A BSc honours student from Stellenbosch University not only rediscovered a plant species that was last seen in 1928, and presumed to be extinct, but will also focus on the plant for his MSc in order to develop a management plant for its conservation.

In April this year, Brian du Preez, a volunteer with SANBI's Custodians of Rare and Endangered Wildflowers (CREW) team, went to search for populations of a critically endangered species – Marasmodes schlechteri ‒ belonging to a small highly threatened genus of plants in the daisy family. The search took place on various Renosterveld patches between Piketberg and Piekenierskloof Pass.

The group was busy surveying an area on the farm Goede Hoop near Eendekuil when Brian spotted a large grey bush that he could not immediately identify: "The plant had pods so I knew it belonged to the Pea family, but could not put even a genus name to it." After consulting other members of the group, it was determined to be a Polhillia.

They initially thought it might be a new species, but closer investigation revealed that it could be the long-lost species Polhillia ignota. This species is known from only two collections made in 1924 and 1928 in the Porterville and Saldanha areas respectively and has since been listed as extinct on the SANBI Red data list for plants - http://redlist.sanbi.org/species.php?species=431-aa.

In order to confirm the species' identification, they had to go back to the area in September to collect flowers. Only then could Dr James Stephen Boatwright from the Compton Herbarium at SANBI confirm that it was indeed Polhillia ignota.

Brian says there are 13 of these bushes growing in an area as big as a rugby field: "The plants grow in a sandy area that has not been ploughed because it lies between two patches of shallow and rocky soil that cannot be ploughed. Nearly 98% of the original Renosterveld in the Swartland has already been ploughed for agriculture. Hopefully we will manage to conserve and manage this piece."

He also collected seeds to see whether he could get them growing: "I managed to get twelve of the thirty seeds growing, but then snails devoured ten of the seedlings!"

Starting in 2017, Polhillia ignota will be the focus of Brian's MSc under Prof Léanne Dreyer in the Department of Botany and Zoology. He hopes to develop a management plan for its conservation, along with a taxonomic revision of the genus Polhillia: "There are seven species in the genus and all of them are listed as being threatened with extinction. As a matter of fact, it is the third most threatened genus of plants in South Africa," he adds.

Brian, who grew up in George, says he loves field work and is already organising more field trips to the Swartland to search for other highly threatened or extinct plants. He is also a keen nature photographer and posts most of his photos on Facebook under the pseudonym BrianKdNaturePhotography or https://www.facebook.com/BrianKdNaturePhotography

Listen here to a podcast of an interview with Brian du Preez on Radio Today's Sappi Nature Journal - start at 47:48.