South Australian Seed Conservation Centre | Environmental conservation organisation

South Australian Seed Conservation Centre

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25.01.2022 Usually our seeds look like aliens under the microscope, these just look like melons or basketballs Choretrum chrysanthum or Yellow Sour-bush is common in SA, but our collections have a low viability of around 19%. Seed collected off the bushes tend to be less viable than those collected from the ground This species is also quite difficult to germinate, it has morpho-physiological dormancy and complex germination requirements... We have some seed collecting and cleaning tips on our site #seedbank #australianflora #australiannative #seed #conservation #botany #microscope #science #flower #nature #seedart #macro #southaustralia #botanicalgardens

24.01.2022 Some close ups of Picris Squarrosa or Hawkweed Picris which is considered rare in SA, growing around the Adelaide, Lofty and Murray Mallee regions Over 6 experiments we ended up with a germination rate of 90% #seedbank #conservation #australianflora ... #australiannative #botany #science #microscope #southaustralia #seed #nature #germination #botanicgardenssa See more

24.01.2022 Seed of Woolly Everlasting or Argentipallium blandowskianum Found in the southern part of SA, in the Mount Lofty Ranges, Murray and South-east regions, growing in heathland on deep, usually siliceous sands. Also found in Victoria.... Produces yellow or pale brown seed to 1 mm long and 0.5 mm wide, covered in tiny tubercules with a long pappus at one end From one collection, the seed viability was average at 60%. Seeds are non-dormant, viable seed should germinate readily #seedbank #conservation #australianflora #australiannative #botany #science #microscope #southaustralia #seed #seedart #nature #germination #adelaide #everlasting #flower

24.01.2022 Some of our work will be on @gardeningaustralia again tonight at 7.30 Noushka Reiter from the @royalbotanicgardensvic will be presenting her work on some threatened orchids: Caladenia gladiolata, Thelymitra cyanapicata, Prasophyllum murfetii, and Caladenia xanthochila the first 3 being endemic to SA and ones we’ve featured before We worked with Noushka to undertake research to find the most appropriate media with the right pre-requisite symbiotic fungus to germinate and ...grow plants using in-vitro propagation This week we translocated some of the Blue-topped sun-orchids (Thelymitra) in Kuitpo A large exclosure is being built later in the year to exclude grazing and we’ll augment this site with hundreds of plants in the next few years. We have approximately 500 plants in the @botanicgardenssa glasshouse propagated from lab work in the past eight months, plus hundreds of plants at @royalbotanicgardensvic propagated by Noushka and her team So we’ll have translocated over a thousand plants in the next few years which is considerably more than the wild population counts! We’ll undertake an experiment this year propagating plants from single pods collected from individual hand-pollinated plants to investigate if there is any phenotypic plasticity in flower colour: blue-tops and blue-yellow tops seem to grow together We’re trying to help some of our colleagues in #Victoria where we can considering the current circumstances with other seed collections and germination experiments too Tune in to ABC at 7.30 for more #seedbank #conservation #australianflora #australiannative #botany #science #microscope #southaustralia #seed #nature #germination #botanicgardenssa

24.01.2022 A follow up to our previous Limosella granitica post - currently critically endangered Dan and Denzel planting Limosella granitica into a rock hole at Secret Rocks Nature Reserve, in the Middle Back Ranges, #EyrePeninsula The Limosella only grows in granite rock holes on EP and has become extremely rare due to competition from weeds... John Read and Katherine Moseby from Ecological Horizons own the property and cleaned out the rockholes ready for the planting We planted 18 species of threatened plants that are local to the area around Secret Rocks at the end of June (total 900 plants) This is open to the public and there will be a picnic table and nature walking trails established soon, with more plants to be added to the exclosure in the future A notable plant we want to establish at the site is the velvet bush Commersonia craurophylla - we only know of one plant left in the wild #seedbank #conservation #australianflora #rareplants #australiannative #propogation #Adelaide #southaustralia #seeds #botany #rare #revegetation #botanicalgardens

