This spiny and wilted plant – shown here where it was found in Valentine, Texas in November 2013 – is only the third specimen of Solanum cordicitum ever found. The first specimen was found in 1974 and the second in 1990, but over the years, the plant was wrongly assigned to three different Solanum species before a study led by University of Utah botanist Lynn Bohs identified it as an entirely new but likely endangered species. Solanum is among the largest genera of flowering plants, and includes tomatoes, potatoes, chili peppers and eggplants. Photo Credit: Jeffrey Keeling, Sul Ross State University
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