A delight discovery for Valentines Day
The fruits, which look like chubby red Valentines when fully ripe, were recently discovered on the island of Maui. BY JEN VIEGAS PUBLISHED ON 02/11/2016
Botanists have just discovered a new Hawaiian plant with heart-shaped fruits, a study reports.
The discovery announced just before Valentine's Day, adds to the growing number of known plants within the coffee family (Rubiaceae). The new plant, described in the journal PhytoKeys, has been romantically named Coprosma cordicarpa, meaning the Coprosma (a type of flowering plant) with hearts.
The researchers even write that the find resulted from a "loving adventure with Hawaiian biodiversity." It began with Hawaii State botanist and co-author Maggie Sporck-Koehler noticing a plant with little red fruits growing in the Kanaio Natural Area Reserve on the island of Maui.
Seeker Mag.