New Tree Is a Towering East African Giant of the Rainforest
March 28, 2025 | Source: EarthSky | by Dave Adalian
New tree hidden from science for thousands of years
A team of African and European botanists said on March 20, 2025, that they’ve identified a new species of tree in the East African rainforests of Tanzania. And it is both massive and ancient. The new tree – Tessmannia princeps – is a towering giant that lifts its limbs more than 130 feet (40 meters) above the surrounding jungle canopy. Its enormous trunk spreads almost 20 feet (9 m) in diameter. Some of the 100 or so individual trees discovered so far are ancient and have possibly lived 3,000 years or more.
The team, led by Andrea Bianchi of the Muse Science Museum in Trento, Italy, published its peer-reviewed paper in the journal Phytotaxa on March 20, 2025. In it, the team described the newly identified species. It is a member of the Fabacaea family of plants, making it a relative of beans and peas.