23.01.2022 Us waiting to meet Costa tomorrow ~~ ABC Gardener's Market starts at 8am! Entry by gold coin donation. Tours of the ABC building start at 9, so get in early for a spot ... Head to the ABC Adelaide event page for more See you there #abcadelaide #adelaide #gardeningaustralia #southaustralia #botanicgardenssa #gardening #market

23.01.2022 Ranunculus papulentus is only known in the Mt Lofty Ranges region from Stipituris Conservation Park and is endangered in SA The population we know of sets minimal seed so were propagating a few hundred plants in our seed orchard to investigate why this is the case We can check pollen viability, hand pollinate plants and investigate whether wild plants are all clonal or genetically weak as a consequence of inbreeding depression... We sampled from a diverse number of wild individuals but they might be all clonal! #conservation#seedbank #australianflora #australiannative #adelaide #southaustralia #seeds #botany #botanicalgardens #buttercup #endangeredspecies

22.01.2022 Seeds from Olearia muelleri which is found in mallee and woodland communities on loams and sandy soils in SA Currently widespread throughout the state and will be flowering from August til October We have over 30,000 seeds stored here and half in the bank in Kew. We had germination rates for 86% back in 2008 ... #seedbank #conservation #australianflora #australiannative #botany #science #microscope #southaustralia #seed #seedart #nature #adelaide #Compositae #daisy

22.01.2022 The sour bush is one of our project species with Kimba Area School & Ecological Horizons Until recently we've struggled to locate a regional population to collect sufficient viable seeds. The other struggle has been resolving a germination protocol. We do have a few plants in the nursery that are at least two years old now but we'll need to provide them with a host plant (they're a semi-parasite) We're hoping to plant these sometime soon so we can have a demonstration site fo...r the symbiotic relationship between the small bronze azure butterfly and a species of Camponotus ant. The sour bush is the specific larval host plant for the endangered butterfly. You can see an exit hole in some of the seeds in the first photo where the Choretrum moth larvae emerged, some seeds still contain larvae. We only store and test seeds in the second photo We're trying a few treatments including smoke ash solutions. Sour bush germinates in response to environmental disturbance events such as fire. For some fire responsive species we often trial combination treatments including heat chemical leaching, smoke water and plant hormones. But we had this odd idea of including fire ash, seeds lie in this alkaline mix of ash and soil for some months post-fire. Ash solution is highly alkaline with a pH of 11, compared with acidic smoke water solutions which have a pH 3.6 We think this might chemical weather the hard woody endocarps for seeds of Choretrum & Acrotiche. We've even sent some of the seeds of this species to the WAITE institute to be blasted by plasma. Yep we'll try anything #seedbank #conservation #australianflora #australiannative #botany #science #microscope #southaustralia #seed #seedart #nature #germination #botanicgardenssa

22.01.2022 Check out this Brunonia australis or Blue Pincushion in the Mumungari Conservation Park on the border of #SA and #WA One of our smaller seed collections, we only have about 800 stored at @botanicgardenssa, but it's common throughout the state #seedbank #conservation #australianflora #australiannative ... #Adelaide #southaustralia #seeds #botany #botanicalgardens #blue #flower See more

22.01.2022 The future is looking much brighter for a critically endangered shrub on the Fleurieu Peninsula! Prior to controlled burns in 2017, one population of the Fleur...ieu Peninsula Guinea-flower (also called the Yundi Guinea-flower) was down to just 20 plants. The burns stimulated the seeds of the Guinea-flower to germinate and grow, increasing the population to 600! Now, an extra 150 seedlings have also been planted at another site, to further boost numbers of this species. This project is a partnership with the South Australian Seed Conservation Centre, to grow and translocate the plants. Were proud to support this project, with funding from the Australian Governments National Landcare Program. #NLP #1000soflocalsolutions

