Nepalese Autumn Poppy, one of the Top Ten New Species discovered in 2011

It is a wonder that there are still so many living species lying undiscovered. According to a report on the National Geographic the International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University and a committee of scientists from around the world have recently announced their picks for the Top Ten New Species described in 2011. Among the Top Ten New species, is a Himalayan flower found in the high mountains of Nepal. Named Meconopsis Autumnalis for the autumn season when the plant blooms, the flower is popularly known as Nepalese Autumn Poppy and grows at an elevation of about 14000 feet. According to the report “botanists had collected the flower before in 1962 and 1994 but didn't recognize the species as a new flower. Last year, though, the discovery "was made by intrepid botanists collecting plants miles from human habitation in heavy monsoon rains”.”

Other new speicies on the list include a snub-nosed (sneezing) monkey from Myanmar,  Bonaire Banded Box Jelly from a Caribbean island, a night-blooming Orchid from Papua New Guinea, Sazima Tarantula from Brazil, Devil’s worm discovered in a South African gold mine, a giant millipede found in Tanzania’s Eastern Arc Mountains, Walking Cactus – a fossil discovered in China and SpongeBob SquarePants mushroom, a fungi discovered in the island of Borneo and a parasitic wasp found in Spain.

 National Geographic – Nepalese Autumn Poppy