Rare shrub set for a comeback
A critically endangered plant species is bouncing back in Tutunup thanks to the Department of Parks and Wildlife.
The rare shrub Grevillea maccutcheonii was on the brink of extinction due to the threat of habitat clearing.
The only known population consisted of 12 plants on a roadside verge and the future of the species looked bleak.
But since the department began propagating the shrub in 2000, two new sites have been established and the plant is recovering.
Busselton-based conservation officer Ben Lullfitz said the new plants in Tutunup were now producing their own seedlings.
“It’s been a challenging pro- ject, as we’ve been working on former farmland that has kangaroos and rabbits grazing on the flora, ” he said.
“The plant grows in what’s called Busselton ironstone, which is often flooded in winter and dry in summer.”
Mr Lullfitz said the location of the Tutunup propagation sites was kept secret to avoid people disturbing the species while they were in recovery mode.
He said the department would “let nature take its course” while collecting seeds for planting at more sites to help the plants thrive.
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