''Anogramma ascensionis'', the Ascension Island parsley fern, is a species of

fern The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

in the family

Pteridaceae Pteridaceae is a family of ferns in the order Polypodiales, including some 1150 known species in ca 45 genera (depending on taxonomic opinions), divided over five subfamilies. The family includes four groups of genera that are sometimes recogni ...

that is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Ascension Island Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island, 7°56′ south of the Equator in the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic Ocean. It is about from the coast of Africa and from the coast of South America. It is governed as part of the British Overs ...

, a volcanic island in the

South Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

. It is one of eight putative species in the genus '' Anogramma''. It was thought to have become

extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

due to

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

, until four plants were found on the island in 2010. Over 60 specimens were then successfully cultivated at

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. An internationally important botanical research and education institution, it employs 1,10 ...

and on Ascension Island. It is now classified as Critically Endangered. The small fern has delicate yellow-green leaves which appear similar to small sprigs of

parsley Parsley, or garden parsley (''Petroselinum crispum''), is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae that is native to Greece, Morocco and the former Yugoslavia. It has been introduced and naturalisation (biology), naturalized in Eur ...

. It was first recorded in 1842 by an amateur botanist, A.B. Curror, and then officially described and named by

Joseph Dalton Hooker Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker (30 June 1817 – 10 December 1911) was a British botanist and explorer in the 19th century. He was a founder of geographical botany and Charles Darwin's closest friend. For 20 years he served as director of the Ro ...

after a visit he made to the island in 1843. It is endemic to the steep slopes of Green Mountain on the island. Another specimen was recorded in 1889, with few or no reports of specimens again until 1958, when a British scientist collected one on the north slope of the mountain. Further searches were conducted in 1976, 1986 and 1995 but were unsuccessful, and in 2003 it was officially declared extinct. There are ten species of plants endemic to Ascension Island, with seven of them still known to survive. The island lost much of its native habitat due to invasive animals and plants, beginning with goats introduced in the 16th century by Portuguese explorers. Other non-native animals, including rabbits, sheep, donkeys, and rats—along with over 200 non-native plant species—have destroyed much of the original habitat and plants. The introduction of non-native plants and animals was greatly hastened beginning in 1847, when Joseph Dalton Hooker advised the Royal Navy to import plants to the island to change the dry cinder soil and arid climate. Kew Gardens, whose director at the time was Hooker's father, helped ship trees to Ascension Island beginning in 1850. Green Mountain in particular was transformed through their efforts. Competition from invasive and non-native maidenhair fern ('' Adiantum'') is believed to be partly responsible for the near demise of ''A. ascensionis''. ''A. ascensionis'' was rediscovered during a routine plant survey being performed by a team from the Ascension Island Government's Conservation Department. Because it was found growing in dry rock, on a very steep ridge, the four plants had to be watered and kept alive long enough to produce spores. Two of the plants produced spores before they died. After harvesting, the spores were quickly airlifted to Kew Gardens, where they were placed in a sterile environment to produce sporelings. Sixty new ferns were raised at Kew, along with more on Ascension Island. Since then, a small number of plants were discovered growing near the original four.

References

External links

Science In Action
BBC World Service 25 June 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Anogramma Ascensionis ascensionis Flora of Ascension Island Plants described in 1843 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot