The cover of Australian Journal of Botany against a background photo of a yellow wattle tree in bloom, with the caption: "Peer-reviewed research in Southern Hemisphere botanical ecosystems. ConnectSci.au/bt".

New #AusJBotany #EditorChoice article 📢

'A handbook for standardised measurements of plant reproductive traits: from pollen grain to seedling' by Peter Poschlod, et al.

Published #OpenAccess in @ausjbotany.bsky.social : doi.org/10.1071/BT25...

Citizen scientist re-discovers Australian plant thought extinct for nearly 60 years A plant which was last collected 58 years ago has been rediscovered thanks to photographs presented on the citizen science platform iNaturalist. Ptilotus senarius is a small shrub found in the north of Australian state Queensland. The species was only named in 2014 after analysis of herbarium specimens from 1925...

A horticulturalist putting bands on birds in a remote part of QLD saw an interesting plant.

He uploaded photos to a #CitizenScience app, where a Queensland Herbarium botanist saw them and recognised a plant thought to be extinct:

connectsci.au/news/news-pa...

@ausjbotany.bsky.social #AusJBotany

A stand of Ptilotus senarius plants in a rugged landscape with bushland in the backdrop. The plants have long, dark green stems and are crowned with purple-pink, feathery flowers. A caption invites us to read the open access article, 'Rediscovery of a presumed extinct plant species, Ptilotus senarius (Amaranthaceae), through iNaturalist' in Australian Journal of Botany.

'Rediscovery of a presumed extinct plant species, Ptilotus senarius (Amaranthaceae), through @inaturalist.bsky.social'

By Thomas Mesaglio (@thebeachcomber.bsky.social) Anthony R. Bean and Aaron Bean

#OpenAccess in @ausjbotany.bsky.social 🌿

connectsci.au/bt/article/7...

#AusJBotany

A close up of a Ptilotus senarius flower being held gently between two fingers. The flower is purple-pink and feathery. A caption explains: "Thanks to an eagle-eyed citizen scientist, an expert botanist and a willing land-owner, this presumed extinct plant has been rediscovered." The photo is credited as being by Aaron Bean, iNaturalist.

Ptilotus senarius, once presumed extinct, has been rediscovered thanks to an eagle-eyed citizen scientist, an expert botanist & a willing land-owner.

The find was published #OpenAccess in @ausjbotany.bsky.social 🧪

connectsci.au/bt/article/7...

📷: Aaron Bean, @inaturalist.bsky.social

#AusJBotany

The first known field photographs of the plant Ptilotus senarius. Top left is (a) Inflorescences and slender stems. Top right is (b), a close up of inflorescence showing one open flower. The bottom image, labelled (c) shows the plant's habitat. A caption invites us to read the open access article, titled 'Rediscovery of a presumed extinct plant species, Ptilotus senarius (Amaranthaceae), through iNaturalist', in Australian Journal of Botany. The photo is credited as being by Aaron Bean on iNaturalist.

A plant species presumed extinct in the wild has been rediscovered in northern Queensland, thanks to a sharp-eyed observer, a smartphone camera & the #CitizenScience platform @inaturalist.bsky.social.

#OpenAccess in @ausjbotany.bsky.social:

connectsci.au/bt/article/7...

#AusJBotany

Chieh Lin, @ausjbotany.bsky.social Best Student-authored Paper:

connectsci.au/bt/article/7...

Eilish McMaster, Australian Systematic Botany Best Student Paper:

connectsci.au/sb/article/3...

#AusSysBot #AusJBotany
3/5

A screenshot of an ABC News article titled 'Hoop pine may set record as Australia's tallest rainforest tree'. The header image is a photo of massive hoop pines, taken from the ground looking directly up the trunks to their canopies.

A towering discovery: a 77-metre hoop pine may be Australia’s tallest rainforest tree! 🌲

In a study in #AusJBotany, researchers using Airborne Laser Scanning data to model the canopies of millions of trees identified some that stood head and shoulders above the rest.

