Rinandio & colleagues have identified 474 slivers of hope in the fight to prevent extinction of critically endangered plant species. Their research could help direct conservation efforts where they could help find and conserve plants on the brink of oblivion.
The research examines plant species classified as “Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct)”. Nearly half the plants with this label were last seen over 70 years ago. Some species, like Chrysochlamys pavonii and Ribes albifolium, are known only from specimens collected over two centuries ago.
They found that trees are the most vulnerable to extinction. Of these possibly extinct plants, 47% are trees, 20% are herbs, and 19% are shrubs. This correlates with Humphreys et al. (https://doi.org/gf3szp) showing woody plants are most likely to be in trouble.
The Lauraceae family (avocados, cinnamon, bay laurel) shows the highest count of possible extinctions with 74 species. This may be due to Lauraceae being much more assessed than other families, rather than being particularly extinction prone.
Other families with high numbers of possibly extinct species include:
Orchidaceae (orchids): 32 species
Malvaceae (mallows, including cotton, cacao, durian): 32 species
Rubiaceae (coffee family): 26 species
Asteraceae (daisies, sunflowers): 25 species
Tropical regions and islands are extinction hotspots. Sub-Saharan Africa harbours the most possibly extinct species (47%), followed by South and Southeast Asia (17%) and Oceania (12%). Madagascar, known for its extraordinary plant life, is the country with most threatened species, with 90 listed.
Endemism, being found in just one place and nowhere else puts plants at extreme risk—95% of possibly extinct species were only ever found in a single country. Most (94%) were known only from their original discovery location, making them highly vulnerable to habitat destruction.
Most possibly extinct plants were found outside protected areas—only 71 of the 474 species were recorded within conservation zones. This suggests that protection may be missing some significant plant hotspots, or that the places being protected are not capturing the locations they’re needed.
It is possible for plants to be rediscovered. 94 species previously declared “possibly extinct” were either rediscovered, found to be taxonomic duplicates of living species, or discovered in cultivation at botanical gardens. This shows that declaring a species definitely extinct is risky.
Orchids were the most rediscovered plant with 11 species found after being declared possibly extinct. This is likely due to orchids being a big family, often naturally rare, and having a lot of orchid enthusiasts motivated to find them. The authors conclude:
The results of our study can be used to understand ongoing plant extinctions and contribute to the development of effective plant conservation planning… This will help determine which species are genuinely CR rather than EX, ensuring that conservation actions, when implemented, are truly impactful.
Rinandio, D.S., Ekayanti, N.P., Amalia, F., & Robiansyah, I. (2025). Plant species likely to be extinct. Journal for Nature Conservation, 86, 126887. https://doi.org/n9s4
Cross-posted to Bluesky & Mastodon.
Image: Canva.
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