Colony of 'near-extinct' scurvy plant discovered
A plant thought to be near extinction has been found growing abundantly on an island off New Zealand.
The grassy plant, prized by British explorer Captain James Cook for its protection against scurvy, has been identified in an area protected from the mainland by strong currents and sharks.
Officers from New Zealand’s Department of Conservation landed by helicopter on the islet off the North Island’s west coast and found a substantial colony of the plant, called nau by indigenous Maori and scurvy grass by Cook.
Team leader Andrea Brandon, a plant ecologist, said today that nau was near extinction on most of New Zealand’s North Island but scientists had long believed a colony of the plant might exist on the islet near New Zealand’s Waikato district.
The islet is only 150 metres from shore but made inaccessible from the mainland by swirling currents and sharks.
Conservation department workers had waited almost 25 years for a chance to make a helicopter exploration of the island, and found the plant growing under tree cover on a sheltered part of the island.
The plant is a type of cress that grows to about a metre tall.
