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Nightcap OakNew rainforest tree — Eidothea hardenianaA new species of rainforest tree dating back to prehistoric Gondwana has been identified in the Nightcap Range, near Lismore on the State’s North Coast. Sixteen trees of the newly named Eidothea hardeniana are in an isolated part of the Range, leading to comparisons between this discovery and the ancient Wollemi Pine found in 1994. The exact location of these trees is being kept secret as they may be vulnerable to disease carried by people and could be prized by poachers and seed collectors. Ecologist Robert Kooyman who discovered the species, sent leaves, fruits and wood from the tree to Peter Weston, our Proteaceae specialist, who identified the plants as belonging to the Eidothea genus. Peter Weston & Robert Kooyman have named the species Eidothea hardeniana in honour of Gwen Harden, a former botanist at the Royal Botanic Gardens and editor of the Flora of New South Wales, ‘whose career has been devoted to improving our knowledge of the flora of New South Wales, particularly of the State’s rainforest plants. Environment Minister Bob Debus praised Robert Kooyman and Dr Peter Weston for their work. ‘National Parks and native forests are vital biodiversity storehouses and although we know a lot about them they have many more secrets yet to be revealed. This discovery clearly demonstrates the importance of protecting our native forests. Many of these fascinating trees are thankfully within the World Heritage Listed Central Eastern Rainforest Reserve. ‘The Nightcap Range is the cradle of rainforest conservation in NSW and this find would not have been possible if the community and government had not acted to protect these beautiful places. The importance of these magnificent forests is continuing to be proved by discoveries such as this.’ An interesting thing about these trees is that they have eluded scientific classification for so long. In the 1950s leaves of the Nightcap species were found but not identified as a new species. Eidothea hardeniana are ‘living fossils’ of the rainforests which once covered the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana, consisting of what are now Australia, Africa, South America, Antarctica and New Zealand. But while some existing Australian rainforest trees come from lineages which diversified into hundreds of species, Eidothea remained almost unchanged. The Botanic Gardens Trust and the National Parks and Wildlife Service are supporting the listing of this new species as an endangered species so that it is protected by the Threatened Species Conservation Act. |
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