Doryanthes palmeri (giant rosette plant) - vulnerable species listing
The Scientific Committee, established by the Threatened Species Conservation Act, has made a Final Determination to list the giant rosette plant Doryanthes palmeri W. Hill ex Benth., as a VULNERABLE SPECIES in Schedule 2 of the Act. Listing of vulnerable species is provided for by Part 2 of the Act.
NSW Scientific Committee - final determination
The Scientific Committee has found that:
1. Doryanthes palmeri W. Hill ex Benth. (family Doryanthaceae) was first described in Flora Australiensis in 1873.
2. Doryanthes palmeri (family Doryanthaceae) is described by Wilson (in Harden, G., 1993, Flora of New South Wales Vol. 4. UNSW Press, Kensington, page 81) as: a giant rosette plant. Basal leaves numerous, sword - shaped, to 3 m long and 20 cm wide, glabrous. Scape to 5 m high, bearing numerous much shorter leaves to 30 cm long; inflorescence many - flowered, elongated, to 120 cm long; bracts reddish. Flowers red or red - brown, 6 - 12 cm long, erect to slightly spreading. Anthers 12 - 18 mm long, green - yellow; filaments to twice as long as anthers. Capsule ellipsoid to ovoid, 7 - 9 cm long; seeds 15 - 22 mm long. Flowers late winter to spring.
3. The species occurs in northern NSW and southern Queensland. In NSW it is restricted to the far north - east, reaching its southern distributional limit at Mount Billen.
4. The species is currently known from eleven sites within NSW. Five conservation reserves contain sites. Most populations consist of only a few hundred individuals.
5. Targetted searches for the species have failed to detect any further locations.
6. Threats include weed invasion of sites that can limit recruitment, illegal seed harvesting and possibly frequent fire regimes.
In view of the above the Scientific Committee is of the opinion that Doryanthes palmeri W. Hill ex Benth. is likely to become endangered unless the circumstances and factors threatening its survival or evolutionary development cease to operate.
Gazetted: 06/12/02