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A photo uploaded to a citizen science app has helped rediscover a plant species that hadn’t been seen in nearly 60 years.
Horticulturalist Aaron Bean was working on a private property in Queensland when he snapped a photo of the plant with his phone camera and uploaded it to the citizen science platform iNaturalist.
Researchers from the University of New South Wales later visited the property in the Gilbert River region and confirmed the plant as Ptilotus Senarius – a small slender shrub that had not been seen since 1967.
UNSW researchers say platforms such as iNaturalist help scientists track plants and animals by allowing everyday people to capture photos in often hard-to-reach places, such as remote areas or private properties.
Thomas Mesaglio, from UNSW’s school of biological, earth and environmental sciences, said the rediscovery highlighted the growing value of citizen science in helping scientists better understand where species were found.
“Rediscoveries offer that opportunity to conduct follow-up, targeted surveys and consistent long-term monitoring to give us a better understanding of exactly where and how these species are distributed across the landscape,” he said.
iNaturalist is a free website used by millions of people worldwide.
In June 2025, the platform reported its global community had helped identify the species of plants and animals in 250 million images.