21.01.2022 Exciting news The Botanic Gardens Foundation recently raised $52,000 through the annual appeal for our work on the Kangaroo Island recovery and field work in fire affected areas This funding will support our field collections & laboratory work for threatened flora on Kangaroo Island this year. This was a surprise and far beyond expectations. Thank you to everyone who contributed ... It was boosted by an extraordinary donation from the @cmvtruckbus Foundation of $10,000 and $5000 from the @friends_of_botanic_gardens_adl We are very indebted to the CMV Foundation who have generously supported projects with the SA Seed Conservation Centre in past years We'll ensure we share news about the interesting collections and discoveries on Kangaroo Island this year #seedbank #conservation #australianflora #australiannative #botany #science #microscope #southaustralia #seed #seedart #nature #germination #botanicgardenssa #authentickangarooisland

20.01.2022 Seed, fruit and flower of Polygala glaucifolia found uncommonly in the NW of SA, but common in most states A small herb spreading to 20cms wide with a small light blue to purple pea-like flower, which will flower throughout the year depending on rainfall From our 3000 seeds collected we had a viability of 75-100% and germination rates of 68%... For more info head to the site #seedbank #conservation #australianflora #australiannative #botany #science #microscope #southaustralia #seed #seedart #nature #germination

18.01.2022 A world first! We're propgating the very rare Limosella granitica - an aquatic herb that grows in 'gnamma' holes atop granite inselbergs on the #EyrePeninsula. This is the first time that they've been grown in pots These will be reintroduced to gnamma holes at the Secret Rocks reserve as part of the Mallee Refuge with John Read and Katherine Moseby Were propagating over 1200 plants for the project including Brachyscome muelleri, Androcalva multiloba, Commersonia craurophylla..., Acacia cretacea (Kimba Area School project SEEDS), Acacia rhetinocarpa, Santalum spicatum, Olearia adenolasia and more Many of these plants haven't been reintrocued or propogated before, exciting times #seedbank #conservation #australianflora #rareplants #australiannative #propogation #Adelaide #southaustralia #seeds #botany #rare #revegetation #plantnursery #botanicalgardens

17.01.2022 Hakea carinata is endemic to SA, found commonly in the Southern Flinders, Lofty ranges and and the SE Grows to about 3m tall with inforesence producing 8-24 flowers which become pink with age from September til October Seed pods can be left out to dry and split, containing 2 seeds each. They should germinate readily, we had a 90% viability from our collections... #conservation #seedbank #australianflora #botany #hakea #flower #seed #inflorescence #macro #adelaide #seedpod #botanicgardens #australianative #naturephotography

17.01.2022 Seed from the rather thorny Eryngium vesiculosum or Prostrate Blue Devil Check out the cool germination pic! Its rare in South Australia and Queensland, but common in the other states. This is probably due to grazing, spraying and livestock trampling... Weve banked roughly 10,000 seeds, which varying viability over 4 collections, from 30% 80% The seeds are brown ovoid seeds to 6 mm long and 4 mm wide, covered in bladder-like hairs and 2-3 spikes at one end. If youre collecting, collect heads that are drying and turning a straw colour. Be careful as the plant can be very prickly. Collect more than what is required as not all seeds will be viable #seedbank #conservation #australianflora #australiannative #botany #science #microscope #southaustralia #seed #seedart #nature #germination #botanicalgardens

17.01.2022 These babies growing at the SA Seed Conservation Centre may be critical for ensuring the survival of a population of Leafy Greenhoods (Pterostylis cucullata) bu...rnt in the Cudlee Creek bushfire. Lobethal Bushland Park is one of the few places in the Mt Lofty Ranges where this nationally vulnerable orchid still exists in a group of only around 50 plants. Many orchids benefit from fire but its uncertain whether thats the case for this one. But luckily we had insurance! #AMLR NRM Boards Back From The Brink project, funded by the National Landcare Program, enabled the Threatened Plant Action Group to collect two seed pods from the orchid site in 2018, with another two pods collected and banked by the South Australian Seed Conservation Centre in 2019. Now the centre is growing Leafy Greenhoods from this seed and the adult plants will be re-established back in the park in a few years' time. That insurance policy really paid off! National Landcare Program #NLP

