Grass species recently discovered in Valais is “new species of the year”
Published: Wednesday, Feb 28th 2024, 10:21
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The Swiss Systematics Society has chosen a grass species recently discovered in Val d'Anniviers VS as the "New Species of the Year 2024". Despite an intensive search, the new grass has only been found in one place so far.
The grass was named "Calamagrostis lonana" after the place where it was found, the alluvial plain of Lona, as the Swiss Systematics Society (SSS) and the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT) wrote in a press release on Wednesday. Mary Leibundgut, a botanist interested in Alpine flora, discovered the grass species during surveys. It was officially described in March 2023.
The alluvial plain of Lona represents a unique mosaic of habitats due to the different sediments deposited by the river over time, according to the SSS.
Threatened by trampling?
As this high plateau is used for grazing in summer, the researchers initially feared that the newly discovered grass species could be threatened by the trampling and grazing of the herds.
However, this is not the case: the areas where the grass grows are too mossy and too damp for the cattle, which is why they avoid this part of the plateau, as they discovered.
The Swiss Systematics Society is the Swiss society responsible for classifying animal and plant species. Since 2015, it has chosen a new discovery as the "new species of the year".
©Keystone/SDA
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