Two students have discovered a Brittle Naiad (Najas minor), a submerged herbaceous plant, 40 years after it was last observed, Flemish nature conservation association Natuurpunt was delighted to report on Tuesday.
The specimen was found in Geel, Antwerp Province, on 25 September. It has been growing in the Bocholt-Herentals Canal, next to the Neerhelst-De Botten nature reserve.
According to Natuurpunt, the naiad has always been shy in Flanders, where it has appeared a few times in the Kempen canals. There was also a nursery in Wallonia.
The Brittle Naiad was last recorded in the late 1980s.
The discovery made by the two environmental management and biology students has since been confirmed by experts.
