borneo, in emphasizing the region as a biodiversity hotspot with untold species waiting to be discovered. The fact that local communities were familiar with Pinanga subterranea long before its scientific description underscores the importance of integrating indigenous knowledge into global efforts to catalog Earth’s diverse life forms.
Source: Benedikt G. Kuhnhäuser, Agusti Randi, Peter Petoe, Paul P. K. Chai, Sidonie Bellot, and William J. Baker (2023). Hiding in plain sight: The underground palm Pinanga subterranea, Plants, People, Planet | doi:10.1002/ppp3.10393
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Jessica Irvine is a tech enthusiast specializing in gadgets. From smart home devices to cutting-edge electronics, Jessica explores the world of consumer tech, offering readers comprehensive reviews, hands-on experiences, and expert insights into the coolest and most innovative gadgets on the market.
