Prickly honeysuckle and bronzed Butterfly-leaved Gastrolobium are just two of Australia’s unique native plants. However, both of these are also on the endangered species list, which currently includes 1,384 Aussie plant varieties as being threatened at a national level.
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Research shows there are currently 37 Australian varieties already considered extinct and a further 206 plants as being critically endangered.
Many of these plants including the prickly honeysuckle and butterfly-leaved plant are not being regularly monitored, and don’t have a recovery plan to prevent extinction. At this rate, things aren’t improving, however, the cause isn’t hopeless.
Writers and researchers at The Conversation Jennifer Silcock, Jaana Dielenberg, Roderick John Fensham and Teghan Collingwood did a deep dive into the topic. After analysing data and information from over 120 botanists and land managers, they’ve complied everything into an article, including an action plan.
Why are so many native plants endangered?
According to the authors of the article, “Australian plants were used, managed and celebrated by Australia’s First Nations people for at least 60,000 years, but since European colonisation, they’ve been beset by a range of threats”.
Those threats include land clearing, fires, animals, diseases, flooding, and the introduction of alien plants. With so many causes it’s no surprise things aren’t improving.
Another important factor is the lack of young plants coming up to replace the old ones when they die. Additional research is needed to better understand this issue, however the authors say, “sometimes this is because the processes that triggered these plants to flower, release seed or germinate are no longer occurring”.
What can be done?
The Conversation has formulated an Action Plan that is publicly available.
It’s designed for anyone “involved in threatened flora management, including federal, state, territory and local government groups, First Nations, environment and community conservation groups, and anyone with one of these plants on their land”.
The plan discusses potential solutions such as disease research, propagating and moving species, protecting plants from grazing animals and safely trialling appropriate fire management regimes.
The top 50 plants in danger
While some native plants are cultivated in gardens and public spaces, most are widely unknown.
This list includes 50 beautiful native plants that are currently endangered, if you want to learn more about them, The Conversation’s action plan includes detailed profiles on each plant.
- Acacia leptoneura Benth
- Acacia pharangites
- Acacia volubilis
- Antrophyum austroqueenslandicum
- Ballantinia antipoda
- Banksia fuscobractea
- Banksia montana
- Borya mirabilis
- Caladenia amoena
- Caladenia busselliana
- Caladenia luteola
- Caladenia pumila
- Calochilus richiae
- Commersonia erythrogyna
- Daviesia bursarioides
- Daviesia cunderdin
- Epilobium brunnescens
- Eremophila pinnatifida
- Eremophila subangustifolia
- Eriocaulon aloefolium
- Eucalyptus dalveenica
- Eucalyptus imlayensis
- Eucalyptus morrisbyi
- Gentiana bredboensis
- Gossia gonoclada
- Gossia hillii
- Grevillea caleyi
- Grevillea calliantha
- Grevillea hodgei
- Grevillea sp. Gillingarra
- Hibbertia circinata
- Kelleria bogongensis
- Lenwebbia
- Petrophile latericola
- Phebalium daviesii
- Pimelea cremnophila
- Pimelea venosa
- Pomaderris delicata
- Prasophyllum correctum
- Prasophyllum laxum
- Prasophyllum tunbridgense
- Pultenaea
- Rhodamnia maideniana
- Rhodomyrtus psidioides
- Senecio behrianus
- Solanum orgadophilum
- Sphaerolobium acanthos
- Spyridium fontis-woodii
- Spyridium furculentum
- Zieria exsul
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