'Rare and threatened': the bid to save Grampian flowers after fire disasters

Royal Botanic Gardens scientists are heading to the Victorian national park in search of plant survivors amid the charred landscapeThe Grampians globe-pea, a critically endangered wiry shrub, had finished flowering and was fruiting when fires tore through its home in the Grampians national park, in western Victoria. The spiny plant with vibrant orange and yellow flowers is extremely rare and restricted to a handful of sites, including areas within the 76,000 hectares that burned over December and January.Finding the globe-pea will be a priority when a plant rescue mission led by Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria heads to the Grampians to search for survivors and signs of life amid the charred landscape. Continue reading...