Vanished Blooms: Extinct Flowers That Once Graced Our Planet

July2,2025

Though cultivated in gardens, it has been extinct in the wild since the early 1800s. It was last seen growing along Georgia's Altamaha River.

Franklin Tree

This rare tree-flower was discovered in the 1990s, but all known specimens were destroyed by a landslide, and it is now considered extinct.

Hibiscadelphus woodii

An endemic flower of the South Atlantic island of Saint Helena, it was lost due to habitat destruction and competition from invasive species.

Acalypha rubrinervis

A ghostly, saprophytic flower, it was last spotted in the Chicago area in 1916 and has never been seen again.

Thismia americana

This flowering tree became extinct in the wild due to deforestation, although some specimens survive in botanical gardens.

Sophora toromiro

Another Hawaiian plant, it disappeared as a result of habitat destruction and was officially declared extinct in the wild.

Cyanea eleeleensis

A delicate annual flower lost to agricultural expansion and changing land use.

Valerianella affinis

A thistle-like flowering plant, it has not been seen in decades and is presumed extinct due to habitat degradation.

Centaurea tamanianiae