In May 2025, Lacistema morrocoensis, a new plant species, was officially identified in the Colombian Amazon. The discovery, published in the scientific journal Phytotaxa, is a collaboration between Jorge Mario Vélez from the Instituto Amazónico de Investigaciones Científicas Sinchi and Lucas Cardoso from the Universidade Federal do Maranhão in Brazil.
This small shrub, notable for its simple leaves and red fruits, was found in the Vaupés region, specifically in the Cerro Morroco area. Due to its rarity, limited distribution, and the fragility of its ecosystem, it has been classified as critically endangered according to IUCN criteria.
The research also expanded the known geographic range of another species, Lacistema macbridei, previously known only in Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia, and now recorded in Colombia. Specimens are preserved in the Colombian Amazonian Herbarium Dairon Cárdenas López (COAH) in Bogotá, a collection of over 130,000 specimens representing nearly 10,000 species. This serves as a crucial tool for education, environmental policy, and the protection of the country's biological heritage.