The Waitakere scurvy grass never seems to have grown in great abundance like other scurvy grasses. There were only ever 4 records of this plant being collected. It was first collected by Thomas Cheeseman in 1870. Like the related Cook's scurvy grass, the population of waitakere scurvy grass plummeted with the development of humans. It may have been used by sailors to combat the effects of scurvy on their journeys. The bigger threat was the introduction of invasive species, often unintentionally. Insects like the cabbage white butterfly were introduced, and the caterpillar ate much of these plants. The last collection of waitakere scurvy grass was in 1917, even though it was not officially declared extinct until 2012. Although Jurassic Park is fiction, scientists are working on several de-extinction projects. In fact, in 2003 scientists did bring back the extinct Pyrenean ibex, a type of wild goat, for 7 minutes before it died, showing de-extinction is possible. The Waitakere scurvy grass might be a good candidate. Scientists recently did testing on the 4 specimens. After analyzing its DNA, they were able to determine it was in fact its own species of scurvy grass. If it was brought back from extinction, would it be able to survive the fight against invasive species like the cabbage white butterfly and other herbivores? The results of researcher's efforts to save the critically endangered nau, Cook's scurvy grass, might be able to answer that question.