This month, Australian Post released a new set of three stamps about seed banking in Australia. The stamps feature seeds of rare and threatened Australian plants:
- Rytidosperma clelandii, a rare perennial grass from South Australia; it is named after naturalist Sir J.B. Cleland, who was instrumental in establishing some of the State’s first conservation parks
- Epacris petrophila, a near-threatened alpine shrub from the Australian Alps and high-altitude areas in Victoria and Tasmania
- Petrophile latericola, an endangered shrub from Western Australia.
The seed image of the South Australian species were provided by the South Australian Seed Conservation Centre at the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium. The Seed Centre collects seeds from regions across the state to safeguard them in long term storage at sub-zero temperatures. By 2020, the centre aims to have at least 90 per cent of SA’s threatened plant species in the seedbank. The Australian Seed Bank Partnership facilitates and coordinates the activities of the country’s seedbanks.
Details on the individual stamps and an article on seed conservation can be found on the Australia Post website.
