Australia’s newly discovered “zombie tree” can no longer reproduce — and scientists are running out of time to save it

There’s a sneaking wildfire moving through Australia’s bush, but it’s not the kind that burns.

An aggressive fungal disease is leaving devastation, pushing an entire plant species toward an eco-apocalypse. 

Scientists are working hard to pull off a wilderness rescue mission before this casualty is lost forever. But it’s a race against time. And success is by no means guaranteed.

Could a plant actually become the living dead?

An invisible fire: How a fungus is devastating the Australian bush

Myrtle rust may sound innocuous, but it’s highly aggressive. It is sweeping through Australia’s rainforests and bushlands like a blaze.

This rust produces powdery yellow, orange, or brown spore pustules — which look like rust — on infected plants, slowly killing them by draining their nutrients.

The fungus has one specific target: Myrtaceae. This is the myrtle family of plants, and they had been leading a thriving existence in the Land Down Under until recently.

Bush and forest ecosystems rely entirely on canopy trees, many of which are members of the target plant family.

Myrtle rust is a hyper-aggressive invasive villain caused by the fungus Austropuccinia psidii. It’s native to South America, and the spores have traveled a long way for spores to do such damage.

In 2005, myrtle rust showed up in Hawaii. Five years later, it was detected in Australia.

Since then, its spores have spread widely, carried by wind, birds, people, insects, and even machinery.

For 16 years, the fungal threat has been lurking and growing, according to the study “Scientists warn Australia’s “zombie tree” could vanish within a generation,” published by the University of Queensland via Science Daily.

Now, some of the country’s most iconic plants, like eucalyptus, tea trees, and other Australian rainforest species, are suffering. 

Icons under siege: An eco-apocalypse unfolding

It’s like myrtle rust has a mind of its own, the way it managed to find such ideal conditions to do the most damage. 

It needs a certain kind of environment: humid, but not too cold either. And it’s found a base for a takeover.

Some infected plants appear to be completely normal, hiding the fungus while still being able to transmit it. Others become instantly visibly infected.

In South America, the native plants that co-evolved with myrtle rust developed resistance. 

But other parts of the world are vulnerable.

Scientists are in a race against time to protect vulnerable species. It’s not just plants, birds are also under threat.

In the plant world, there’s a great rush to collect seeds and genetic samples before some vanish forever.

Botanists have started growing rescued cuttings in specialized, biosecure nurseries to keep the genetic lines alive. 

There are many species struggling under the rust. But one in particular has developed a horrifying, unique condition.

And scientists have come up with a dark, unsettling nickname.

The zombie tree: A horror story unfolding deep in the rainforest

In the deepest parts of the rainforest, one specific tree is defying natural life and death. It’s by far the most affected by the fungus, and its unique condition has earned it a disturbing name.

Scientists are calling it Rhodamnia zombi—the “zombie” tree.

Newly named in 2026, the reason behind its title is worrying. The myrtle rust doesn’t kill the tree. Instead, it makes it sterile.

The living dead: The last generation

This effectively means the trees become the living dead. They can no longer flower, drop seeds, or produce fruit.

The species is effectively extinct in the wild. This generation will never birth a new one. 

America also has zombie trees, but they’re “unalive” for a different reason.

In other areas, scientists have been mapping rainforest data but still believe that most population collapses would go completely undetected.

There’s hope, though. By naming the species and sequencing its genome, scientists can engineer resistance. The “zombie” has a genuine shot at resurrection.

The monumental efforts being made to save Rhodamnia zombi go beyond rescuing a single species. It’s a test: can our ingenuity undo the ecological disasters we’ve helped to cause? Like the damage done to bird life through wind turbines?

Or are we witnessing the emergence of a ghost?