The Story of How Rapa Nui Lost a Flowering Tree, and How Humans Ensured its Survival

[Michie]

The flowers of the toromiro shrub – credit Consultaplantas, CC 4.0. BY-SA

If you’re the kind of person who likes rare things, then the toromiro tree would be a truly exceptional addition to your ornamental garden.

That’s the only place you’re likely to find the toromiro these days, 70 years after it went extinct on its native island of Rapa Nui—which most people are likely to know only by its Western name—Easter Island.

Buoyant and salt-resistant, it’s believed the toromiro tree arrived on Rapa Nui 35,000 years ago, and populated the understory of the island’s rich palm tree forests that once existed there.

Continued below.

The Story of How Rapa Nui Lost a Flowering Tree, and How Humans Ensured its Survival

If you're the kind of person who likes rare things, then the toromiro tree would be a truly exceptional addition to your ornamental garden.

www.goodnewsnetwork.org