The Key West Tree Cactus,
Pilosocereus millspaughii, no longer exists in the wild in Florida, killed off by saltwater and soil loss. Scientists from Florida Natural History Museum think it is the first species to be identified as a victum of sea-level rise. It is now only found in a handful of Carribean islands, northern Cuba and the Bahamas. The species was reduced to six stems in Florida, which were moved to a greenhouse for protection. By 2021 a once thriving group of 150 growing in an isolated mangrove were reduced to the six struggling stems. There is little prosepct of the plant being reintroduced to Nature in Florida. Key West islands are five feet or less above current sea level. Conservationists at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens are growing the cactus in captivity. These cacti can grow up to six meters, have cream colored flowers with a garlic scent that gleem in the moonlight. Vivid red and purple fruits attract bat pollinators.
[photo credit: Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden]
A storm surge event in 2005 established the link between salt water inundation and cactus mortality. Subsequent storms and high tides eroded the soil where they were growing. Additionally animals deprived of fresh water were eating the moisture laden plants. In 2017 Hurricane Irma, a category 4 storm, covered the area in saltwater for weeks. That destructive event was followed by two king tides in 2019 that eventually led to the survivors being evacuation to human custody