17.01.2022 Its been a while! Firstly, thanks everyone for 1000+ Instagram Follows, it means a lot So much has happened since the last post! The centre received funding from the Fire Gardens event some of you may have visited over fringe, as well as funding from the UK government directed towards the millennial seed bank project We also have an appeal running towards funding trips for our team to Kangaroo Island to locate and gather seeds from endangered species to future proof those ...populations, theres a link in the bio to our appeal. You can donate online or call through to 08 8222 9359 All these funds will go to locating, collecting, storing, germinating and recovery work in areas affected by this years fires The seeds pictured are from some germination testing on species affected by the fires, so far we have promising results Well go over some more recent projects coming up, including some schools setting up their own seed orchards and progress on germination testing for those burnt areas Thanks again #Bottanicgardenssa #Australianflora #Australianaflora #conservation #seeds #adelaide #seedbank #science #germination #orchid #rareplants #endangeredspecies #bushfires

17.01.2022 The Fleruieu Swamp Guniea-Flower (Hibbertia tenuis) is only known from 3 or 4 populations in peat-bog swamps on the Flerieu. It's endemic to SA, in the Southern Fleruieu region with about 200 total plants in the wild From our germination experiments in the lab we have now raised 700 plants - many experiments undertaken by PhD candidate James Trezise from @uniofadelaide who is studying Fleurieu fire-regimes and the guinea flower 200 have been planted in Stipituris conservatio...n park with AMLR NRM ecologists in September and an additional 500 will be reintroduced over 2020 60+ plants were also planted in our Seed Orchard at @botanicgardenssa. Seeds harvested from these plants will be banked and frozen for future reintroduction #conservation #seedbank #endangeredspecies #rareplants #australianflora #botannicgardenssa #botany #germination #science #australianflowers #australiannativeplants #fleurieupeninsula @officialfleurieupeninsula

16.01.2022 Today is the LAST day you can make an EOFY tax deductible donation to our 2020 Annual Appeal. We are so close to reaching our target of $30k and it's all thank...s to your generous donations! If we hit our target, we can secure an imperative second post-fire field trip to locate and collect the seeds of some of Kangaroo Island's most unique and endangered plants. With your help, we can prevent their extinction and safeguard them for the future. Don't wait. Be part of the renewal. Learn more and donate here >> https://bit.ly/SeedBankAppeal South Australian Seed Conservation Centre

14.01.2022 What an exciting discovery! With just 40 known plants left in the wild, things were looking pretty grim for the critically endangered Fleurieu Leek Orchid (Pra...sophyllum murfetii). With its preferred swamp habitat reduced by around 75%, the population was declining. Then, last year, we discovered 25 plants at a new site on the southern Fleurieu Peninsula! AND in another area where just two of these orchids were hanging on, we controlled vegetation to reduce competition. The hard work obviously paid off as now this population is up to 136! Were proud to support this project, with funding from the Australian Governments National Landcare Program. #NLP #1000soflocalsolutions South Australian Seed Conservation Centre

13.01.2022 The seeds of endangered Rhodanthe anthemoides under the care of @adelaide.botanic.high.school A second seed orchard will be established there to pair with our own at @botanicgardenssa. Once seeds are collected we'll show the students how to collect and clean the seeds for storage in our bank This way we get more seed for the bank and get to share some knowledge for future generations ... Flick back through our last couple posts for more info on our SEEDS Project and @abcadelaide market on the 13th of April that'll support the program! #seedbank #conservation #australianflora #australiannative #botany #science #microscope #southaustralia #seed #seedart #nature #germination #adelaide #rhodanthe

12.01.2022 Caladenia agrocalla is also part of our SEEDS Project and under the care of @kildarecollege, who are learning specialised lab techniques to propogate the nationally endangered orchid - along with it's host fungus The White beauty spider-orchid has been featured on our profile before if you're after more info. The Kildare girls were with @abcadelaide's Deb tribe recently, check out the video on the Facebook page and head to the Adelaide radio site for a podcast ... Market on Saturday

