The world’s smallest known orchid — just over 2 millimeters (0.08 inch) across and nearly see-through — has been discovered nestled in the roots of another flower in Ecuador, scientists announced this week.

National Geographic

The palm, which researchers say essentially “flowers itself to death,” is not only a new species. It has forced palm biologists to invent an entirely new genus to accommodate it. That is an almost unheard of event in modern palm tree classification, but one made necessary by its many unique traits and by DNA testing suggesting the tree has been evolving independently of other palms for millions of years.