Thanks to social media and citizen science, one rare orchid that was presumed extinct has been rediscovered in Sri Lanka, the Island Online reported.
The species in question is Vanda thwaitesii, a delicate specimen whose shape is reminiscent of complex origami. It has a central white flower from which five speckled red and greenish-yellow petals extend.
It was last documented over 160 years ago in 19th century drawings by Royal Botanic Gardens draftsman Haramanis de Alwis.
Bhathiya Gopallawa, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Peradeniya, was interested in the flower and shared a painting of it on a Facebook group for plant enthusiasts.
Pradeep Kodithuwakku saw the image and recognized it. Vanda thwaitesii was a species he had not only seen in the wild but collected and brought home to care for.
With the help of field botanist Himesh Jayasinghe to confirm the plant's identity, they reintroduced Vanda thwaitesii to the world.
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Gopallawa described this rediscovery as "a second chance" for the species.
"What we do with that chance will decide whether these species survive the century," he added, per the Island Online.
That's because orchids are at a unique risk in today's changing climate and developing world. These fragile species rely on complex relationships with soil microbes to thrive, which makes them very difficult to cultivate or relocate. The National Red List 2020 categorized about 71% of Sri Lanka's orchids as threatened.
The best way to preserve them is in their native habitats. But those habitats are being destroyed by deforestation and invasive species, and they're changing due to the Earth's rising temperature. Before long, many species of orchid may not be able to survive in their natural habitats, at least without intervention.
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For Vanda thwaitesii, that intervention has begun: experts are taking care of the recovered specimen and are trying to propagate it in a lab. For many other species, however, legal protection and individual effort are still needed.
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