A tree was named after Leonardo DiCaprio, as a team of rainforest scientists in the UK, according to the scientific journal PeerJ, decided to honor the actor in this way.
Scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kyu recently discovered a new species of tree that grows only in the Cameroon forest and decided to name the actor after him in recognition of his environmental work.
“This endangered and spectacular tree was named after the American actor and ecologist Leonardo DiCaprio, who, for several months in 2020, put extensive pressure on social media to draw attention to the threats to the numerous rare species from “the logging concession in the Ebo forest that had been announced earlier”, the scientists wrote in the magazine. “The concession was canceled in August 2020, certainly in part because of his efforts.”
Scientists named a tree in Cameroon’s tropical Ebo forest Uvariopsis dicaprio after the famous actor. The tree, an evergreen that grows vibrant glossy yellow-green flowers on its trunk, was previously unknown to science.
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“We believe it was vital to help stop the deforestation of the Embo forest,” Kyu scientist Dr Martin Chick told the BBC.
Officially called Uvariopsis dicaprio, the endangered tree has shiny, yellow-green flowers and is considered a member of the ylang ylang family, scientists say.
The tropical tree also marks the first new plant named by Kyushu scientists this year.
Last year, Kyushu scientists officially named more than 200 plants and fungi, although some of those species have already become extinct or threatened with extinction due to deforestation or climate change-induced weather, according to the BBC.
“There are still thousands of plant species and maybe millions of species of fungi out there that we do not know about,” Chick told the network before stressing the importance of ensuring the protection of these species.
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