Globally Extinct: Plants and Red Algae
This page features the plants and red algae that have become recently extinct. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (Version 2011.1) has listed 87 species and 10 subspecies and varieties of plants and red algae (IUCN 2011).
The addition of the Bennett's Seaweed (Vanvoorstia bennettiana), a species of red algae (phylum Rhodophyta), to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2003 is unfortunate because at that time it was considered the representative of an entire kingdom (Protista) that enters the IUCN Red List as Extinct. However, this addition represented an important first attempt at documenting the extinction of smaller life forms that are fundamental to the survival of life on this planet. (Millar 2003; Baillie et al. 2004) Meanwhile it is placed in the kingdom Plantae or plants (Millar, 2003).
The taxonomy of red algae is still in a state of flux and there is no consensus among scientists yet. If one defines the kingdom Plantae (plants) to mean the Archaeplastida, the red algae will be part of that kingdom; but if Plantae are defined more narrowly, to be the Viridiplantae, then the red algae might be considered their own kingdom or part of the kingdom Protista. (Hwan Su Yoon et al. 2006; Lee 2008; Saunders & Hommersand 2004; Wikipedia contributors 2010) The Sixth Extinction Website follows the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and AlgaeBase and places the red algae in the kingdom of Plantae (IUCN 2010ab; IUCN 2011; Guiry & Guiry 2010).
Photo (upper): Saint Helena Olive (Nesiota elliptica) photographed by Rebecca Cairns-Wicks ©. The copyrighted photograph presented here may be freely used for any non-commercial purpose, but please credit the respective photographer. For commercial use, please contact the photographer directly.
Photo (lower): Bennett’s Seaweed (Vanvoorstia bennettiana) photographed by Alan J.K. Millar ©. The copyrighted photograph presented here may be freely used for any non-commercial purpose, but please credit the respective photographer. For commercial use, please contact the photographer directly.
Do you know any species or subspecies that should be added to this list or has been rediscoverd? If so, please contact this website.
Plants (Plantae)
The subjoined table shows the plant species, subspecies and varieties that recently became globally extinct.
| Species (87) | |||
| Scientific Name | Common Name | TSEW Status | IUCN Status |
| Acalypha rubrinervis | Unknown | EX | |
| Achyranthes atollensis | Hawaii Chaff Flower | EX | |
| Adiantum lianxianense | Unknown | EX | |
| Anonidium usambarense | Unknown | EX | |
| Argyroxiphium virescens | Unknown | EX | |
| Astragalus nitidiflorus | Unknown | EX | |
| Begonia eiromischa | Woolly-stalked Begonia | EX | |
| Blutaparon rigidum | Unknown | EX | |
| Byttneria ivorensis | Unknown | EX | |
| Campomanesia lundiana | Unknown | EX | |
| Casearia quinduensis | Unknown | EX | |
| Casearia tinifolia | Unknown | EX | |
| Centaurea pseudoleucolepis | Unknown | EX | EX |
| Chrysophyllum januariense | Unknown | EX | |
| Clermontia multiflora | Unknown | EX | |
| Cnidoscolus fragrans | Unknown | EX | |
| Coffea lemblinii | Unknown | EX | |
| Crudia zeylanica | Unknown | EX | |
| Cupaniopsis crassivalvis | Unknown | EX | |
| Cyanea arborea | Tree Cyanea | EX | |
| Cyanea comata | Unknown | EX | |
| Cyanea cylindrocalyx | Unknown | EX | |
| Cyanea dolichopoda | Unknown | EX | |
| Cyanea giffardii | Giffard's Cyanea | EX | |
| Cyanea marksii | Mark's Cyanea | EX | |
| Cyanea pohaku | Unknown | EX | |
| Cyanea pycnocarpa | Unknown | EX | |
| Cyanea quercifolia | Oakleaf Cyanea | EX | |
| Cynometra beddomei | Unknown | EX | |
| Dipterocarpus cinereus | Unknown | EX | |
| Dracaena umbraculifera | Unknown | EX | |
| Dryopteris ascensionis | Unknown | EX | |
| Erythrina schliebenii | Unknown | EX | |
| Euphrasia mendoncae | Unknown | EX | EX |
| Fitchia mangarevensis | Unknown | EX | |
| Flabellidium spinosum | Unknown | EX | |
| Galipea ossana | Unknown | EX | |
| Gomidesia cambessedeana | Unknown | EX | |
| Guettarda retusa | Unknown | EX | |
| Hernandia drakeana | Unknown | EX | |
| Hibiscadelphus bombycinus | Kawaihae Hibiscadelphus | EX | |
| Hibiscadelphus crucibracteatus | Unknown | EX | |
| Hibiscadelphus wilderianus | Unknown | EX | |
| Hopea shingkeng | Unknown | EX | |
| Ilex gardneriana | Unknown | EX | |
| Ilex ternatiflora | Unknown | EX | |
| Kokia lanceolata | Unknown | EX | |
| Licania caldasiana | Unknown | EX | |
| Madhuca insignis | Unknown | EX | |
| Melicope cruciata | Cross-bearing Pelea | EX | |
| Melicope haleakalae | Unknown | EX | |
| Melicope obovata | Obovate Melicope | EX | |
| Melicope paniculata | Unknown | EX | |
| Myrcia skeldingii | Unknown | EX | |
| Neisosperma brownii | Unknown | EX | |
| Neomacounia nitida | Unknown | EX | |
