Plant species that was presumed to be extinct reappears after nearly six decades
How a presumed to be extinct plant species suddenly reappeared
- A plant species, Ptilotus senarius, believed to be extinct for 58 years, has been rediscovered in northern Queensland, Australia.
- The small, slender shrub, last recorded in 1967, was found by horticulturist Aaron Bean in June 2025 on a private property.
- Its rediscovery was facilitated by the community-driven species identification smartphone app, iNaturalist, after Bean uploaded images of an unusual plant.
- Amateur scientists on the iNaturalist platform subsequently confirmed the specimen as Ptilotus senarius, a member of the Amaranthaceae family.
- This significant finding, detailed in the Australian Journal of Botany, highlights the crucial role of citizen science platforms like iNaturalist in conservation and biodiversity research.