This "wooly devil" is not just a new plant - it marks the discovery of an entire new genus of plants, Quite a remarkable achievement. Here are some excerpts from the PhytoKeys article:
"Here, we describe and illustrate a new monospecific genus of Compositae, Ovicula biradiata gen. et sp. nov., from the Chihuahuan Desert in Big Bend National Park, Texas. Ovicula biradiata is a very locally abundant, yet range-limited, spring annual herb found in coarse calcareous alluvium...We also present detailed habitat information, high-resolution images captured using a dissecting microscope and scanning electron micrographs of vegetative and reproductive characters of Ovicula biradiata and related taxa...The Chihuahuan Desert is the largest and most biologically diverse warm desert in North America... Eighty-nine plant species of conservation concern are found in the park...These diminutive plants, observed during the peak of their growing season, were inconspicuous annuals, from less than one centimetre to 3–7 centimetres across, prostrate and densely white-woolly, matching the whitish colour of their calcareous gravel substrate... Here, we present morphological, micro-anatomical and molecular phylogenetic evidence that supports description of this plant as a new genus and species...The generic name from Latin Ovis “sheep” and -cula (diminutive ending) references the dense woolly indumentum of this new plant. The name honours the desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsonii)... The specific epithet biradiata references the typically two conspicuous ray florets, occasionally three per head, positioned on opposing margins of the capitulum. A recommended common name for O. biradiata is “woolly devil”, in reference to the woolly indumentum, the proximity of populations to the locality known as Devil’s Den and the tendency for the ray florets to resemble horns."
Lots more details at the link, and a lay discussion at Smithsonian magazine,
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