A South American wild flower that was thought to be extinct has been rediscovered.
Gasteranthus extinctus was discovered by biologists at the foot of the Andes Mountains and in residual forest patches in the Centinela region of Ecuador, almost 40 years after its last observation.
Extensive deforestation in western Ecuador in the late 20th century led to the alleged extinction of a number of plant species, including Gasteranthus extinctus, which led scientists to give it its name.
Despite reports that more than 97% of the forests in the western half of Ecuador have been destroyed or turned into agricultural land, including most of the Centinela ridge, researchers began searching last summer, starting with satellite imagery to identify intact primary tropical forests.
“The Sentinel is a mythical place for tropical botanists,” said Nigel CA Pitman, one of the researchers behind the discovery. “But because it’s described by the best people in the field, no one has double-checked science. No one came back to confirm that the forest was gone and that things were gone.
“We entered Centinela, thinking it would break our hearts, and instead we ended up falling in love.
The tropical wildflower is characterized by its neon-orange petals and a large lower pouch where pollinators can enter and exit.
The researchers identified the plant within the first few hours of the search, using only images of dried herbarium specimens, line drawings and a written description for reference.
Careful not to harm the rare remaining plants, they took photos and collected some fallen flowers before receiving confirmation of their identity from a taxonomic expert.
Despite its endangered condition, Gasteranthus extinctus will retain its name.
The research team is now working with Ecuadorian conservationists to protect some of the other fragments where Centinelan’s flowers live.
“The rediscovery of this flower shows that it is not too late to reverse even the worst case scenario for biodiversity and shows that it has value in conserving even the smallest, most degraded areas,” said Dawson White, a postdoctoral fellow at the Field Museum. in Chicago and co-author of an article published in PhytoKeys magazine.
“New species are still being discovered and we can still save many things that are on the verge of extinction.”
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