How did a native Chicago plant disappear forever?

Thismia americana enjoys near-cult-status among Chicago botanists, ecologists and plant enthusiasts. The tiny, bell-shaped flower hasn't been seen since the early 1900s, but that hasn't stopped believers from trying to find Chicago's most elusive plant once more.

A reporter and a team of scientists went hunting for thismia americana to see if, over a hundred years later, it could be re-discovered.