Ten Extremely Rare Seeds on the Brink of Extinction
The Millennium Seed Bank has set out to collect 25 percent of the world's plant species by 2020—before it is too late
- By Megan Gambino
- Smithsonian.com, May 14, 2012
(SANBI)
Name: Erica verticillata
Status: The shrub, with tubular pink flowers that blossom in the summer, was considered extinct for much of the 20th century. The last wild plant was recorded in 1908, in its native habitat in South Africa’s Cape Peninsula. However, using seeds collected from a single plant discovered in Pretoria, South Africa, in the 1980s, and a few other specimens identified in botanical gardens, the species has been reintroduced to a few sites near Cape Town.
Threats: As the city of Cape Town expands, over 90 percent of the plant’s damp, sandy habitat (called sand fynbos) has been destroyed. The Millennium Seed Bank and its partners are working to restore the remnants of the habitat that are left and to reclaim others.
Learn more about Erica verticillata at the Encyclopedia of Life.
Comments (3)
Mulanje cedar is really going. I concieve a plan to conduct a research at Chambe Basin but I don't have enough resources. Anyone who may wish to offer support should contact me. I'm currently studying forestry at Malawi College of Forestry and Wildlife. The research is part of the fulfillment for the award of the diploma. please help me.
Posted by Frank Fred on May 4,2013 | 05:14 PM
we have some in the woods but we are not allowed to touch them
Posted by corbin geyer on September 7,2012 | 12:08 AM
It is endemic to the Mulanje Massif of Malawi, but yet it is a pioneer species. It can be used for reforesting high elevation forests throughout southern Africa. One of the most endangered forest types in Africa are montane forest. This could be the pioneer species, that can help in assisting in reforestation techniques.
Posted by Tim Upham on August 30,2012 | 04:53 PM