Published on 24/04/2026 at 18:17
Discover the Machaerium guidone, the new plant of the Caatinga recognized in Piauí that pays a posthumous tribute to archaeologist Niède Guidon. Check out the particulars.
A plant that resembles a coronary heart now carries the surname of one of the biggest defenders of Brazilian heritage. In early April 2026, the scientific group formally labeled the new plant of the Caatinga, Machaerium guidone, a species that, regardless of present for millennia, solely not too long ago had its distinctive id acknowledged.
The naming, revealed in the worldwide journal Kew Bulletin, honors archaeologist Niède Guidon, who handed away earlier than she may see the completion of the article initiated in 2022. The examine was led by researchers from the National School of Tropical Botany, linked to the Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro, and describes the shrub as a uncommon piece of the semi-arid biome.
The “discovery” of the Machaerium guidone
The case of the new plant of the Caatinga reveals a curious side of botany: the indisputable fact that a species could be collected a number of occasions with out being really understood. Researchers had beforehand discovered the plant in earlier discipline expeditions, however its particular traits had by no means been famous.
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This scientific “invisibility” ended when specialists determined to take a nearer take a look at the collected materials. Furthermore, the evaluation confirmed that the plant is just not unique to a single location, having information in different states: Piauí, Bahia, Ceará, Maranhão, and Minas Gerais.
Unlike different representatives of its genus, the Machaerium guidone doesn’t have thorns on its branches. It grows as a woody vine, supporting itself on different buildings to succeed in upwards, functioning equally to a liana.
Its agency and rounded leaves have been one of the predominant sights for researchers. According to Valner Matheus Milanezi Jordão, a PhD pupil at JBRJ and creator of the analysis, the aesthetic side of the plant was elementary for the starting of the examine.
While many crops of the semi-arid area have aggressive protection methods, the Machaerium guidone stands out for the softness of its varieties. Thus, the plant grew to become a metaphor for archaeology itself: one thing delicate and helpful hidden in an arid surroundings.
The political symbolism and the reminiscence of Niède Guidon
The choice to call the new plant of the Caatinga Machaerium guidone, in reference to the founder of the American Man Museum Foundation (FUMDHAM), had motivations that transcend science.
The researchers needed to reaffirm the significance of Niède’s work as a political and preservation act. Since the assortment that served for the worldwide recognition of the plant occurred in the Serra da Capivara National Park, the reference to the archaeologist grew to become inevitable.
Although the scientific course of started whereas Guidon was nonetheless alive, the official publication in 2026 ended up turning into a posthumous tribute. Therefore, the archaeologist, who fought to guard the rock work and biodiversity of Piauí, is now immortalized in the taxonomy of Brazilian flora.
The official recognition of the Machaerium guidone brings to mild a warning about the preservation of the Caatinga. The indisputable fact that a new species is recognized solely now reinforces that the biome nonetheless hides organic secrets and techniques that could be misplaced with out correct safety.
The work carried out by the botanists of the Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro demonstrates that the cataloging of Brazilian life is a steady course of. Meanwhile, the new species of legume formally turns into half of the pure heritage of the nation.
Finally, the discovery of the new Caatinga plant, Machaerium guidone, serves as a reminder that the safety of a area, like that initiated by Niède Guidon in the Nineteen Seventies, is what permits the science of 2026 to proceed to flourish.
Source: Aventuras na História
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