10.01.2022 - a sign of love and friendship and a traditional Christmas decoration! Box Mistletoe, , is a semi-parasitic shrub found on many spe...cies of Eucalyptus and Acacia. Common throughout much of South Australia, Box Mistletoe is found at our Para Woodlands Nature Reserve near Gawler where it provides important food for woodland birds. : South Australian Seed Conservation Centre

10.01.2022 Flower of Daviesia schwarzenegger named after Arnold himself Due to being the larger of the two characters from the movie Twin and to honour his leadership as governor of California, in pioneering the reduction of carbon emissions This species was previously included under Daviesia benthamii ssp. humilis Following DNA sequencing, data showed that D. benthamii ssp. humilis comprise of two cryptic species that are not related to D. benthamii, this was unexpected and as an u...nlikely twin, the authors at ANU decided to name the two species after the actors who played an unlike pair of twins in the movie So you guessed it, there's a Daviesia devito too! The characters different growth parallels the different growth habit of the two species. Rarely found in the southern Flinders Ranges and the Mid-north in South Australia, growing in drier sites dominated by mallee eucalyptus on clay soils. Also found in New South Wales and Victoria This species is distinguished from D. devito by having no stipules, smaller flowers, having longitudinally wrinkled rather than ribbed branchlets and phyllodes (when dry) and more robust appearance - we'll feature Danny soon This species has physical dormancy that needs to be overcome for the seed to germinate (e.g. nicking or softening the seed coat) Just uploaded to the site #australianflora #arnoldschwarzenegger #conservation #rareplants #southaustralia #botanicgardenssa #adelaide #australianplants #peaflower #rarespecies #botany #seedbank #dna

10.01.2022 Exciting event coming up! We'll be showcasing the SEEDS Project at the ABC Gardener's market, co-hosted by the @botanicgardenssa & @friends_of_botanic_gardens_adl There'll be food, entertainment, garden goods and advice, kids activities, the @abcadelaide radio live show from 8.30, free tours of the ABC Building and a visit from @costasworld ... All funds raised will go to the @friends_of_botanic_gardens_adl who have chosen to support our project What is the SEEDS Project?: we supply students with the seeds from a threatened plant local to their school region These students educate the teachers and students on the plants biology and how to germinate and propogate these plants The schools then repeat this process, so there will be 2 seed orchards per plant - one in our nursery and a second at the school Eventually these plants will be reintroduced to their habitats with the help of local scientists and seeds will be gathered to store in our bank More to come! Head to our bio link for more info Check out the Market event at @abcadelaide Facebook https://www.facebook.com/events/567284973745381 #Adelaide #abcadelaide #garden #market #abc

10.01.2022 Some special visitors last week!

10.01.2022 Weve posted about the Copper Beard-orchid (Calochilus cupreus) before, but this time well look underground Its currently critically endangered and endemic to South Australia with less than 20 plants known of in Aldinga With the ALMR NRM, weve recently sampled root tissue to isolate the symbiotic fungus required for seed germination. The Tuber and roots were embedded in decaying wood, all of which was sampled... Its hypothesised that whilst one fungus is required for seed germination, another is required for development and growth of the plant The specific symbiotic relationship between fungus and plant is known as mycorrhiza and both the fungus and plant benefit from this relationship The mycorrhiza occur in the root cells of the orchid and these are termed pelotons The pelotons are isolated in the laboratory, subcultured and the surface sterilised seeds are tested for germination on these fungal isolates The Copper Beard-orchid also has a specific relationship with a single species of thynnid wasp for pollination, which weve posted about before! Big thanks to Thelma Bridle from NOSSA for collecting the seeds and to the AMLR for on-going management of the sites, fencing etc #conservation #seedbank #orchid #criticallyendagered #botany #rareplants #botannicgardenssa #orchidaceae #science #australiananative #australianplants #teamwork

