The Juan Fernandez firecrown hummingbird, which is found nowhere else in the world, relies on the Dendroseris flowers, so the loss of the tree also means the loss of this hummingbird. The all-too-familiar story of habitat loss and invasive species introduction has led to extensive ecosystem degradation on the Juan Fernandez Islands, leading to many endemic species, including Dendroseris neriifolia, becoming critically endangered. (Photo: Juan Fernandez Firecrown hummingbird feeding on Dendroseris flowers. Credit: Rolando Recabarren)
Last Tree Standing
Kathryn Bush ‘2018 • July 17, 2026
Imagine that you are the last remaining individual of your kind. What would it take to ensure the survival of your species? And who would be willing to take on that task?
An intrepid international group of conservationists accepted such a challenge to save the last Dendroseris neriifolia tree standing in the wild. On remote Robinson Crusoe Island, one of the Juan Fernandez Islands some 760 km off the coast of Chile, the last surviving wild tree daisy, Dendroseris neriifolia, estimated to be about 150 years old, clings to a cliff. These islands are the only place in the world where members of the Dendroseris genus are found. This is the only plant in the world that forms daisy-like flowers on a woody, branching trunk, which is how it got its tree-daisy name.
When efforts to increase the number of these trees on Robinson Crusoe Island failed earlier this century, an international team of conservationists rallied in an attempt to save the species by collecting seeds and germinating them at the Millennium Seed Bank, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Wakehurst in Sussex, England. The team included scientists from Jardin Botanico VerdeNativo, Juan Fernández Archipelago National Park (PNAJF), and Corporación Nacional Forestal (CONAF) in Chile, as well as the Royal Botanic Gardens, with funding from the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund in the United Arab Emirates.
Seed collection of Dendroseris neriifolia is risky business. The tree is clinging to a cliff side, supported with ropes to keep it from falling. In March, when the fruits are mature, the seed collectors climb the length of the trunk to reach the flowers, and use nets to collect the seeds. This year 400 seeds were collected, but only about 30 appeared to have been pollinated. These were sent to the Millenium Seed Bank at Kew Wakehurst where x-ray analysis showed that 22 were potentially viable. Some of these seeds were placed in long term storage at the Millenium Seed Bank to hopefully ensure the survival of the species. Other seeds were used for germination and cultivation studies. (Photo: Seeds harvested in March from the last Dendroseris neriifolia. Credit: Gonzalo Rojas)
Eight seedlings are now growing at Kew; three of these will be sent to Logan Botanic Garden in Port Logan, on the southwest tip of Scotland. Because of the influence of the Gulf Stream, the climate at Logan is similar to that of Robinson Crusoe Island. It will take five to ten years for the seedlings to mature. Seed collectors are planning to send another collection of Dendroseris neriifolia seeds to the Millenium Seed Bank next year. (Photo: Dendroseris neriifolia seedling at Kew. Credit: Pablo Gomez Barreiro)
While scientists in the UK are working to propagate Dendroseris neriifolia, a group in Chile is working to eradicate invasive species and restore habitats on the Juan Fernandez Islands to provide a healthy ecosystem for a new generation of the tree daisy. Perhaps the last tree standing today will not be the last of its species after all.
