Israeli botanists have discovered a new plant species named on Judaean Mountains, a mountain range near Jerusalem, which appear to be unique to the area.
Only three sites in the mountain range contained Allium Judaeum, which researchers already considered endangered.
Each of the sites contains only a few plants, and they are considered at-risk due to human activity like excavation and construction, thus leading to the potential of the plants' going extinct, Hebrew language daily Haaretz news paper reported.
The newly discovered plant is the 15th species belonging to the genus Allium which are found in Israel and neighboring countries. This genus also includes edible species such as garlic, onion, and chives.
The plant blooms in late spring, and is similar on the outside to several local members of the Allium genus. It grows in areas dominated by the spiny burnet bush in places like Gush Etzion, south of Jerusalem, and the ridges east of Beit Shemesh, west of Jerusalem.
Dar Ben-Natan of the Open Landscape Institute which operates at Tel Aviv University, and Ori Fragman-Sapir of the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens, are the two botanists behind the discovery, which was published last week in Curtis’s Botanical Magazine.
Israel is home to around 411 endangered species. Some of which are unique to its geographical region, and can only survive in isolated areas, so it is vital to preserve them.
Israel Nature and Parks Authority estimates that over 70 of such locations don't have protected status, like nature reserves or national parks, even though some contain endangered plant species.