UK scientists have successfully germinated seeds from the critically endangered Japanese Birch, a species that has just 21 known trees remaining.
The seeds were collected last year during an expedition to a remote location in mountains near Tokyo.
Experts suggest that the remaining wild population of Betula chichibuensis is too small to sustain itself unaided.
The young trees will be shared with other arboretums in an effort to help conserve the threatened species.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) forecasts a bleak outlook for the tree species in the wild.
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