Naming a New Plant Species
Posted: November 22, 2017
The species that this plant was originally identified as is low to the ground, and has an umbrella of purple flowers. But the plant Mark found in Leavenworth has yellow flowers, can grow up to 3-feet tall, and has other unique characteristics that allow it to be distinguished as a new species.
To name this new species, Mark is trying out a unique approach—auctioning off the naming rights. In association with an environmental education society called The Wild Society, Mark is auctioning off the naming rights as a fundraiser. Finding ways to fund field work and research can be challenging, and so this auction is a novel approach that Mark hopes will take off.
“Finding these plants now, getting them described, getting them on the radar, may assist down the road getting these things to survive.”
Check out the auction, and learn more about the Herbarium!
