Sophora toromiro

Sophora toromiro, commonly known as toromiro, is a species of flowering tree in the legume family, Fabaceae, that is endemic to Easter Island. Sophora toromiro is extinct in the wild due to overharvesting and overgrazing, but some individuals survive in botanical and private collections. It holds significant cultural importance for the Rapa Nui people, known for its statues, ceremonial objects, and other tools made from the wood. The species serves as proof that human intervention of a natural environment can drastically change the composition of native flora negatively, even to the point of extinction in the wild. Few specimens survive today only in cultivation in certain botanical gardens around the world, but are limited due to a small genetic pool. Conservation efforts have been made to eventually reintroduce Sophora toromiro in the wild.