There are 390,900 species of plants known to science, according to a new report from the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew.
The report, which is "the first document to collate current knowledge on the state of the world's plants" used data from across the globe to illustrate the diversity of the world's plants.
They discovered that nearly 400,000 plants are known to science, over 2,000 of which were discovered in 2015. The report also stresses that many more plant species are still yet to be found.
Plants found in 2015 include the Gilbertiodendron maximum, which grows to around 45 metres, five new types of onion and the Nepenthes barcelonae, a climbing plant that was discovered after a specialist was reviewing photos taken years earlier on Facebook. Brazilian, Australian or Chinese researchers were "the most likely" to find new species.
The research also found that 21 per cent of plants are at "risk of extinction" because of "climate change, land-use change, invasive plants and plant diseases". Around 5,000 species of invasive plant exist around the world, including knotweed and knapweed. These plants cost the UK around £1.7 million a year.
And although nearly 2,000 areas of the world have been designated "important plant areas", they are not being protected well enough, the study found. This could have an impact not only on plant diversity, but also on other species including animals and humans.
The report was an attempt to improve public knowledge of plant preservation and biodiversity, according to Kew. Future reports will be published annually to expand our understanding of the world's biomes.
among the global community and to highlight not only what we do know about threats, status and uses, but also what we don’t," said Kathy J Willis, lead author of the report and director of science at the Botanic Gardens. "This will help us to decide where more research effort and policy focus is required to preserve and enhance the essential role of plants in underpinning all aspects of human wellbeing."
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
