A PLANT feared to be extinct has been discovered on a mountain top in North Wales. The Snowdonia Hawkweed was last seen nearly 50 years ago but was thought to have died out after being eaten by sheep. But the plant, properly called hierachium snowdoniense, was found by a team of botanists. Botanist Tim Rich, from the National Museum of Wales, said, "I was worried this species might have become extinct - a Welsh dodo. "I was very relieved when we saw the plant. It was our lucky day. We must make sure we do not lose it again." The Snowdonia Hawkweed was discovered by Caernarfon-born botanist John Griffith in the 1880s. It was classified as a species in its own right by the hawkweed experts Peter Sell and Cyril West in 1955. Botanists will now collect seed from the plant and cultivate it at the National Botanic Garden of Wales near Carmarthen. |