St Helena olive  (Nesiota elliptica)

The remote island of St Helena was once home to a stunning array of endemic flora and fauna, which have developed there in isolation (5). Humans have exploited the island's resources for over 450 years, destroying much of the native vegetation through deforestation for timber and agriculture, and the grazing of introduced goats (5). The self-incompatibility presented serious problems for a tree confined to such a small area as the population size has been limited throughout history (4).

Although seedlings have proven extremely difficult to cultivate (6), a single successful cutting was grown from the last wild tree that died in 1994. The Endemic Plant Propagation Unit at Scotland, now known as the Environmental Conservation Section, St Helena raised this cutting to a two metre tall tree, however, this was sadly lost in 1997 (7). Two seedlings from this tree were raised and planted out in the Conservation Officer’s garden at Pounceys (160 and 80 centimetres high in 1995) (3). A third seedling was planted out near to the main plant at Scotland but was later transplanted into an area on the Peaks, when the cutting died and its own growth was also severely impeded (3). A fourth seedling raised from the cutting in Scotland was planted beside the third seedling on the Peaks (3). The health of the smaller olive at Pounceys and the two on the Peaks declined and they were all dead by 1999. Only the larger seedling survived at Pounceys and, like the others, showed signs of ill health due to fungal infections (3). It finally died in 2004, leaving the species extinct (1).