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...

Journal manager Pat Hannah and six journal editorial board members sit at a long a restaurant table, smiling at the camera. From left to right: Tom Le Breton, Clare Vernon, Shokoofeh Shamsi, Zoe Xirocostas, Pat Hannah, John Morgan, and Mark Ooi.

📷 #ESA2025

6) Journal Manager Pat Hannah (@pattedplants.bsky.social) with @ausjbotany.bsky.social and @marinefreshwater.bsky.social editors.

L-R: Tom Le Breton, Clare Vernon, #MarineFreshwaterRes EiC Shokoofeh Shamsi, Zoe Xirocostas, Pat Hannah, and #AusJBotany EiCs John Morgan and Mark Ooi.

Australian Journal of Botany - Peer-reviewed research in Southern Hemisphere botanical ecosystems - publish.csiro.au/bt

The research, #OpenAccess in @ausjbotany.bsky.social, found that seed lifespans can vary greatly in the same storage conditions:

'Assessing the storage potential of seed collections to inform the management of wild species seed banks'

www.publish.csiro.au/BT/BT24065

@murdoch.edu.au #AusJBotany

How long does a seed live? The science behind seed banks Seed banks around Australia store the seeds of thousands of species, but even when stored in ideal conditions, some species live longer than others – and even

New research from the Kings Park Seed Bank in Perth has shed light on the surprising life and death of seeds, important for the conservation of species & research into plants which can cope with climate change.

cosmosmagazine.com/nature/plant...

@ausjbotany.bsky.social @murdoch.edu.au #AusJBotany

Five people in a forest in Borneo smile at the camera. One holds up a large pitcher from a tropical pitcher plant. Text explains: "An elusive giant pitcher plant in Borneo has been documented by a team of researchers in Australian Journal of Botany."

Sabah’s hidden giant: Nepenthes pongoides (Nepenthaceae), a micro-endemic tropical pitcher plant from northern Borneo

By Alviana Damit, Nur Adillah Mohd Yusof, Jemson Jumian, Charles Clarke & Alastair Robinson

#OpenAccess in @ausjbotany.bsky.social

www.publish.csiro.au/BT/BT24050

#AusJBotany
7/7

A stunning pitcher plant's flower, with a striking red frilled rim and a green body with red speckles. "The researchers assessed the plant as critically endangered. 'Tragically, it’s demand from horticulturists that drives the illegal removal of Nepenthes from the wild. Two species are already deemed extinct in nature thanks to collectors, whose willingness to pay top dollar drives poachers into the rainforest to collect ornamental plants for lucrative sale online.'"

Unfortunately the plant has been assessed as critically endangered.

“Two [Nepenthes] species are already deemed extinct in nature thanks to collectors, whose willingness to pay top dollar drives poachers into the rainforest to collect ornamental plants for lucrative sale online.”

#AusJBotany
6/7

A close up of the inside of a pitcher, filled with liquid and insect carcasses. "The botanists recorded remains of prey in the pitchers, from beetles to centipedes, giant millipedes (pictured) and even a freshwater crab, which most other pitcher plants are too small to trap."

The researchers recorded remains of prey in the pitchers:

Beetles
Centipedes
Giant millipedes
Even a freshwater crab!

Most other pitcher plants are too small to trap crabs, but not Pongo.

#AusJBotany
5/7

Giant Hairy Pitcher Plant Discovered In Northern Borneo Discovered in low-lying rocky mountains in central Sabah, the species was named for the orangutan, because its hair resembles great ape’s long, dark, rusty-red hair.

“It is also a positive conservation link since the orangutan is also a critically endangered species; in the age of plant blindness, it seemed like an appropriate link to make since the charismatic orangutan is well-loved around the world.”

www.forbes.com/sites/grrlsc...

