Botanists have deposited seeds from the only surviving wild Dendroseris neriifolia tree into the Millennium Seed Bank to prevent the species' extinction [1].
This effort represents a final attempt to save one of the world’s rarest island plants. Because the species exists as only one wild individual [1], any localized disaster or biological failure at its native site would result in the total loss of the species.
The wild tree grows on a cliffside on the Juan Fernández Islands in Chile [1]. Conservationists and botanists associated with the Millennium Seed Bank at Kew Wakehurst collected the seeds to ensure the genetic material is preserved outside of its precarious natural habitat [1].
The seeds arrived at the Millennium Seed Bank in April 2026 [1]. The facility, located at Kew Wakehurst in Sussex, United Kingdom, serves as a global repository for plant seeds to protect biodiversity, and provide a backup for plants facing extinction in the wild [1].
By storing these seeds in a controlled environment, scientists hope to create a safeguard against the total disappearance of the plant. The process allows for the possibility of future propagation and potential reintroduction efforts to the Juan Fernández Islands, though the current wild population remains limited to one tree [1].
“The species exists as only one wild individual.”
The transition of the Dendroseris neriifolia from a wild-only existence to a seed-banked species shifts the risk of extinction from environmental volatility to institutional management. While the seeds provide a genetic insurance policy, the species remains functionally extinct in the wild unless successful germination and reforestation occur on the Juan Fernández Islands.
