Monday, May 16, 2011

Save a species

These wonderful images, and many more, come from Black Diamond Images :
           This set is Seeds/Fruit of the Australian Rainforest







Cut seed of Micromelum minutum - Cluster Berry, Lime Berry
Syzygium moorei -  Coolamon, Durobby
Rhysotoechia robertsonii - Robertson's Tuckeroo - Capsule showing mature black seed taken under dissecting microscope
Persoonia amaliae - Amalie's Geebung - seedling
Mallotus philippensis - Red Kamala - capsules as viewed by dissecting microscope
Wollemia nobilis - Wollemi Pine
Elaeocarpus grandis - Blue Quandong, Blue Fig
Ficus leptoclada - Atherton Fig
Ficus leptoclada - Atherton Fig
Ficus leptoclada - Atherton Fig
Electron Microscope Image - Clausena smyrelliana - Smyrell's Clausena
Light Microscope Image - Cut seed of Persoonia adenantha - Coastal Geebung
Alpinia caerulea - Native Ginger
see more images here  
Mackinlaya macrosciadia - Mackinlaya
Mackinlaya macrosciadia - Mackinlaya












Do yourself a favour and go see the wonderful sets of images at the sites above or here at Black Diamond images - Zenfolio.



photo

Black Diamond Images
:

Castanospermum australe - Black Bean, Morton Bay Chestnut

ALL IMAGES COPYRIGHT  All Rights Reserved.  Contact -bdimages(at)wc.net.au


Family : Fabaceae    The seeds should be regarded as poisonous and not eaten as there are numerous well documented cases of poisoning. Aborigines have been reported as eating the seeds but only after careful preparation involving leaching in water and roasting. Everist (1974). More info here.
A great collections page is here at Australian Rainforest Plants, Trees and Funghi.




The wonderful people at Wild Mob whom I wrote about in last week's post: sent me this link to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney website today where there are some excellent plant science programs in place.  Thanks Randall!


Having spent a large part of my life living in NSW I've some familiarity with species from that State. That said ... the northern NSW coastal area where I grew up is sub-tropical and somewhat similar to the south-east Qld region where I am now. Borders dont count for much in one sense... in other ways they do.
Last year, based at the Brisbane Botanic Gardens, I was interested to discover that during World War II the Qld State Govt's funding pressures were such that they handed over the running of the Gardens to the City Council... an unusual arrangement for such a large institution. An obvious resulting challenge is the Gardens have not exactly been the funding priority of State Govt in the way they might have been. Where the Herbarium is State Govt run and located on the grounds of Mt Coot-tha alongside the Garden's Administration buildings ... its a completely separate entity.  Facilities and programs a Govt might undertake differ to those a Council will determine necessary nor have the capacity to fund. The Qld Seeds for Life project and Seed Lab would be an obvious area that could benefit greatly from  Government involvement...  especially as the collections come from across Queensland and are shared between the Millennium Seed Bank in the UK and the Qld Seed bank.

The Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney is where I will focus this post. It appears to be an excellent facility on many levels... not the least of which is the extensively well-developed programs for Plant Science - if you click on the categories listed above under the Science heading you can read more on what is taking place there.


This is a lively and important campaign from the RBG in Sydney:
Save a Species


Telopea-speciosissima©Anne GeddesPycnosorus-globosus©Anne GeddesActinotus-helianthi©Anne Geddes






It is estimated that worldwide up to 50% of plant species face extinction.

That's a significant threat to our planet. Every plant performs vital functions that make life on 
earth possible. 

How you can help

Donations will help us to protect an endangered plant species. By joining the Save a Species 
campaign today, you will help us protect our planet.
Get sponsored for a challenge or activity and raise funds with friends and family or donate now 
and give a gift to someone special.
However you decide to get involved, you will be helping to preserve plants and the important 
roles they perform.

How does it work?

Save a Species is supporting the NSW Seedbank - an amazing way of storing seeds and plant
 DNA to prevent the loss of plant species from ecological habitats.
The NSW Seedbank is part of the Millennium Seed Bank project described by Sir 
David Attenborough as 'perhaps the most important conservation initiative ever.'
Through this network the NSW Seedbank has helped bank 10% of the world's plant species and 
is committed to reaching 25% by 2020.
Our Seedbank is targeting plants most at risk from climate change and human activities to 
ensure the powerful blueprints contained in plant DNA aren't lost forever.
Eremophila maculata©Anne Geddes
Eremophila maculata, Spotted Emu Bush
       Acacia salicina©Anne Geddes        
    Acacia salicina, Native Willow 

The Royal Botanic Gardens,  Domain Trust would like to thank the Geddes Group for their 
support of the NSW Seedbank and the Royal Botanic Gardens Foundation. Anne Geddes' latest 
book is Beginnings - an exploration of new life.
Images: Anne Geddes

To read more about one of the conservation adventure programs from Wild Mob click here and see what they invite you to join in with! Image below is a group who have volunteered with Wild Mob...
invasive weed removal on Brampton Island



snorkelling along Brampton island's reefs








4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wonderful post. I have participated in invasive weed removal in the Pacific NW. It is hard work! (English Ivy is transplanted from local gardens to forest. It goes crazy and chokes out trees and other native plants.) People don't realize that by planting non native plants, that they can do damage to indiginous (sp?) landscapes.
We also don't realize what we have lost until it is too late!

Oh, and the seed forms are very inspiring!

Sophie Munns said...

Yes I'm with you on that Mary... people dont realise... many see when something is gone and not before... and perhaps these days not even then!
Part of what's so brilliant about the volunteering process is eyes are opened... on-site learning...things can be put in perspective!
"Show and tell" ... it makes a big difference to our understanding!
thanks for your words... I have an image of the forests of the U S North West being very dense, huge and hard to navigate even?
S

Black Diamond Run said...

Hi Sophie,
Here is another link that your readers may find useful.
DATABASE INDEX of the Identifying Australian Rainforest, Plants trees and Fungi Flickr group which currently has 340 members
http://www.flickr.com/groups/australianrainforestplants/discuss/72157606451405999/#comment72157606451416793
Look down the list for Rainforest Fruits and further down for rainforest fruit by colour tags.

Sophie Munns said...

BD...
this is amazing... I will have to do a post when I can this week or very soon to ring this to people's attention.... WOW!
So impressive... thank you!
S

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