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Canberra Today 25°/29° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Endangered species on display at the Botanic Gardens

Zieria obcordata

THIS Sunday the Botanic Gardens are marking National Threatened Species Day with a special display of Zieria obcordata and other endangered Australian plants.

“Zieria obcordata is a small shrub with little pink star flowers. They are quite rare and can only be found amongst granite rocks close to Wellington and Bathurst in NSW,” the Gardens’ executive director Judy West said.

“Since 2008, Gardens’ nursery staff have been working hard to develop techniques for propagating and cultivating Zieria obcordata, and over the last few years their efforts were rewarded.

“In 2011 and in partnership with the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, Gardens’ staff planted about 50 Zieria obcordata plants on a property near Wellington to safeguard the species from extinction.”

Zieria obcordata is one of 300 species of threatened Australian plants growing in the Gardens. Others include Swainsona recta, Zieria baeuerlenii and Lepidium ginninderense – all which have been propagated by Gardens’ staff and planted back into the wild during the past year.

“Through our collecting and propagation programs, the Australian National Botanic Gardens plays an important role in conserving threatened Australian plant species,” Dr West said.

“The 300 threatened species growing in the Gardens represents around a quarter of Australia’s 1255 nationally threatened species.

“This National Threatened Species Day, visitors to the Gardens can view some of the threatened plants growing near the Visitor Centre. These plants are marked with a special ‘life buoy’ sign.”

[Photo via ANBG, by Fagg, M.]

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