WELLINGTON, New Zealand, Oct. 18 (UPI) -- New Zealand botanists have found Cook's scurvy grass, a species that has come close to extinction, growing lavishly on a small offshore island.
The islet on the west coast is difficult to reach. While it is only about 500 feet from the shore, the waters are home to dangerous sharks.
A Department of Conservation team reached the island last week in a helicopter belonging to New Zealand Steel, The Independent reported. They found more than 80 plants.
Cook's scurvy grass, actually a type of cress and known to the Maoris as nau, was harvested by the great explorer James Cook and his crew to prevent scurvy, a vitamin C deficiency disease. Before the recent find, the only known colonies were on the North Island and only two had more than 20 plants.
"This is a very significant find for the region, and indeed for the whole of the North Island, where this species is now seriously at risk of going extinct," said Andrea Brandon, a plant ecologist who headed the team.
