In a remote part of Queensland near the Gulf of Carpentaria, a horticulturalist named Aaron Bean discovered a small shrub with purple-pink flowers while working on a bird banding project. He took a photograph, not knowing he had found a plant that scientists believed had disappeared almost 60 years ago.
The species, Ptilotus senarius, had not been seen since 1967. When Aaron regained phone service, he uploaded his photos to iNaturalist, a global citizen science platform. On the other side of Queensland, a botanist named Tony Bean at the state herbarium in Brisbane recognised the plant immediately. He had formally described and named the species about ten years earlier.
Researchers led by Thomas Mesaglio from UNSW confirmed the discovery, and the findings were published in the Australian Journal of Botany. The rediscovery changed everything for the plant's future. Ptilotus senarius was reclassified from extinct to critically endangered, which means it can now receive official conservation protection.
However, the plant faces serious challenges. It grows on private land where cattle stations operate, and grazing by cattle is considered a major threat to its survival. Scientists have not revealed the exact location, but they confirm the shrub is a living population that requires protection.
This story shows how iNaturalist, which hosts millions of observations from ordinary people worldwide, can help scientists rediscover lost species. The plant joins other Australian species like the night parrot and Wollemi pine in the category of Lazarus species that have returned from near-extinction.