New tree Discovered in South Africa

Larissa Chalouhi, Pawzfeed Editor, The Pawprint

Uvariopsis Dicaprio has only been found in the Ebo Forest in Cameroon by Lorna Mackinnon. This four-meter-long tropical tree with glossy yellow-green flowers on the trunk. The Uvariopsis Dicaprio was the first addition to the 2022 new species list at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. 

This tree has been named after the famous actor and environmentalist  Leonardo Dicaprio who has helped the environment for more than 20 years now through social media and created the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation in 1998 which has funded over 200 projects including the Ebo Forest. 

Although the Uvariopsis Dicaprio tree is newly found, it is already addressed as critically endangered by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). It remains unprotected from mining and human influence.