Rediscovery of a presumed extinct plant species, Ptilotus senarius (Amaranthaceae), through iNaturalist

Abstract

Over the past few centuries, over 900 plant species globally have gone extinct in the wild; however, there are also hundreds of species that have been rediscovered after previously being considered extinct. We report the rediscovery of Ptilotus senarius A.R.Bean (Amaranthaceae) in northern Queensland, Australia, through the citizen science platform iNaturalist, 58 years after the last collection, and present photographs of the species. We discuss the strengths of iNaturalist that assist rediscoveries of extinct and long-lost plant species, including the facilitation of records from private land, rapid data availability, and its large network of botanical experts. We provide recommendations for accelerating species rediscovery through the platform.