New plant species discovered in the hills outside Leavenworth

A new species of plant has been discovered in the mountains outside Leavenworth. Field biologist Mark Darrach has discovered a new species of vascular plant that is new to science. The plant is a member of the genus Lomatium in the plant family Apiaceae. It is in the same family as many well-known and favorite food plants including cilantro, carrot, fennel, and dill. The genus Lomatium is comprised of approximately 120 species.

The new plant is “narrow endemic,” which means it is only found in specific small areas. It only grows on steep hillsides outside of Leavenworth. Darrach has found just a handful of sites where it is growing. 

It is rather large, up to two feet tall, with dusky yellow flowers that bloom in large compound umbrellas. As of yet, this plant does not have a name. The name will be auctioned off on Ebay from noon on Nov. 21 to noon on Dec. 1. The proceeds from the auction will benefit the Wild Society’s youth programs. 

“The biologist, Mark Darrach, I have a long relationship with him. He was a science teacher at my high school. He heard about the organization through our community. He’s helped us develop some relationships with National Forest for doing programs for youth with biologists and botanists in the area,” said Forrest Nichols, Wild Society executive director. “He came up with this idea. It’s been done a number of times before, but it is not super common.”

Auctioning off the name of a plant or animal is unusual, Nichols said, as it has only been done five times over the past five years. There was a species of monkey found in Africa. The naming rights were auctioned off, with the proceeds going to protect the forest where the monkey lived. 

Nichols said the proceeds usually go toward preserving the species, which like the plant found near Leavenworth, which only exists in certain places. In terms of the discovery, Nichols said Darrach spends a lot of time documenting plants. 

“He’s worked as a consultant for the National Forest, identifying all the plants that are growing there, especially unusual and rare plants all through the National Forest,” Nichols said. “He does a lot of surveying and GPS mapping of plant species. When he finds something unusual, he can identify it. He’s a real expert especially in this group of plants, the Lomatiums. He’s one of the top experts in the U.S. on this family of plants.”

The plant only grows in these very steep locations outside Leavenworth. Darrach has documented less 10 locations. It grows in areas where a lot of other species can’t grow, Nichols said. 

“There are certain species of plants, especially the Lomatiums, which are able to diverge enough from the normal groups of plants in the family to form several new species that people have found over the last decade or so,” Nichols said. 

Whoever wins the auction will get to meet with Darrach and develop a plant name together. And if there is an interest, he will take them out to see the plant in its native environment and also visit the museum where the type collection will be stored. 

Nichols said they are interested in engaging the community on plant discovery and documentation.

“Then, try to use that money to get young people really engaged with this sort of work. Mark’s inspiration was realizing there a few avenues to gain the skill he uses in his work as a field botanist,” Nichols said. “There’s not a lot of people giving young people the skills to be comfortable in the backcountry. Then, to be able to identify plants down to the species by sight. There is a lot of botany that doesn’t take people out in the field anymore.”

You can’t just name the plant anything. There are some parameters. 

“It has to follow the standard scientific nomenclature. It has to follow the accepted rules for naming plants. It’s pretty wide open. If you are going to name it after somebody, it has to end in specific letters. You can’t name it anything you want, but with a little adaption, it is wide open,” Nichols said. 

In terms of how much money will be raised, Nichols said it is hard to say. Other auctions have raised between $2,000 to $70,000. The higher amounts are usually for animals, like the monkey, which was named after the casino that won the auction.

“It’s cool to see awareness of endangered species. People paying attention to the loss of genetic diversity is important,” Nichols said. 

Ian Dunn can be reached at 548-5286 or editor@leavenworthecho.com.