The highly endangered Himalayan lycopod has appeared in Phong Nha - Ke Bang.

On March 10th, the Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park Management Board in Quang Tri province announced the discovery of the Himalayan ground ivy, a rare and valuable plant species. The area where the Himalayan ground ivy was found is in sub-area 649 of Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park.

This species is parasitic on the roots of woody vines; its flowers are 15-20 cm in diameter, dark red with pale yellow spots distributed across the surface.

The Himalayan ground ivy has large, dark red flowers with pale yellow spots distributed across the surface (Photo: Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park).

The Himalayan ground ivy, scientifically known as Sapria himalayana Griff, is classified as endangered in the Vietnamese Red Book and the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species. It faces a high risk of extinction due to its limited distribution range and complete dependence on host tree populations.

This species exhibits the typical biological characteristics of a total parasitic plant , meaning it completely lacks chlorophyll, leaves, and true stems to carry out photosynthesis.

The vegetative body of the Himalayan ground ivy is minimally reduced, existing only as fungal hyphae that penetrate deep into the root tissue of the host plant to absorb water and nutrients. The flower is the only part of the plant that is easily visible.

Himalayan ground ivy has a distinctive scent, like the smell of decaying flesh, to attract pollinating insects, mainly flies belonging to the order Diptera.

The discovery of the Himalayan geomantic eye is significant not only in supplementing scientific data on the flora but also in affirming the integrity and value of the forest ecosystem on limestone mountains in Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park.

This discovery also brings the total number of plant species recorded in Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park to 2,957.