- Critically endangered Queen of Sheba orchid flowers using groundbreaking technique
- Fewer than 30 of the orchids remain in the wild
- Breakthrough could help produce thousands of plants from limited seed material
- New approach offers hope for the long-term conservation of one of WA’s rarest orchids
- Cook Labor Government protecting and restoring our environment
One of Western Australia’s rarest native orchids has reached a major conservation milestone, with the first engineered Queen of Sheba orchid successfully flowering at Kings Park.
Scientists from the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority (BGPA) have been able to grow large numbers of Queen of Sheba orchids (Thelymitra variegata) from a small number of seeds held in conservation collections using somatic embryo technology.
The critically endangered orchid has fewer than 30 plants remaining in the wild and is found only in small areas of banksia woodland on the Swan Coastal Plain.
In a significant breakthrough, the program has produced its first flowering plant after just three years, a feat that would normally take seven years using traditional propagation methods.
The technology has the potential to generate thousands of new plants from a small number of seedlings, providing a powerful new conservation tool for helping recover threatened orchid populations.
Following the success of the Queen of Sheba program, BGPA scientists are now exploring opportunities to apply the technique to other threatened orchid species.
As stated by the Environment Minister Matthew Swinbourn:
“This kind of conservation work is absolutely critical to ensuring orchids like the Queen of Sheba remain available for everyone to experience and enjoy for generations to come.
“In recent years we’ve seen growing interest in orchids around the world, which has helped people appreciate just how unique WA flora is.
“With that interest comes a responsibility to protect vulnerable species in the wild, which is exactly what this exciting development is aiming to do.”
