. In honor of Sir David Attenborough’s influence on their lives, Gabonese botanists and French botanists named Sirdavidia a genus for flowering plants. Annonaceae is the source of both the new genus, and all species of flowering plant species. They published the study in the open-access academic journal PhytoKeys (citation is below). Why is this discovery so unique? This new genus was created to house an uncommon species discovered in Monts de Cristal National Park, Gabon. They had just returned from an expedition to Magnoliidae, where they were focusing on the Magnoliidae flower diversity in rain forests. Sirdavidia Solannona is a novel genus, and species, of flowering plants, from the Annonaceae family. (Image by PhytoKeys). The botanists were shocked to find an unexpected Annonaceae in Gabon’s most well-known botanical area. It was also located very close to a major road. The authors speculate that it may be a rare species, which is why no one has seen it before. The team found only two sirdavidia solannonas after combing through the entire area. They classified the species as Endangered at first. Raoul Niangadouma (senior botanist, Herbier National du Gabon), Libreville commented that the new species was initially classified as Endangered. Because we were unable to locate the right flowers, we aimed to go to well-known areas in Gabon. The flowers from this small tree didn’t quite match any previously identified genera. Sirdavidia solannona is an open and flowering plant. Image: PhytoKeys. DNA sequence analysis showed that it was a brand new genus. Botanists suggested that the plant should be assigned a totally new genus. The DNA sequence analysis was performed by Dr. Bonaventure Sonke of the Universite De Yaounde II in Cameroon. Scientists were stunned to discover that Sirdavidia was found 3 ,000 kilometers (1 ,864 mile) from Sirdavidia in a remote Tanzanian forest. The lead author of the study, Dr. Thomas Couvreur from Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement in France is currently based at Yaounde (Cameroon) and said that “It’s funny that this new genus was a relative to Mwasumbia endemic Tanzanian genus, which I described a few decades ago. It was like someone had pulled my leg when I first saw the DNA results that confirmed its location. Two new genera were discovered on the opposite side of Africa. They turned out to be very similar!” Botanists named the new genus Sirdavidia after Sir David Attenborough the English naturalist and broadcaster. Sir David is the name of several plants species, but Sirdavidia was his first genus. Differentiation between Species & Genus: A species is the lowest level of taxonomic classification, while a category or unit of biological classification is called the “basic” unit. Genus refers to a taxonomic classification that falls below the family level and at the top of the species list. Dr. Couvreur stated: “Sir David Attenborough was such an important and wonderful influence on my life, and that of many others. It was a surprise to me to discover that no one had ever named a Genus after him. It will make a great story. David Attenborough is a man whose legacy has been about “stimulating passion and interest about nature around us.” Sir David was “truly delighted” to hear about the new genus. Sirdavidia flowers are very similar to the Solanaceae and nightshade families, which champion buzz pollination. Drs. Sauquet and Clouvreur stated: “What’s really remarkable about this discovery is that buzz pollination in Magnoliideae is not known in early divergent Angiosperms, which together represent approximately 10,000 species around the world. This will be another exciting part of our discovery, should it be confirmed by further research.” Citation: Sirdavidia is an exceptional new genus in Annonaceae, from Gabon. Couvreur TLP. Niangadouma R., Sonke B., Sauquet. PhytoKeys -19. doi: 10.3897/phytokeys.46. 8937.
Gabonese botanists and French botanists named Sirdavidia a plant genus after Sir David Attenborough
