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The new species, which belongs to a family of sacred plants associated with indigenous spiritual traditions, has thrived surprisingly well despite the unsuitable climatic conditions atop the sacred rock of Uluru.
A team of Australian scientists described the discovery as “once in a lifetime”The new plant species was named The desert fig treethat is “desert fig”. Previously, it was thought to belong to a classification of Ficus branchypodaa plant found in abundance in northern and central Australia. However, new analysis shows that this is a species that has never been recognized by science.
Australia’s sacred rock Uluru – (Photo: Ondrej Machart)
According to botanist Russell Barrett from the National Botanical Garden in New South Wales (Australia), morphological analysis shows that this new species – found on the top of Australia’s giant sacred rock Uluru.
Theo Science Alert, Uluru looks like a miniature mountain, characterized by its mysterious red color, its completely barren top and its location in the middle of a desert. Despite all this, the mysterious plant still thrives with its lush green color and distinctive small yellow fruits on the top of the rock, where almost no other living thing can survive.
Close-up of newly discovered species – (Photo: Australian Institute of Plant Science)
According to scientists, the new species belongs to a family of sacred plants that have long been used by Australian indigenous people for food and in some spiritual ceremonies. Destroying this plant was once punishable by death.
The mysterious plant has roots that penetrate into tiny cracks in the rocks to find precious water. The bushes provide shelter for many small animals such as birds and snails. The good news is that many of these strange bushes are also found on rocky outcrops and around some desert oases.
Research recently published in scientific journal Telopea.
According to NLĐ