Hibbertia puberula subsp. glabrescens is a critically endangered plant whose entire known distribution is limited to two hectares in south west Sydney.
The NSW Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) wants to undertake a translocation, to make the persistence of this species less susceptible to chance events.
Several questions then arise:
- Which individuals from the natural population should be selected (cuttings or seeds) for establishing translocated populations?
- What other species of Hibbertia might live nearby, and will they be able to hybridize with the translocated population?
We are working with OEH to answer these questions using genetic analyses, with the aim of designing the most genetically diverse translocation populations possible, while minimizing the risk that they will be swamped with pollen from more abundant, closely related, species.
You can also find out about our work on Hibbertia puberula ssp. glabrescens at the Australian PlantBank.