Five thousand rare plant seedlings are being planted across metropolitan Adelaide this winter to improve biodiversity.

Seedlings sitting in a nursery on a sunny day — Showy copper wire daisy seedlings are cared for at the Trees For Life nursery. Photo credit: Trees For Life.

More than 5,000 additional plantings of 7 rare species will be carried out across 20 sites in metropolitan South Australia during winter. The sites were selected as the habitats where these rare plants once grew before European colonisation.

They include tall daisies (Brachyscome diversifolia), golden billy buttons (Pycnosorus chrysanthes) and arching flax lilies (Dianella longfolia grandis) – all of which were once found in Adelaide, but have been missing for decades.

Image of a plant with a white and yellow flower — Tall daisies (Brachtscome diversifolia) have been planted at some of the metro sites

Green Adelaide Ecologist Jason van Weenen said that last year at around this time we started the re-plantings of these 7 rare species, and have learnt a lot since monitoring them.

"We’re learnt about the habitats they prefer and the species’ survival rates in these areas,” Mr van Weenen said.

“Some plants did not respond well to the site conditions, such as the shade or even the microclimates created by the corflute guards around the plants, but in other areas, the plants were thriving, and bees were even seen visiting flowers!”

It’s the second year that these rare species have been planted and the project is a partnership between Green Adelaide, Trees For Life and the SA Seed Conservation Centre.

Trees For Life’s project manager Amelia Hurren said that this project is significant in the diversity it was adding to the landscape.

“The project will increase biodiversity across many sites, which will have a number of benefits for our local wildlife,” Ms Hurren said.

“The ultimate goal will be if we can see these plants naturalising on the sites, which means they are producing viable seeds to produce new plants.

“For our Trees For Life staff and volunteers, knowing that we’re contributing to the re-introduction of these rare species to sites across Adelaide is very satisfying.”

The plantings will take place across June and July, strengthening the trial populations of the 7 rare plant species.

The 7 species planted include:

Scientific name	Common name	Conservation Status in SA (National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972)	Conservation status in Green Adelaide	Conservation status in Australia (Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999)
Brachyscome diversifolia	Tall daisy	Endangered	Endangered
Swainsona behriana	Southern swainson-pea	Vulnerable	Critically Endangered
Podolepis jaceoides	Showy copper wire daisy	Rare	Vulnerable
Pycnosorus chrysanthes	Golden billy buttons	Endangered	Critically Endangered
Dianella longifolia grandis	Yellow-anther flax lily	Rare	Endangered
Cullen parvum	Small scurf-pea	Vulnerable	Endangered
Glycine latrobeana	Clover glycine	Vulnerable	Rare	Vulnerable
Glycine tabacina	Variable Glycine	Vulnerable	Vulnerable

You can see what species are considered threatened under the NPW Act.

You can search for species considered threatened under the EPBC Act.

Rare plant species set for success thanks to key new insights

Five thousand rare plant seedlings are being planted across metropolitan Adelaide this winter to improve biodiversity.

"We’re learnt about the habitats they prefer and the species’ survival rates in these areas,” Mr van Weenen said.

“The ultimate goal will be if we can see these plants naturalising on the sites, which means they are producing viable seeds to produce new plants.

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