It is tiny, measuring about two centimeters, and almost invisible in the field. This is because its color blends in with its surroundings. We are talking about a new species of spurge discovered in West Africa by Pavel Hanáček and an international team of scientists from Cape Town. Spurge succulents were one of the subjects of research in which the scientists participated. The new species has been named Euphorbia aenigmatica, which translates as “hidden” or “camouflaged” spurge.

Scientists discovered a new spurge in a remote part of Somalia. According to Pavel Hanáček from the Institute of Plant Biology at the Faculty of Agronomy, the discovery was somewhat accidental. “It was a stroke of luck. When we travel to countries where these plants occur, we have identified locations where they might be found, but we discovered the new spurge in a relatively unexpected place. Because there are several species of spurge that are similar, we took the time to study it thoroughly. Genetic analysis definitively confirmed that it is a new species,” the scientist describes the new discovery.

The newly discovered spurge differs from others in many ways. It is particularly distinctive for its camouflage and thorns. “In the field, it is a very small, spherical plant that blends into its surroundings and is covered in thorns. The thorns serve as a defense against herbivores, but also protect the plant from excessive sunlight. When there is a lack of rainfall, the plant shrinks in size due to water evaporation, and the thorns subsequently cover a larger area of the plant’s surface. The drier it is, the more camouflaged the plant becomes,” Hanáček explains the characteristics of the new spurge.

Camouflage is an important factor for the survival of this newly discovered species. During periods of drought, herbivores living in the area suffer from a lack of food. “If the plant is camouflaged in this way, there is a high probability that animals will overlook it. This is a crucial feature for this spurge. If an animal damages the plant by grazing on it, regeneration will be very difficult during periods of low rainfall,” explains the scientist. As it is a succulent species, the new spurge is able to store water in its tissues. It absorbs water during the rainy season, which occurs only briefly once a year in its native environment. Thanks to the reserves it has built up, it then survives the rest of the dry season.

There are over 2,000 species of spurge described in the world. However, the newly discovered species is unique in its appearance, which is caused by so-called convergent evolution. “This means that in a certain type of environment, otherwise unrelated organisms develop similar morphological characteristics. In this case, it means that the spurge may resemble a cactus to the untrained eye. However, cacti are a completely different group of plants that originate from the American continent. Because the new spurge grows in an area with similar conditions, it appears to resemble cacti,” says Hanáček.

According to Hanáček, the discovery is also exceptional because it has attracted public interest. Succulents are plants sought after by collectors and are also popular in the Czech Republic. Visitors to the exhibition of succulents and other exotic plants will be able to see the newly discovered species. The exhibition, co-organized by MENDELU and Masaryk University, will be on display from September 12 to 19 in the greenhouses of the Botanical Garden of the Faculty of Science, MU.