An Australian nursery has added 50 cuttings as part of a plan to prevent the extinction of rare native trees. The newly explained rodamnia zombie, It is found in tropical rainforests, but it is listed as an endangered species because the rainforests can wipe out surviving populations. Myrtle rust.

The plant’s name evokes its “living dead” condition, and it is hoped that it will reverse this condition. Invasive myrtle rust thrives in humid conditions and has spread to more than 100 plants. After arriving in Australia In 2010.

Alexandra Hayes-Hatten from Balun Landcare Nursery in Queensland said it was “so exciting” to be part of a program trying to save lives. Rodamnia zombie.

“This is just one of the few plants that is affected by it,” she told Yahoo News.

“Humans accidentally introduced myrtle rust to Australia and it’s our job to fight it.”

A nerve-wracking period of time when plants cannot reproduce

because rodamnia zombie It had never been grown from cuttings before, so when the project began three months ago, the nursery team wasn’t sure if the plan would work.

“Some plants can only be grown from cuttings; they must be grown from seed,” says Hayeshatten.

Her team watched helplessly as dozens of cuttings withered, leaving them worried that the attempt had failed.

But unbelievably, five of the plants took root and began to grow roots. Hayeshatten said they constantly check on their health like a new baby.

“I was nervous. But then I saw some of them going on and I thought, oh my goodness, I was onto something,” she said.

University’s dire warning for 17 Australian factories

At least 17 species are threatened with extinction due to myrtle rust, with the University of Queensland warning they could be extinct within a generation without intervention.

One of the botanists, Professor Rod Fensham, explained that the plant did not have a name when it was first evaluated in 2020.

“Since then, myrtle rust has killed 10 percent of the trees, and none of the remaining trees are producing flowers or fruit,” he says.

His research on the future of plants was published in the magazine Austral ecology.

This medium-sized tree is found around the rainforests of the Barnett region of Queensland and has dark green leaves and white flowers.

“The bright yellow fungal pathogen attacks and kills young shoots over and over again, meaning infected trees are unable to grow or reproduce and eventually die,” Professor Fensham said.

The nursery aims to improve breeding germination rates and plans to collect seeds from areas where flowering has been recorded.

Once grown, the tree is returned to the bush or transported to a new location where it can be insured.

How Australians can help protect rare plants

This plant is currently too rare to be made available to the public, but there are other endangered species available for purchase on the Sunshine Coast.

“Baderim holly is a good example; it only grows in a few places,” Hayes-Hatten says.

Other plants that are rare in the wild but whose conservation status has not yet been formally assessed are also often available from local Landcare groups.

“People can help by planting them,” Hayeshatten said.

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