09.01.2022 Jewel like seeds from Bolboschoenus caldwellii or Salt Club-sedge Found commonly in fresh or brackish water across the eastern side of South Australia and all other states Bolboschoenus from the Greek 'bolbos' for bulb and 'Schoenus' a genus of Cyperaceae from which it was considered separable by the swellings on the stem.... We collected over 60,000 seeds back in 2007, half of which are stored here and half at the Millennial Seed Bank in Kew, England #seedbank #conservation #australianflora #australiannative #botany #science #microscope #southaustralia #seed #seedart #nature #kewgardens #adelaide #jewels

08.01.2022 Hello from this little guy - we've been busy! We've been out on population surveys and caging populations of Caladenia behrii in Belair, Ironbank and Scott creek Caladenia behrii or the Pink-lipped Spider Orchid is endangered and endemic to SA, we currently only know of 30 populations - this native wasp has found some ... We've hand-pollinated these plants to be able to collect seeds this season to bolster those populations #conservation #seedbank #endangeredspecies #orchid #rareplants #australianflora #botannicgardenssa #botany #orchidaceae #science #australianflowers #australiannativeplants

08.01.2022 The hooked seeds of Ranunculus sessiliflorous var. pilulifer under the microscope The Small-flower Buttercup is currently endangered in SA and likely declining due to habitat loss, grazing etc We have collected from around 250 plants in 2007-08 from the southern Lofty and #YorkePeninsula regions, which had a decent viability... #seedbank #conservation #australianflora #australiannative #Adelaide #southaustralia #seeds #botany #botanicalgardens #buttercup

08.01.2022 Acacia cretacea or Chalky Wattle is critically endangered on the Eyre peninsula and endemic to South Australia A straggly shrub or small tree to 4m tall with smooth grey bark - flowers between July and January Seed should be nicked before germinating, over 4000 of which we've collected from 23 different plants with a 100% viability ... Thanks planting were with the help of Kimba area school back in 2015 #seedbank #australianflora #australiannative #seed #conservation #botany #acacia #wattle #microscope #science #criticallyendangered #rare #nature #seedart #macro #southaustralia #botanicalgardens

08.01.2022 Flowers and seeds of Indigofera helmsii Currently rare but stable in the Flinders area and near threatened elsewhere in the state Indigofera seeds come in some interesting shapes, check back through our Seed Art for the little cube types from Indigofera longibractea!... #seedbank #australianflora #australiannative #seed #conservation #botany #blue #microscope #science #flower #nature #macro #southaustralia #adelaide #botanicalgardens

08.01.2022 It’s been a while! Firstly, thanks everyone for 1000+ Instagram Follows, it means a lot So much has happened since the last post! The centre received funding from the Fire Gardens event some of you may have visited over fringe, as well as funding from the UK government directed towards the millennial seed bank project We also have an appeal running towards funding trips for our team to Kangaroo Island to locate and gather seeds from endangered species to future proof those ...populations, there’s a link in the bio to our appeal. You can donate online or call through to 08 8222 9359 All these funds will go to locating, collecting, storing, germinating and recovery work in areas affected by this year’s fires The seeds pictured are from some germination testing on species affected by the fires, so far we have promising results We’ll go over some more recent projects coming up, including some schools setting up their own seed orchards and progress on germination testing for those burnt areas Thanks again #Bottanicgardenssa #Australianflora #Australianaflora #conservation #seeds #adelaide #seedbank #science #germination #orchid #rareplants #endangeredspecies #bushfires

07.01.2022 Fruit of Atriplex humifusa which is Found in a few areas north-east of Copper Pedy in South Australia, growing in red clayey loam. It's considered rare in SA and common in other states Collect fruits that are starting to turn pale brown, drying off and papery. Fruits can be collected directly from the bush or from the ground underneath Place the fruits in a tray and leave to dry for one to two weeks. Rub the fruit gently by hand to dislodge the seeds. Use a sieve to separate ...the unwanted material. Store the seeds with a desiccant such as dried silica beads or dry rice, in an air tight container in a cool and dry place From one collection, the seed viability was average, at 40% #australianflora #rareplants #southaustralia #botannicgardenssa #adelaide #australianplants #cooberpedy #rarespecies #seedbank #seed #botany #macro

