"South Australia's Department of Environment and Heritage says the discovery of two new populations of a rare orchid could be a breakthrough for conservation efforts.
The groups of the hindmarsh valley greenhood - one of Australia's rarest native orchids - have been found along the Hindmarsh River on the southern Fleurieu Peninsula. It had previously been found in only a handful of locations in the Hindmarsh Valley. The Department's Joe Quarmby says the discovery could have long-term benefits for the species. "This new area has less weed invasion than some of the other populations known," he said. "It occurs in a much more pristine site, so that's definitely a positive for the orchid." Mr Quarmby says the find is significant. "This is an extremely important find, the species is only really known from two locations and we found about 180 plants which almost doubles the known population size," he said. URL : http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/06/08/2268385.htm ************* Regards, VB _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
