In the Bega Valley we are experiencing a significant surge in spring activity, with several local native plants hitting their peak flowering period or beginning their initial seed production cycle.
Article by Merryn Carey: Far South Coast Landcare Seedbank Coordinator
Genetic diversity in seed collection and propagation
Maintaining a diverse gene pool for local native plants used for revegetation helps to build resilient landscapes that can respond more readily to environmental change. That’s the current thinking anyway! With real concerns about rapid climate change, landscape fragmentation, disease and resulting potential for species extinctions – trying to maintain high genetic diversity within planting material is one thing we can do to help .
Extensive areas of National Park and other reserves in the Far South Coast help maintain genetic diversity in our local vegetation remnants. Movements of birds, bats, moths, butterflies and many other types of insects and animals as well as wind and water – help to move pollens and propagules around the landscape and logically help to improve gene flow between plants. While seedbank does not pick seed in National Parks [these areas are protected] – proximity to strong diverse vegetation reserves would help maintain diverse genetic makeup in reserves and remanants on private lands.
Recent talks with people in Landcare groups from other parts of SE NSW working in the space of revegetation, reminded me just how lucky we are to have large areas around us set aside as National Parks.
Regions close to large population centres or in areas extensively cleared for Agriculture are not so lucky. Their revegetation programs often struggle to find enough specimens of the species they want to plant to ensure good genetic diversity in their seed collections. A project in the Yass region for example – tested DNA in the plants in their community run revegetation nurseries as well as in their seed sources and it showed some problems with inbreeding. This can occur when too few trees and shrubs are targeted for seed collection. Another example in the Illawarra region – there are species of rare rainforest trees that only have a few specimens on lands readily accessed for picking the seed. These trees end up being the parents for nearly all the plants of that species available for revegetation.
For our seedbank collections we try to pick from as many different plants as practical, and collect from many different locations throughout our local region. We prefer to pick from areas where many plants of that species are growing resulting in good cross pollination. We avoid picking from isolated individuals.
Joining in as a ‘Seedcollector’ or ‘Seedspotter’ would help us to keep our gene pool wide.
Below is a list of species that the Far South Coast Landcare Seedbank is looking for over the spring period. Keep in mind that climate variability, warm periods and the ongoing dry conditions may change species ripening times………..
| September | |
| Species: | Common Name |
| Allocasuarina littoralis Allocasuarina verticillata Casuarina glauca Eucalyptus bosistoana Eucalyptus paniculata Melaleuca armillaris Melaleuca ericifolia Melaleuca hypericifolia Melaleuca squarrosa Xanthorrhoea concava |
Black She-oak Drooping She-oak Swamp She-Oak Grey Box Grey Ironbark Bracelet Honey-myrtle Swamp Paperbark Hillock Bush Scented Paperbark Grass Tree |
| October: | |
| Eucalyptus sieberi Leptospermum continentale Leptospermum polygalifolium Poa billardierei Xerochrysum bracteatum |
Silver-top Ash Prickly Tea-tree Tantoon, Yellow Tea-tree Beach Fescue Golden Everlasting, Strawflower |
| November: | |
| Acacia brownii Acacia floribunda Acacia suaveolens Acacia subporosa Allocasuarina littoralis Bulbine glauca Coronidium elatum Dodonaea truncatiales Dodonaea viscosa Eucalyptus angophoroides Eucalyptus globoidea Eucalyptus maidenii Eucalyptus smithii Hakea decurrens Myoporum acuminatum Myoporum boninense Olearia tomentosa Ozothamnus argophyllus Ozothamnus ferrugineus Poa billardierei Xerochrysum bracteatum |
Heath Wattle Gossamer Wattle Sweet Wattle Sticky Bower Wattle Black She-oak Bulbine Lily White Paper Daisy Angular Hop-bush Hop Bush Apple-topped Box White Stringybark Maiden’s Gum, Southern Blue Gum Gully Gum, Blackbutt Peppermint Bushy Needlewood Pointed Boobialla Coastal Myoporum Toothed Daisy Bush Spicy Everlasting Tree Everlasting Beach Fescue Golden Everlasting, Strawflower |
The FSCLA Seedspotters Workbook contains localised, monthly species lists to look out for each month and space to record your field observations. A PDF file of the Workbook can be dowloaded below for you to print at home. If you don’t have printer and would like a hard copy of the seed spotters handbook, very limited copies are available for serious seed spotters by contacting the FSCLA Seed Bank Coordinator Merryn Carey- email: fsclaseedbank@gmail.com
