''Vicia dennesiana'' is a species in the

Fabaceae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomenc ...

family, named after the solicitor and plant collector

George Edgar Dennes George Edgar Dennes (181727 March 1871) was an English solicitor and plant collector. Life George Edgar Dennes, the son of George and Ann Dennes, was baptised in Soham, Cambridgeshire, on 27 March 1817, although at least one other source sugge ...

. It is protected by the

Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats The Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, also known as the Bern Convention (or Berne Convention), is a binding international legal instrument in the field of Nature Conservation, it covers the natural h ...

. This species has not been found in the wild since 1848, and is considered extinct in its natural habitat. It has not been observed in cultivation since 1922. The habitat of the species is poorly known. The available data indicate that the species developed on the sheltered slopes of Serra da Tronqueira,

São Miguel Island São Miguel Island (; Portuguese language, Portuguese for "Saint Michael"), nicknamed "The Green Island" (''Ilha Verde''), is the largest and most populous island in the Portugal, Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. The island covers and has a ...

Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...

, but the population was subsequently destroyed in a landslide. A cultivated population was maintained in the

Thames Ditton Thames Ditton is a suburban village on the River Thames, in the Elmbridge borough of Surrey, England. Apart from a large inhabited island in the river, it lies on the southern bank, centred 12.2 miles (19.6 km) southwest of Charing Cross ...

garden of

Hewett Cottrell Watson Hewett Cottrell Watson (9 May 1804 – 27 July 1881) was a phrenologist, botanist and evolutionary theorist. He was born in Firbeck, near Rotherham, Yorkshire, and died at Thames Ditton, Surrey. Biography Watson was the eldest son of Holland W ...

, the author who described the species. Several seeds were germinated and produced annually flowering and fruiting plants. In the winter, the plants were sheltered in a greenhouse to protect them from frost, and in the summer they were planted in the garden. However, at the end of May 1867, almost all of Watson's plants had died due to a late frost. One of the three surviving plants bloomed again in the summer of the next year, which made it possible to continue to cultivate the species. After Watson's death a specimen was transferred to the Royal Botanical Gardens of Kew. Due to unsuccessful propagation, today only herbarium specimens remain.

Herbarium specimens

The

Fielding-Druce Herbarium Fielding-Druce Herbarium, part of the Department of Biology, University of Oxford, located on South Parks Road, in Oxford, England. A herbarium is a collection of herbarium sheets, with a dried pressed specimen of the botanic species, whether th ...

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

and the Kew Gardens Herbarium include specimens collected on Ilha de São Miguel. Preserved specimens of ''Vicia dennesiana'' cultivated by Watson are held by herbaria including the

National Herbarium of Victoria The National Herbarium of Victoria ( Index Herbariorum code: MEL) is one of Australia's earliest herbaria and the oldest scientific institution in Victoria. Its 1.5 million specimens of preserved plants, fungi and algae—collectively known a ...

Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria are botanical garden, botanic gardens across two sites–Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, Melbourne and Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne, Cranbourne. Melbourne Gardens was founded in 1846 when land was rese ...

, and the

Copenhagen University Botanical Museum The Botanical Museum in Copenhagen originated as a part of the Copenhagen Botanical Garden, which was established in 1600. It was later separated as an independent institution. Since 2004, the Botanical Museum forms part of the Natural History Museu ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q10390320 dennesiana Endemic flora of the Azores Species extinct in the wild