Conservationists Thrilled with Rediscovery of Delissea argutidentata Plant in Hawaii.

The Delissea plant, which had last been seen in the area in the early 1970s, was thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered in a crater in Hawaii according to the release.

In 1992 a single plant of Delissea argutidentala was found, but it died in 2002.

The Three Mountain Alliance (TMA) and the US Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) jointly published the rediscovery of the plant recently.

Delissea Argutidentala was found growing on a Sophora chrysophylla tree.

Rediscovery of the extinct plant was possible due to the Hawaiian government’s biodiversity conservation and preservation efforts.

Only 50 or fewer individuals are left in the wild. So, Hawaii is called the Endangered Species Capital of the World.

Hawaii is home to 44% of the country's Endangered and Threatened plant species, although making up less than 1% of the country's total geographical area.

Three separate Delissa plants were found in a crater on land owned by a school system on a growing Sophora Chrysophylla shrub.

Delissea Argutidentata can be recognized by a long, unbranched trunk that can grow as tall as 35 feet.

To support Delissea's success and reestablish itself in the wild without drawing notice from the public, they are growing in a place that is kept secret.

Hence, the enclosure revealed the ruins of a larger individual plant. Staff members from all three organisations have made steps over the past year to safeguard the genetics of the few remaining plants and to conserve their small population.

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