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By Melissa Fleur Afshar
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A plant long presumed extinct in the wild has been rediscovered in Australia, ending nearly six decades without a confirmed sighting.
Researchers say the small, slender shrub—Ptilotus senarius—has not been recorded since 1967 and was effectively written off as lost until new evidence emerged last summer on a remote property in the northwest of Queensland .
The rediscovery occured bacl in in June, when horticulturalist and bird bander Aaron Bean uploaded photos of an unusual plant to the citizen science platform iNaturalist while working on private land in the Gilbert River region.
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The images quickly drew attention, prompting botanists to investigate further. A specimen subsequently collected from the site confirmed the identification, verifying that the species’ had still been alive, even if not seen, for the last 60 years.
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The researchers reporting the find say that the case demonstrates how digital platforms such as iNaturalist are reshaping conservation work. The discovery shows how routine uploads to the app can produce significant outcomes for biodiversity science.
“Rediscoveries offer that opportunity to conduct follow-up, targeted surveys and consistent long-term monitoring to give us a better understanding of exactly where and how these species are distributed across the landscape” paper author and ecologist Thomas Mesaglio of the University of New South Wales said in a statement.
"iNaturalist especially has become an invaluable tool for recording biodiversity on private property, which can often be difficult to access by professional researchers."
Scientists involved in confirming the specimen said that iNaturalist’s impact lies in its ability to rapidly publish observations from hard‑to‑reach places and connect them with expert identifiers worldwide.
On the platform, users can post photographs instantly, allowing specialists to recognize rare or unusual species.
iNaturalist holds over 104 million verifiable photographic vouchers of plants from around the globe having been uploaded to the platform as of July 2025, around the time of Ptilotus senarius's rediscovery.
The ability to capture and share observations instantly has become particularly important for species that exist in very small populations or survive in areas seldom visited by botanists. Without Bean’s June 2025 upload, the plant might have remained undetected indefinitely.
While its population size and long‑term outlook still require assessment, the rediscovery shows that some species considered lost may persist quietly in parts of the landscape that receive little scientific attention.
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Reference
Mesaglio, T., Bean, A. R., & Bean, A. (2026). Rediscovery of a presumed extinct plant species, Ptilotus senarius (Amaranthaceae), through iNaturalist. Australian Journal of Botany, 74. https://doi.org/10.1071/BT25063
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