#AusJBotany
4/7

The pitcher plant's body, covered in reddish hairs. Text explains: "The team named it Nepenthes pongoides after the orangutan, whose scientific name is Pongo, on account of the plant’s thick covering of long, dark, rusty red hairs."

The largest pitcher they found was 45 cm tall and capable of holding at least 2 litres of water.

It was covered in long, rusty red hairs, inspiring the team to name it "Nepenthes pongoides" after the orangutan, whose scientific name is Pongo.

#AusJBotany
3/7

Alviana Damit smiles holding up the large flower of a tropical pitcher plant which she helped document. Text announces: "A rare and elusive giant pitcher plant in Borneo has been documented by a team of researchers from Malaysia and Australia in Australian Journal of Botany."

Last year a team of Malaysian and Australian botanists documented an elusive tropical pitcher plant from northern Borneo in @ausjbotany.bsky.social.

www.publish.csiro.au/BT/BT24050

#AusJBotany #OpenAccess
2/7

The Australian daisy, Erigeron conyzoides, grows between rocks on the side of a road in Falls Creek, Victoria. The plant has tall reddish-purple stems crowned with pretty white flowers. A caption invites us to read the open access article in Australian Journal of Botany titled 'Origins of the rare Australian daisy Erigeron conyzoides and its implications for biological control research and conservation management'. The photo was taken by Alexander Schmidt-Lebuhn, CSIRO.

'Origins of rare AU daisy Erigeron conyzoides & implications for biological control research & conservation management'

Stephanie Chen, Alicia Grealy, Michelle Rafter, Ben Gooden & @anschmidtlebuhn.bsky.social

#OpenAccess in @ausjbotany.bsky.social:
www.publish.csiro.au/bt/BT24047

5/5
#AusJBotany

Stephanie Chen, wearing a white hat, white shirt and grey pants, smiles as she crouches among rocks on the side of the road to investigate daisy plants. A caption tells us: "The researchers ensured the plant is now available to the wider research community for further study through seeds deposited at the the Victorian Conservation Seedbank and the National Seed Bank." The photo was taken by Alexander Schmidt-Lebuhn, CSIRO.

The team published their findings in @ausjbotany.bsky.social:

www.publish.csiro.au/bt/BT24047

They also ensured the plant is now available to the wider research community for further study through seeds deposited at the Victorian Conservation Seedbank and the National Seed Bank.

4/5
#AusJBotany

Alexander Schmidt-Lebuhn, wearing a white hat, dark jacket and holding a plastic collection bag, is crouched over a cluster of daisies growing out of rocky terrain. A caption tells us: "Molecular data and morphology indicated that the daisy fleabane (Erigeron conyzoides) and a similar plant from the northern hemisphere, bitter fleabane (Erigeron acer), are not distinct." The photo was taken by Stephanie Chen, CSIRO.

After finding the plant during field work in Victoria, the next step was to test them.

Molecular data and morphology indicated that this daisy fleabane (Erigeron conyzoides) and a similar plant from the northern hemisphere, bitter fleabane (Erigeron acer), are not distinct.

3/5
#AusJBotany

The Australian daisy, Erigeron conyzoides, grows between rocks on the side of a road in Falls Creek, Victoria. The plant has tall reddish-purple stems crowned with pretty white flowers. A caption tells us: First described in 1855, the species is restricted to NSW and Victoria’s alpine areas. It hasn’t been collected in NSW since 1978, and was recently listed as endangered in Victoria. A team of CSIRO botanists, including Alexander Schmidt-Lebuhn and Stephanie Chen set out to learn more." The photo was taken by Alexander Schmidt-Lebuhn, CSIRO.

First described in 1855, the species is restricted to NSW and Victoria’s alpine areas.

It hasn’t been collected in NSW since 1978, and was listed as endangered in Victoria.

A team of CSIRO botanists, including @anschmidtlebuhn.bsky.social & Stephanie Chen, set out to learn more.

