A scientific expedition led by the Brazilian biologist Gustavo Martinelli and sponsored by the international organization Re:wild (which has the collaboration and financing of the actor and environmental patron Leonardo DiCaprio) has discovered in an Igarassu forest, in the metropolitan region of Recife ( Brazil), four specimens of the tree known as ilex or Pernambuco holly (Ilex sapiiformis), a species for which there was no information on its survival since 1838, the year in which the first and until now the only known specimens were discovered.
The rediscovery of this species has been possible after a long investigation that is part of the Search for Lost Species project promoted by Global Wildlife Conservation and Re-wild. The Pernanbuco holly is part, in this sense, of the list of 25 supposedly extinct species that, since 2017, this project has sought to locate and recover, of which 9 have already been found (now including the Pernanbuco ilex).
The place where the team found the Pernanbuco tree was formerly a dense Atlantic tropical forest, but now it is the remains of isolated groves surrounded by sugar cane plantations, buildings and infrastructure.
The team responsible for the rediscovery worked for months tracking documentation and samples in various museums. The expedition that completed the work, led by Gustavo Martinelli, ecologist from the specialized company Navia Bioviva, university professor and coordinator of the Centro Nacional de Conservação da Flora, spent six days searching in different areas of the Recife area and on March 22 found all four of the trees now presented.
Despite the rediscovery, "the Pernambuco holly is now in an emergency situation," Martinelli highlights in a note published by Re:wild. “It could be on the verge of extinction because, as far as we know, there are only four individuals of the species. And these individuals are found in an area of degraded riverine forest, despite being protected by law,” warns the expedition leader.
The Pernambuco holly was first collected for Western science by naturalist George Gardner in 1838 on an expedition. The species was officially described by Siegfried Reissek in 1861. Until the recent rediscovery, the collection of samples taken by George Gardner was the only known confirmed sighting.
"For several months, before going out into the field in search of the Pernambuco holly, Martinelli worked with a small team of researchers to meticulously scour the collections of herbaria, botanical gardens, museums and academic institutions in search of samples of the tree," he details now. Re:wild. With the help of Juliana Alencar, a local researcher and expedition project assistant, and Milton Groppo, a researcher at the University of São Paulo, Martinelli searched virtual databases, reviewing 12,000 samples from around the world, but could not find a game.
After searching virtual collections to no avail, they visited herbal collections in Brazil that had not been digitized. That effort produced more success. They found two unidentified specimens of Pernambuco holly: one that was collected in 1962 and another in 2007. The 2007 specimen had much more precise and useful information about where it was collected, which helped in the field search.
The expedition team eventually identified four areas in the metropolitan region of Recife to search for the Pernambuco holly. There are many different species within the group of hollies to which the Pernambuco holly belongs and identifying them is extremely difficult. Each Pernambuco holly plant is either male or female, meaning it has stamens (male reproductive parts) or pistils (female productive parts). The team's specialists were able to identify the Pernambuco holly by its tiny green flowers. They found four of the trees (two males and two females) in a wooded area on the banks of a small river.
"The moment we found Ilex sapiiformis, it seemed like the world had stopped spinning," Alencar said. "Nature surprises us. Finding a species that has not been heard of for almost two centuries does not happen every day. "It was an incredible moment and the excitement was felt throughout the team. When I looked at Professor Milton Groppo, I saw that he had tears in his eyes."
A team from Recife's Jardim Botânico is monitoring the four Pernambuco hollies the expedition team found and returns to the site weekly to see if the trees are bearing fruit. The team hopes to collect seeds from the tree and germinate them.
"We were all eager to find the plant," Groppo said. "And it was exciting when we found the first individual of Ilex sapiiformis, thanks to the watchful eyes of Mr. Lenilson, who was able to find some white flowers on a tree." next to the dirt road. It was like finding a long-awaited relative who is only known from old portraits. Now, we will be able to better study the species and think about actions to protect and propagate it since we now know that it is not extinct in nature.”
The search for more Pernambuco hollies is not over yet. Martinelli hopes to organize additional searches with the Jardim Botânico de Recife and other local partners in Recife to find more individuals of the species. He also hopes to work with partners to better protect the forest in Recife where the Pernambuco holly was found and establish a captive breeding program for the tree.
"It is incredible that the Pernambuco holly has been rediscovered in a metropolitan area that is home to almost six million people," said Christina Biggs, head of Re:wild's lost species program. “We don't usually think that plants are lost to science, because they don't move like animals, but they are equally an integral part of the ecosystems to which they are native. Even if a plant hasn't had a confirmed sighting in 186 years, it could still be out there somewhere as the last vestiges of nature, and this tree is a perfect example of why it's important to keep looking."
