Drone Collects Flower From a Remote Cliff—It’s a New Species

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A new study details how scientists in Hawaii used a drone to pluck a rare flowering plant from a remote Waiahulu Valley cliff face in the Waimea Canyon of Kaua’i. Then, they realized it was a new species.

In fact, researchers had first observed the “enigmatic” plant in December 2021 during a drone survey of the fauna present on those inaccessible cliff faces. Then, in March 2022, scientists used a remotely controlled cutting device suspended below a drone to collect a sample of the flower for testing, which helped identify it as a new species as outlined in the new paper.

There is no common name for this species yet, but the researchers say it’s a new addition to the Schiedea genus of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae. The study refers to it as Schiedea waiahuluensis.

“This discovery is likely the first time an undescribed species has been located and collected via drone, demonstrating the profound significance of unmanned aircraft systems in the conservation and prevention of plant extinctions,” the researchers wrote.

Read the full study here.

Header image by Adam Williams.