New orchid that looks like "glasswork" found hiding in plain sight

Scientists in Japan are celebrating a rare find: a stunning new orchid species with pink petals that look like glasswork.

Even more interesting is the plant has been hiding in plain sight, on lawns, and in parks and private gardens.

It has been named Spiranthes hachijoensis. The findings are documented in a new study appearing in the Journal of Plant Research.

Uncovering a new plant species in Japan is unusual because the nation has extensively studied its flora.

A zoomed-in look at the petals.(Masayuki Ishibashi)

The genus Spiranthes is well-known and covers a variety of orchids. It was previously thought there were only one Spiranthes species on the Japanese mainland - S. australis - but field surveys uncovered the new species, growing alongside S. australis in a variety of public venues, but blooming about a month earlier.

Researchers spent ten years looking into what differentiated the two plants, conducting further field studies in Japan, Taiwan, and Laos.

And while scientists searched far and wide to form their conclusions, the discovery hits a little closer to home: with Spiranthes hachijoensis found growing in common urban spaces, the discovery has left experts wondering if there are any other new species hiding in well-travelled sites.

"Some specimens used to describe this new species were collected from private gardens and balconies," the authors write in a statement.

"This discovery of new species concealed in common locales underscores the necessity of persistent exploration, even in seemingly unremarkable settings!"

Thumbnail image: Masayuki Ishibashi.