06.01.2022 We’ve posted about the Copper Beard-orchid (Calochilus cupreus) before, but this time we’ll look underground It’s currently critically endangered and endemic to South Australia with less than 20 plants known of in Aldinga With the ALMR NRM, we’ve recently sampled root tissue to isolate the symbiotic fungus required for seed germination. The Tuber and roots were embedded in decaying wood, all of which was sampled... It’s hypothesised that whilst one fungus is required for seed germination, another is required for development and growth of the plant The specific symbiotic relationship between fungus and plant is known as ‘mycorrhiza’ and both the fungus and plant benefit from this relationship The mycorrhiza occur in the root cells of the orchid and these are termed ‘pelotons’ The pelotons are isolated in the laboratory, subcultured and the surface sterilised seeds are tested for germination on these fungal isolates The Copper Beard-orchid also has a specific relationship with a single species of thynnid wasp for pollination, which we’ve posted about before! Big thanks to Thelma Bridle from NOSSA for collecting the seeds and to the AMLR for on-going management of the sites, fencing etc #conservation #seedbank #orchid #criticallyendagered #botany #rareplants #botannicgardenssa #orchidaceae #science #australiananative #australianplants #teamwork

06.01.2022 Update time! Here’s the first of many recent finds on #kangarooIsland as part of our ongoing 2020 bushfire recovery project. We went on 5 trips over 2020 and have another 5 planned this year thanks to your donations to the Adelaide Botanic Garden Foundation and support form @Sealinkki. So far we’ve collected seed from 70 species and taken 300 herbarium specimens! We’ll go over some highlights over the next few posts. From a recent field trip to KI, we found a few new populati...ons of Podolepis jaceoides - Showy Copper-Wire Daisy in #vivonnebay. This is the first population we’ve collected from Kangaroo Island, these daisies are vulnerable on mainland SA, and are actually better conserved on Kangaroo Island. Having that kind of genetic diversity helps bolster the collection further. And a word from Dan on the Seed Hunters Blog from the @botanicgardenssa site: Some of the plants that have regrown since the bushfires are rare, endangered or even on the edge of extinction. One plant discovered is believed to be a newly recorded species, More to come #Bottanicgardenssa #Australianflora #Australianaflora #conservation #seeds #adelaide #seedbank #science #germination #rareplants #endangeredspecies #bushfires #daisy

06.01.2022 X-rayed seeds of Gahnia trifida - an important habitat plant found in SA and other states. The leaves are a source food for larval stages of butterflies and other flying insects and the root system provides soil stability and retains moisture in swamp margins Plants grow to over 1m tall and provide nesting sites for the Endangered Mount Lofty Ranges Southern Emu Wren - of which a population lives in Stipiturus Conservation Park The Fleurieu Peninsula swamps are listed as nati...onally endangered vegetation communities When collecting seeds, it is important to collect the dark shiny seeds that hang by filaments attached to the spikelet (3rd pic). Brown or dull seeds that persist in the spikelets are usually not viable After setting up several experiments we found that heat treatment at 100*C for 10 mins increased germination 10 fold We are now growing 1,500 Gahnia trifida seeds for planting out at Stipiturus CP this year! Seed collection and germination research for this species was supported by the AMLR NRM in 2017-2018 #australiannative #seedbank #conservation #australianflora #fleurieupeninsula #propogation #Adelaide #southaustralia #seeds #botany #sa #revegetation #plantnursery #botanicalgardens #grass #bnw #xray

06.01.2022 Kangaroo Island Daisy or Achnophora tatei - which is endemic to SA and found only on #KangarooIsland, on the edges of streams and seasonally marshy ground It's currently listed as rare and is probably declining further, possibly due to increasing salt levels in those areas It's a small perennial daisy with long, narrow, rounded basal leaves. Flowers are white to light pink with one on each stalk and flower between September and November... The last pic shows the Spatulate embryo type of the seeds From our two collections, we found seed viability was high, ranging from 95% to 100% which is great news #australianflora #australiannative #botany #conservation #daisy #seedbank #rareplant #southaustralia #seed #seedart #nature #adelaide #everlasting #KI #macro

