The new species has an unusual characteristic among bromeliads in that its leaves are covered in hairs. The plant attracted the attention of a local resident, who shared photos with the researchers and was honored with the species' name. Because it is in an unprotected region, the hairy bromeliad is already at high risk of extinction, the researchers warn.

By Paulo Gonella, with contributions from Dayvid Couto, Eduardo Fernandez and Júlio César Ribeiro

When talking about bromeliads, the image that comes to mind for most people is of plants with shiny leaves that accumulate water or thorny plants like pineapples. "It's hard to imagine a bromeliad with velvety, hairy leaves and that's just one of the reasons why this discovery is so exciting," says Dayvid Couto, a researcher at the National Institute of the Atlantic Forest (INMA) and one of the authors of the paper describing the new species, published in the scientific journal Phytotaxa. The article was also written by researchers from the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden (JBRJ), the Federal University of São João del-Rei (UFSJ), the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ).

The discovery took place in the municipality of Alvarenga, in the east of Minas Gerais, and had an unexpected start when Júlio César, a local resident, was exploring an area with many waterfalls. On a rocky wall, he came across small plants with pale green leaves and, between the leaves, a small pink flower. "As well as being a plant I'd never seen in the region, I was struck by the hairy grass-like leaves and the flowers coming out from between the leaves," says Júlio, who photographed the plant and sent the pictures to the researchers. "This plant is so different that when Júlio sent it to us, we thought it could be anything but a bromeliad!" says Dayvid. "Its leaves are covered in white hairs (trichomes), an unusual feature in bromeliads," he adds. The hairy leaves are one of the characteristics that make this species so unique and which led scientists to believe that they were actually dealing with another family of plants. These hairs could have the function of absorbing water or even protecting against the loss of water to the environment, the researchers suggest.

The new species has been named Krenakanthus ribeiranus and is known from only one mountain in the Doce River valley. "Before the discovery of this new species, only one other species, which is not hairy, was known from the genus Krenakanthus, whose name means 'flower of the Krenak', a tribute to the people who originated in this region, in the Doce river valley," says Paulo Gonella, a professor at UFSJ. The epithet of this new species, ribeiranus, is a tribute to its discoverer, the young Júlio César Ribeiro. According to Gonella, "the tribute is in recognition of Júlio's keen eye, which has already contributed to the discovery of other species in the region, acting as a citizen scientist". Citizen science is a partnership between scientists and citizens in the development of scientific research, in which citizens can participate in various stages of the research, such as data collection, interpretation and analysis, and in the joint development of projects to answer scientific questions. "In the case of this research, Júlio contributed from raising the question 'what is this species that I don't know?' to collecting data that was fundamental not only to confirming that it was a new species, but also to estimating its risk of extinction," adds Gonella.

The researchers are warning about the conservation of this species, which is already extremely endangered. "Based on its very restricted distribution and the advanced degree of degradation in the region where it was found, we have assessed this species as Critically Endangered, the highest degree of risk," says Eduardo Fernandez, Project Coordinator at the Conservation Status Assessment Center of the National Center for Flora Conservation (CNCFlora), the sector of the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden Research Institute (JBRJ) responsible for drawing up the National Red List. In the study, the researchers highlight threats to the species and its habitat, such as deforestation to open up pastures, an increase in the frequency and intensity of uncontrolled fires and the expansion of coffee plantations. "Some urgent measures need to be taken to protect this species, such as a study to create a Conservation Unit and the inclusion of the species in conservation policies that are being drawn up for the region. These measures, combined with ex situ conservation strategies, can help us ensure a prosperous future for the hairy bromeliad," adds Eduardo.

The discovery adds to several other recent fantastic finds in the east of Minas Gerais, which consolidate the region as one of the last frontiers of botanical knowledge in eastern Brazil. In the last decade alone, more than 30 new plant species have been discovered in the mountains of eastern Minas Gerais. "Due to their unique and extremely endangered richness, the mountains of eastern Minas Gerais are gradually attracting the attention of public authorities, but still in an incipient way. It is crucial to establish Conservation Units in the region, which has one of the most prominent deficits of in situ conservation measures in the Middle Doce River region," says Paulo Gonella. "As well as being home to a unique biodiversity, these mountain ranges act as 'water tanks', protecting springs that supply the region's municipalities and which were fundamental in ensuring quality water for many towns when the Doce River was affected by the Mariana disaster," he concludes. Recently, the region was incorporated into the Capixaba-Gerais Territorial Action Plan, an initiative that brings together public authorities, organized civil society and researchers in the design and implementation of strategies aimed at improving the state of conservation and knowledge of endangered species in the territory.