According to a report by the organization re:wild, an expedition team led by ecologist Gustavo Martinelli has now rediscovered the holly species Ilex sapiiformis in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco. The tree species had been considered extinct for nearly two centuries.
The Scottish biologist George Gardner first collected the plant species for the Western world in 1838. It was officially described in 1861 by the Austrian botanist Siegfried Reissek. Until this latest discovery, Gardner’s collection of the plant species was the only known confirmed sighting.
On the Edge of a City of Millions
The scientists found four trees of the so-called Ilex de Pernambuco, which reaches a height of eight to twelve meters, on the bank of a small river in the city of Igarassu in northeastern Brazil. The remarkable thing: Igarassu lies on the edge of the city of Recife, which has a population of millions—a place where dense rainforest once stood, but which is now interspersed with urban areas and sugarcane plantations.
“The Pernambuco holly is currently in a critical situation,” said expedition leader Martinelli. “It could be on the brink of extinction because, as far as we know, only four specimens of this species remain. And although they are legally protected, they are located in an area with degraded forest.”
Within the group of holly trees, there are many different species, and identifying them is extremely difficult. Each Pernambuco holly is either male or female, which means it has either stamens (male reproductive organs) or carpels (female reproductive organs). The team’s botanists were eventually able to identify the tree species thought to be extinct by its tiny green flowers. Of the four Ilex sapiiformis discovered, two are male and two are female.
The future of the Pernambuco holly
The search for Ilex sapiiformis is not over with the recent discovery. Martinelli is already planning further searches in cooperation with the Botanical Garden in Recife and other local partners to track down additional specimens. He also plans to launch a breeding program for the holly species believed to have been lost.
Since the launch of re:wild’s Search for Lost Species project in 2017, which seeks 25 lost species, Ilex de Pernambuco is the ninth species to have been rediscovered. Rediscoveries include, among others, Wallace’s giant bee (Megachile pluto) and the Jackson’s climbing salamander (Bolitoglossa jacksoni).
About the author: Doreen Fräßdorf
Doreen Fräßdorf is the author and publisher of artensterben.de. She researches and writes about extinct and endangered species in the modern era, with a focus on red lists, scientific studies, historical sources, and current conservation efforts. The goal is a clear, evidence-based overview of biodiversity loss and species protection.
She is also the author of a non-fiction book about extinct modern-era mammals.
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