Scientists have once again confirmed the need to protect the Amazon rainforest. Incidentally, these forests are home to plants of the Tovomita genus, whose most characteristic feature is the ability to secrete a substance that biologists call latex. Professionals are familiar with about 50 species; researchers recently described another, Tovomita cornuta. The plant can grow up to 30 cm in length, it secretes an orange-coloured latex, and it flowers from June to October, preferring a damp environment in shady areas. It cannot survive in open spaces or under direct sunlight. This final characteristic of T. cornuta creates a certain level of threat.
Photo: Layon Oreste Demarchi / Acta Botanica Brasilica