05.01.2022 The critically endangered Chamomile Sunray - an example of our SEEDS Project in action Students from Adelaide Botanic High School have been given seeds of Rhodanthe anthemoides to regrow, gather seed from and reintroduce to Mt Lofty, where it hasn't been seen in over 100 hundred years As part of our 'Stewardship of Endemic En-Dangered Species' program, over 250 students in 7 schools will be involved in actively growing threatened species as well as educating staff and other s...tudents along the way on germination requirements for future stewards! We have over 20 species currently cared for so we'll be highlighting these as we lead up to the ABC Adelaide Gardener's Market from our last post. All funds raised there will be going towards the SEEDS Project #conservation #seedbank #australianflora #australiannative #seed #botany #macroflower #chamomile #science #criticallyendangered #rare #naturephotography #adelaide #southaustralia #paperdaisy #rhodanthe

05.01.2022 Daviesia devito, the smaller twin of Daviesia schwarzenegger which were previously believed to be the same species D. benthamii From our other post; after DNA sequencing done at ANU and discovering they were separate species that team decided to name them after the characters of the movie Twins due to their physical characteristics D.devito is distinguished from D. schwarzenegger by having stipules, larger flowers, having longitudinally ribbed rather than wrinkled bran...chlets and phyllodes (when dry) and a more diminutive appearance Found in the southern part of South Australia, from the Eyre Peninsula to the South-east, growing in mallee on sandy or loamy, usually calcareous soils Currently Rare in SA, #NSW and uncommon in #Vic This species has physical dormancy that needs to be overcome for the seed to germinate e.g. nicking or softening the seed coat #australianflora #arnoldschwarzenegger #dannydevito #conservation #rareplants #southaustralia #botanicgardenssa #adelaide #australianplants #peaflower #rarespecies #botany #seedbank #dna #Australiannative

04.01.2022 In September this year we were on #yorkepeninsula to collect pollen from the Winter spider-orchid (Caladenia brumalis) & Limestone Spider-orchid (Caladenia bicalliata ssp. bicalliata). We also collected some collar tissue for fungal isolation for both threatened species Volunteers Keiran and Jerry found some extant plants for these two species at Marino Rocks earlier. This is significant; The Winter Spider-orchid was last recorded at Marino in 1953 by Darryl Kraehenbuhl and l...ater observed in the 1980s by Enid Robertson and the Limestone Spider-orchid was last recorded in the region at Grange Golf course by Ashby in 1939! We are indebted to Stuart Moody and Jane Greenslade who both have some beautiful remnant she-oak woodland on their properties which include these orchid species. The Winter Spider-orchid occurs in thousands on both properties. One of the other species of interest is the Large Club Spider-orchid (Caladenia macroclavia) There are only two small extant populations for this endangered spider-orchid on Yorke Peninsula (Endemic there). We visited a small council reserve and were fortunate to observe six plants in flower, a lot for this species. Later that night Jane brought out an orchid photo that triggered her memory on a walk seven years ago. We visited the roadside the next morning with Jane and it seems we now have three populations of this endangered orchid. What’s more we recorded at least 30+ plants which we caged, and a number of plants were in bud and flower so this now appears to be the largest population #orchid #australianflora #conservation #seedbank #southaustralia #australiannative #botany #flower #threatenedspecies #botanicgardens #orchidaceae #spiderorchid #botanicgardenssa

02.01.2022 Bonus pic - X-ray seeds from our last post of Acacia cretacea - critically endangered on the #Eyrepeninsula You can see the 100% viability we got with these seeds pretty well here, over 4000 collected #australianative #conservation #seedbank #australianflora #seed #wattleseed #botany #southaustralia #science #adelaide #botanicgarden #xray #bnw #scirart #acacia