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NRCA seminar

Russell Barrett, Australian National Herbarium, CSIRO

Despite an increase in exploration of Western Australia's Kimberley region in recent decades, the plant diversity is still considered to be poorly known. The Flora of the Kimberley Region published in 1992 recorded just over 2,000 plant species in the region.

Since then, that number has climbed to over 3300 species and continues to grow. Even in regions considered well known and close to towns such as Broome and Kununurra, new species are regularly discovered.

The largest number of new species are being found on the sandstone plateaux of the north west Kimberley, in the high rainfall zone (1,000–1,400 mm p/a). Many of these species are wet season ephemerals, and are completely missed by dry season visitors. We have utilised helicopters, remote bush camps and station homesteads to survey many remote parts of the Kimberley in search of unknown plants.

Not all of the new discoveries are small or annuals, with new Acacias and the occasional new Eucalypt still coming to light. We suggest that there are still hundreds of new species awaiting discovery in the region, most of which are likely to be endemic and deserve protection through conservation measures.

We will take you well beyond the Gibb River Road to present highlights of our discoveries and the astonishing landscapes of the region. From the world's only non-carnivorous carnivorous plant, to dead horse lilies, and a mock orange that was 'lost' for 180 years, the Kimberley flora is very unique. We will show how this flora compares to the remainder of Australia and discuss the threats currently facing the region.

Russell Barrett is currently working on a set of identification keys and bibliographic checklist for 3,500 plant taxa in the Kimberley region, funded by the ABRS Bush Blitz Grant scheme.