2/5
#AusJBotany

A close up of the blooms of the daisy fleabane, Erigeron conyzoides. The reddish-purple phyllaries around the outside of the flower are a striking contrast to the delicate white petals. A caption explains: "Genetic testing has revealed that this rare daisy fleabane, once thought to be native to Australia, is actually an introduced plant." The photo was taken by Alexander Schmidt-Lebuhn, CSIRO.

For 170 years, botanists have believed that the rare daisy fleabane, Erigeron conyzoides, is an Australian native species.

Now, genetic testing has revealed that it is actually an introduced plant.

A thread 🧵

Rediscovery & a taxonomic twist published in @ausjbotany.bsky.social 🌼

1/5
#AusJBotany

Meet the flower stripped of its native species status When botanists rediscovered the native species last year, genetic testing revealed a surprising taxonomic twist – this fleabane is actually a weed.

For 170 years, botanists have believed that a rare daisy fleabane is an Australian native flower.

Now, genetic testing has revealed a surprising taxonomic twist – that this presumed native is actually an introduced weed.

cosmosmagazine.com/nature/plant...

@ausjbotany.bsky.social #AusJBotany

A close up of two mites on a bee larva inside the cell of a brood comb. A caption reads: "Implications of varroa mite establishment for Australian plants and their persistence. Read the open access article in Australian Journal of Botany. Photo: xiSerge from pixabay".

'Implications of varroa mite establishment for Australian plants and their persistence' by @tomlebreton.bsky.social, Amy-Marie Gilpin, @saltandbrine.bsky.social & @markooiecol.bsky.social

Published #OpenAccess in @ausjbotany.bsky.social:

www.publish.csiro.au/BT/BT24020

#AusJBotany

European honeybee decline could mean native bees thrive Plant ecologists are having a fresh look at the impact of the varroa mite, which might change the relationships between bees and native vegetation.

Plant ecologists are having a fresh look at the impact of the varroa mite which might change the relationships between bees and local native vegetation.

cosmosmagazine.com/earth/agricu...

#AusJBotany @ausjbotany.bsky.social

CSIRO PUBLISHING Awards and Prizes

Could you be the next @ausjbotany.bsky.social student prize winner?

Find out more details, including details about previous winners, on our website:

www.publish.csiro.au/bt/forauthor...

#AusJBotany

Read Chieh's #OpenAccess article, titled 'A comprehensive functional trait database of seagrasses in tropical Queensland', in @ausjbotany.bsky.social:

www.publish.csiro.au/bt/BT24017

#AusJBotany

As the sun sets, Chieh Lin examines seagrass in shallow coastal waters by torchlight.

"I am grateful for the opportunity to study such dynamic and diverse seagrass meadows in Tropical Queensland," Chieh said.

"In my PhD, I am dedicated to applying functional traits to improve our understating of seagrass resilience."

#AusJBotany

Chieh Lin wears a khaki shirt and a blue cap, and crouches in shallow water along a coastline investigating seagrass.

Congratulations to Chieh Lin, recipient of the @ausjbotany.bsky.social prize for best student-authored paper in 2024!

Studying at @jcuofficial.bsky.social, Chieh's research focus is on seagrass beds connectivity, resilience, and recovery.

www.publish.csiro.au/bt/BT24017

#AusJBotany #OpenAccess

Australian Journal of Botany

A new #OpenAccess article in #AusJBotany identifies potential consequences of the spread of varroa mite and highlights the large knowledge gaps that currently limit understanding of the subsequent impacts on the Australian flora.

@ausjbotany.bsky.social

www.publish.csiro.au/bt/BT24020

Australian Journal of Botany; #AusJBotany; publish.csiro.au/bt

High fire severity and frequency threaten the persistence of a widespread obligate-seeder Banksia in south-eastern Australia

By Annette M. Muir, Nevil N. Amos & Paul D. Moloney

Read it in #AusJBotany:
www.publish.csiro.au/bt/BT24048