The final wild specimen of this plant miraculously clings to the steep rock face on Robinson Crusoe Island. Scientists have launched a rescue mission to collect seeds and prevent the unique species from disappearing forever.
Dendroseris neriifolia Photo by Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Scientists have begun a real race against time, desperately trying to save one of the rarest plants, the Chilean dandelion tree (Dendroseris neriifolia), from complete extinction. Researchers are collecting seeds from the sole surviving specimen in the wild, which has literally anchored itself to a sheer cliff on Robinson Crusoe Island, part of the Juan Fernández archipelago off the coast of Chile.
Futurism reports on the unprecedented rescue operation by botanists, citing the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
“Plant Galapagos” and the Species’ Value
Dendroseris neriifolia, also known as cabbage tree or tree chicory, is a true botanical phenomenon. The Juan Fernández archipelago itself is often referred to by biologists as the “Plant Galapagos” because, due to its isolation, a unique flora has developed there that is found nowhere else in the world.
Although the dendroseris is a large tree, it actually belongs to the Asteraceae family and is a distant relative of the common dandelion or chamomile. It is a striking example of so-called “island gigantism”—an evolutionary process where small herbaceous plants, arriving on an island without competitors, evolve into mighty trees over millennia.
Studying such endemics provides geneticists with invaluable information about the mechanisms of rapid adaptation, which can be used in breeding new agricultural crops resistant to climate change.
Why the Tree is Facing Extinction
The species has been severely affected by habitat loss and the invasion of alien species. At one time, early explorers brought goats and rabbits to the archipelago, which virtually devoured the young shoots of these unique trees down to the root.
This is a classic ecological disaster: similarly introduced herbivores have destroyed entire ecosystems on the actual Galapagos Islands, Saint Helena, and in Australia, where the native flora simply lacked thorns or toxins to defend against such “guests.”
Furthermore, aggressive weeds and shrubs (including introduced blackberries) have choked out native plants. Today, the tree is forced to “huddle” on rocks inaccessible to animals, but global warming threatens its complete destruction.
Failed Attempts and the Last Hope
By 1980, after a sharp decline in population, only seven wild specimens of this tree remained. Employees of the Juan Fernández Archipelago National Park attempted to restore the species in the 1990s, but these efforts proved futile. Attempts in the early 2000s to reintroduce artificially grown plants into the wild also failed. The main problem lies in genetic exhaustion and the extreme vulnerability of seedlings to the slightest changes in temperature or pests.
During the latest operation, using a giant net, ecologists managed to collect 29 seeds. X-ray analysis showed that 25 of them are potentially viable. Seven young saplings have already been successfully rooted.
There is no room for error, as besides the tree on the cliff, only one adult artificially grown specimen remains in the world at the VerdeNativo botanical garden in Chile.
“It’s a race against time. This international collaboration to support the last surviving specimen could prevent the extinction of a species that represents a unique lineage with its own natural history,” emphasizes botanist Diego Pennekamp.
Recall that scientists have discovered a new way to predict volcanic eruptions. Trees have been observed to suddenly “green up” intensely, which could be a danger signal.
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