Forest‑floor 'Devil Flower' Exposes Conservation Gap

A newly described, leafless plant (Thismia daemona) that lives mostly hidden under leaf litter and lacks chlorophyll was found in a Thai national park and immediately listed as Critically Endangered because fewer than 50 individuals occupy a tiny area. Its existence shows that many microhabitat specialists remain undetected until discovery, and that conventional park management and tourist use can threaten species before any protection plan is in place. — Highlights a practical conservation problem: public‑facing parks and tourism can mask and simultaneously threaten critically rare, cryptic species, so biodiversity policy must account for microhabitats and detection blindspots.