Alpine tree

Rare Samoan alpine tree may be extinct

A recent search for the Vavea Samoense, a 16-metre tree that only grows at the top of Upolu's Mt Le Pu'e, came up with nothing.

The president of the Samoa Conservation Society, James Atherton, said the summit has been battered by cyclones and invasive weeds.

The society has spent the past two months surveying Samoa for four critically threatened species, in order to get cuttings and seeds to preserve them.

Mr Atherton said the plant had not been seen for about a decade, but he was still holding out hope.