A mystical plant - called the "fairy lantern" and presumed extinct - has emerged from the floor of a enchanted forest in Japan.
Only 90 species of the Thismia plant have ever been found and many of these are thought to be extinct, largely due to the destruction of habitat.
The plant has, over the years, adapted and developed new survival strategies, somewhat ditching photosynthesis to instead obtain its nutrients from other organisms.
And it appears these adaptations have led to a re-emergence of some of the presumed extinct species, including the Thismia kobensis.
Scientists analysed the "fairy lantern" discovered on the floor of a forest near Sanda City, Japan, nearly 20 miles from its last confirmed sighting in Kobe City in the mid 1990s. Its habitat was destroyed by the creation of an industrial complex there.
Professor Kenji Suetsugu, who led the research at Kobe University, says this particular species can be identified by its short and wide ring as well as the many short hairs on its stigma.
The newly discovered location of Thismia kobensis makes it the northernmost known Asian "fairy lantern" species.
Its sister species, the Thismia americana was discovered more than 100 years ago and is the only North American "fairy lantern" species. It is now considered extinct.
Both it, and the Thismia kobensis, have striking similarities in their inner floral morphology, such as a lack of nectar glands.
Research published in a new journal at Kobe University says: "Overall, the rediscovery of the Thismia kobensis after three decades has significantly advanced our understanding of 'fairy lanterns'.
"As the northernmost species of Asian 'fairy lantern' found so far, it also provides crucial insight into the biogeography and evolutionary history of 'fairy lanterns' as a whole."
