The plant, formally known as Ovicula biradiata, is especially notable for being the simultaneous discovery of a new species and genus. It was found with help from the community science app iNaturalist.

The small plant, officially named “Ovicula biradiata" and more affectionately called “wooly devil,” was first spotted in March 2024, sprinkled among

A volunteer spotted the tiny, fuzzy plant with maroon florets while exploring the remote northern corner of Big Bend National Park in Texas

Meet the wooly devil, a newly discovered plant that was found in Big Bend National Park in Texas in 2024. But it's not just a new species of plant. It's an entirely new genus of daisy not previously documented.

The team sequenced the plant’s DNA and compared it with other specimens in the California Academy of Sciences’ herbarium. The sequencing revealed that this small and fuzzy plant is both a new species within the sunflower group and distinct enough to be a completely new genus.

The Wooly Devil, or Ovicula biradiata​, was first spotted by botany volunteer Deb Manley and a park ranger in Big Bend National Park in Texas in March 2024.

A new fuzzy plant species called the "Wooly Devil" has been discovered amongst the arid landscapes of Big Bend National Park in Texas.

Researchers say odd-looking plants discovered by a volunteer and supervisory interpretive park ranger at a U.S. National Park are a new species. The unique plant was found growing on desert rocks in a remote area of Big Bend National Park in Texas.

Genetic analysis revealed that not only is it a new species, but it’s also a new genus. It’s in the same family as daisies. Researchers named it Ovicula biradiata. Ovicula is Latin for tiny sheep, for the fuzz that resembles wool covering it.