| Nesiota elliptica | Saint Helena Olive | EX | |
| Ochrosia fatuhivensis | Unknown | EX | |
| Ochrosia nukuhivensis | Unknown | EX | |
| Ochrosia tahitensis | Unknown | EX | |
| Oldenlandia adscenionis | Unknown | EX | |
| Ormosia howii | Unknown | EX | |
| Otophora unilocularis | Unknown | EX | |
| Pausinystalia brachythyrsum | Unknown | EX | |
| Pelea obovata | Unknown | EX | |
| Pluchea glutinosa | Unknown | EX | |
| Pouteria stenophylla | Unknown | EX | |
| Pradosia argentea | Unknown | EX | |
| Pradosia glaziovii | Unknown | EX | |
| Pradosia mutisii | Unknown | EX | |
| Psiadia schweinfurthii | Unknown | EX | |
| Psidium dumetorum | Unknown | EX | |
| Radula visiniaca | Unknown | EX | |
| Santalum fernandezianum | Unknown | EX | |
| Shorea cuspidata | Unknown | EX | |
| Sporobolus durus | Unknown | EX | |
| Stenocarpus dumbeensis | Unknown | EX | |
| Sterculia khasiana | Unknown | EX | |
| Streblorrhiza speciosa | Unknown | EX | |
| Trochetiopsis melanoxylon | Unknown | EX | |
| Valerianella affinis | Unknown | EX | |
| Vanvoorstia bennettiana | Bennett's Seaweed | EX | |
| Weinmannia spiraeoides | Unknown | EX | |
| Wendlandia angustifolia | Unknown | EX | |
| Wikstroemia skottsbergiana | Skottsberg's Wikstroemia | EX | |
| Wikstroemia villosa | Hairy Wikstroemia | EX | |
| Xanthostemon sebertii | Unknown | EX | |
| Subspecies and varieties (10) | |||
| Scientific Name | Common Name | TSEW Status | IUCN Status |
| Cenchrus agrimonioides var. laysanensis | Unknown | EX | |
| Chamaesyce celastroides var. tomentella | Unknown | EX | |
| Chamaesyce remyi var. hanaleiensis | Unknown | EX | |
| Clermontia peleana ssp. singuliflora | Unknown | EX | EX |
| Commidendrum robustum ssp. gummiferum | Unknown | EX | EX |
| Cyanea copelandii ssp. copelandii | Unknown | EX | EX |
| Cyanea superba ssp. regina | Superb Cyanae | EX | EX |
| Delissea undulata ssp. kauaiensis | Undulata Delissea | EX | |
| Delissea undulata ssp. niihauensis | Undulata Delissea | EX | |
| Ryania speciosa var. mutisii | Unknown | EX | EX |
References
Baillie, J.E.M., Hilton-Taylor, C. and Stuart, S.N. (eds) (2004). 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. A Global Species Assessment. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. [Available via http://data.iucn.org/dbtw-wpd/html/Red%20List%202004/completed/cover.html].
Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. (2010). AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. http://www.algaebase.org; searched on 17 August 2010.
Hwan Su Yoon, K. M. Müller, R. G. Sheath, F. D. Ott & D. Bhattacharya (2006). "Defining the major lineages of red algae (Rhodophyta)" (PDF). Journal of Phycology 42: 482–492. doi:10The taxonomy of red algae is still in a state of flux and there is no concensus among scientists yet. If one defines the kingdom Plantae (plants) to mean the Archaeplastida, the red algae will be part of that kingdom; but if Plantae are defined more narrowly, to be the Viridiplantae, then the red algae might be considered their own kingdom or part of the kingdom Protista. (Hwan Su Yoon et al. 2006; Lee 2008; Saunders & Hommersand 2004; Wikipedia contributors 2010) The Sixth Extinction Website follows the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and AlgaeBase and places the red algae in the kingdom of Plantae (IUCN 2010; Guiry & Guiry 2010)..1111/j.1529-8817.2006.00210.x.
IUCN (2010a). IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 15 August 2010.
IUCN (2010b). IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.4. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 12 November 2010.
IUCN (2011). IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.1. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 25 June 2011.
Lee, R.E. (2008). Phycology, 4th edition. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521638838.
Millar, A.J.K. (2003). Vanvoorstia bennettiana. In: IUCN (2010). IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 15 August 2010.
Saunders, G.W. & M. H. Hommersand (2004). Assessing red algal supraordinal diversity and taxonomy in the context of contemporary systematic data. American Journal of Botany 91: 1494–1507. doi:10.3732/ajb.91.10.1494.
Wikipedia contributors (2010), 'Red algae', Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 15 August 2010, 20:16 UTC, <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Red_algae&oldid=379098825> [accessed 15 August 2010].
| Citation: | Maas, P.H.J. (2011). Globally Extinct: Plants and Red Algae. In: TSEW (). The Sixth Extinction Website. <http://www.petermaas.nl/extinct>. Downloaded on . |
| Disclaimer: | To make use of this information, please check the <Terms of Use>. |
| Feedback: | If you see any errors, questions or suggestions on what is shown on this page, please contact us so that we can correct or extend the information provided. |
| Updated: | 25 June 2011 |