Rangers rediscover rare plants

Two native plants believed to be extinct have been rediscovered in the wild.

The herbs were spotted by Department of Conservation rangers over the summer.

One of the two plants, Dysphania pusilla - or pygmy goosefoot - had not been seen for 56 years and was believed to be extinct.

But, this summer, abundant growth was found almost simultaneously in Canterbury's McKenzie Basin and at Molesworth Station in south Marlborough.

The other herb, Leptinella filiformis - or slender button daisy - had not been seen in the wild since the 1990s.

The Department of Conservation said both plants grew in dry, open areas and it was now hoping to find out more about the species.

What are the plants and why does their rediscovery matter?

• Pygmy goosefoot had been one of eight native plants listed as extinct until its rediscovery this summer by Nelson rangers Shannel Courtney and Simon Walls (at Molesworth Station) and Twizel ranger Aalbert Rebergen (in the Mackenzie Basin).
• There are only about a dozen records of it - mostly in the South Island, although the earliest recorded collections were from Maori settlement areas around Lake Taupo.
• It comes in two colours - brown and green.
• Botanists believe it may lie dormant until the right seed conditions are reached.
• The wild slender button daisy, a small creeping member of the daisy family, was also rediscovered at Molesworth Station - by Wairau ranger Jan Clayton-Greene.
• The rediscovery of the two plants highlights how much is still being learnt about dryland ecosystems and what is needed to protect them, the Department of Conservation says.

Source: DOC