Partnering with Kings Park to conserve an at risk species
Image Credit: Cam Campbell, Kings Park and Botanic Garden.
Kings Park has partnered with the WA Parks Foundation to release a new plant that will enable people to bring one of the State’s rarest species into their own backyard.
The silky emu bush (Eremophila nivea) is a Critically Endangered threatened species under WA’s Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.
Usually, the species displays a bright purple flower, however the new cultivar, Eremophila nivea ‘Pink Pearl’ will bloom in pastel pink.
Pink-flowering variations of the species are extremely rare. By replicating this colouration through advanced propagation techniques, Kings Park’s Plant Development program is conserving not only the at-risk species, but also its genetic diversity.
The plant is now available to purchase in select retail nurseries.
The Kings Park’s Plant Development program is the only ornamental plant breeding program in the world with environmental outcomes as its primary focus. All plants developed through the program are cultivars of Australian native species, combining hardy qualities with visual appeal through extended flowering periods or flowers of different colours.
Royalties will support the work of Kings Park and the WA Parks Foundation, with 60 cents from the sale of each Pink Pearl Eremophila plant contributing to the conservation of WA flora.
Environment Minister Matthew Swinbourn described this partnership between Kings Park and the WA Parks Foundation as a fantastic outcome for local flora, with both entities sharing a common goal of protecting and conserving Western Australia’s natural heritage for the community.
“By adding ‘Pink Pearl’ to home gardens and urban landscapes, we can play our part in the ex-situ conservation of the critically endangered silky emu bush, ensuring it can live on for future generations,” he said.
