Botanists have revealed that a supposedly extinct species is called Prasophyllum morganiiknown as Orchid flower The little leek, was actually hiding in plain sight.
Prasophyllum morganii First collected from a single population in the sub-districts of Victoria, Australia, in 1929, but not collected since 1933, despite extensive surveys by orchid lovers. was considered Extinct under the Plants and Animals Assurance Act 1988 The Scientific Council on Endangered Species.
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In 2000, a similar-looking orchid was described from Kosciusko National Park, New South Wales, and named Prasophyllum retroflexumknown as Kiandra leek orchid, but the team has now shown that it is actually Prasophyllum morganii.
Dr. Noushka Reiter, a research co-author and senior research scientist at Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, says the findings presented in Phytotaxa will advance efforts to conserve this species in the future.
“It was a pleasant surprise to learn that Prasophyllum morganii is still around, yet it is still in danger of extinction and we must protect it“.
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She says that good taxonomy, the accurate description of plants and animals, promotes the conservation of such rare and endangered plants. “When we better understand orchid species, their characteristics, distribution, and ecology, we can improve our ability to conserve them.,” he explains in a statement.
The team analyzed the original samples from Prasophyllum morganii And 33 samples were collected in the herbarium and in the field to reach the result.
prasophyllum It is a family gender orchidOrchids, or orchids, are found mainly in southeastern Australia. There are an estimated 207 species of prasophyllum Many of them have not yet been formally described. 39 are listed nationally as critically endangered, endangered or endangered under the Australian Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
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