By Lauren Crosby Medlicott
A species of small holly tree last seen nearly two centuries ago has been rediscovered in Brazil and scientists say it is an “incredible find”.
The tree, 'Ilex sapiiformis' also known as the Pernambuco holly, was feared to have been extinct. But it was recently found in the urban city of Igarassu, in Pernambuco state, by an expedition that spent six days exploring the region in the hope of locating the species.
"The Pernambuco Holly is one of our top 25 most wanted lost species” Re:wild, the conservation group who discovered the lost tree, wrote on Instagram. “It is the 9th of our most wanted lost species to be rediscovered since our Search for Lost Species launched in 2017.”
This list is put together from the more than 2,200 missing species across 160 countries and was compiled by Re:wild and experts from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) . It includes species that have been lost to science for at least 10 years - but many have been thought extinct for much longer.
So far, the global quest to rediscover them has found at least eight of the top 25 most wanted animals and plants.
