Botanists from Bonn, Germany, collected the last specimen of today’s Endangered All-Star from the muddy bank of a hot springs in Rwanda. The plant has not been seen in the wild since its spring disappeared two years ago, the water drained for agriculture.
But propagating the plant turned out to be fiendishly difficult until Kew Garden’s tropical specialist, Carlos Magdalena, discovered that the seeds required exposure to richer concentrations of carbon dioxide and oxygen in order to grow. (See The Telegraph’s excellent report on his work). Now there are 30 baby Thermal Waterlilies, some on display for Kew’s celebration of the International Day of Biodiversity. Magdalena hopes that someday, when Rwanda is able to restore suitable hot spring habitat, the plant can be reintroduced to its native home. (Magdalena also helped save Endangered All-Star #68, the Cafe Marron).
Steve Hopper, director of Kew Gardens, tells the BBC: “We can turn this corner. We have the capability to do it. There’s no reason why another species of plant should go extinct if we apply just a bit of resource and a new attitude towards caring for the natural world.”
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