Scientists Name New Tree After Leonardo DiCaprio

A tree that is new to science has been named after Leonardo DiCaprio. Scientists at Great Britain’s Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, said they wanted to honor the star for his help in saving a rainforest from logging.

The tree, which has been given the official name, Uvariopsis dicaprio, grows only in the Cameroon forest known for its incredible biodiversity.

“We think he was crucial in helping to stop the logging of the Ebo Forest,” said Dr Martin Cheek of Kew.

Scientists and conservationists were horrified when they heard of plans to allow vast swathes of the Ebo Forest to be opened up for logging.

One of the largest relatively untouched rainforests in Central Africa, it is home to the Banen people and an array of unique flora and fauna, including threatened gorillas, chimps and forest elephants. International experts wrote a letter to the government documenting the precious animal and plant species at risk of extinction. The issue was picked up by DiCaprio, whose social media posts to his millions of followers added momentum to the campaign.

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