Two plant species thought to have been extinct since the late 1800s have been rediscovered in Far North Queensland.

18/04/2008 15:43:43 ‘Rhaphidospora cavernarum was listed by the Environmental Protection Agency as Presumed Extinct and listed in the regulations of the Nature Conservation Act, as it had not been collected from Queensland since 1873. ‘A number of more recent collections from eastern Cape York were identified as this species by staff from the State Herbarium of South Australia. The species has now been reclassified as Vulnerable, based on its currently known restricted geographic distribution on Cape York Peninsula between Cooktown and Lockhart River.

‘Teucrium ajugaceum, which occurs in eucalypt woodland with a grassy understorey, was presumed extinct because the most recent collection was from Musgrave Telegraph Station on Cape York in 1891.

Despite extensive survey on Cape York by EPA staff, the species was not rediscovered until 2004 in the vicinity of Musgrave Telegraph Station. The species was reclassified as Vulnerable, based on its restricted known habitat within approximately 120 km of the original collections at Musgrave Telegraph Station.’