Australia is known for its endemic flora and fauna. The nation is also known for the number of threatened or endangered species. A new list with twenty additions brings the number to almost 2,250. One of these is the Gibraltar Range Waratah.
(Telopea aspera)
[photo credit: G. Darren]. The listings come as the Senate battles to pass legislation creating a new environmental regulatory body. Labor is also under pressure to delay a broader package of reforms of the country's environmental law. Critics say the current scheme is without enforcement teeth. However, the Prime Minister has said that new nature laws are unlikely to be passed this term. The government has said it supports improving environmental protections, and has acted to protect additional land and sea areas while investing $550 million to eradicate invasive pests, expand the indigenous ranger program and protect threatened species. Scientists estimate that $2 billion a year is need to recover plants, animals and ecosystems threatened with extinction.
The Gibraltar Range Waratah is similar to another Telopea that is more well-known, the South Wales Waratah (Telopea speciosissima) While strikingly attractive, the plant does not do well in cultivation. Waratah sprouts from a woody tuber after brushfires. It stores nutrients and energy for rapid regrowth. The prominent, brightly colored flower suggests it specializes in avian pollination, and has done so for 60 million years. The plant is endemic to New South Wales.
