Gumnuts - King's Holly: Lomatia tasmanica

King's Holly: Lomatia tasmanica

24 August 2008 9:43 AM

Following on from an earlier item about Tasmania's Mt Read Huon Pine, here's another interesting plant from across Bass Strait....

Joy Coghlan writes.....

"This mysterious plant goes back 43,000 years according to the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens in Hobart and grows in the south-west wilderness rainforests. It was discovered by a tin miner, Denny King, who was also an enthusiastic naturalist and eventually got samples of it to Kew Gardens.

Several years ago I put the history and photos on our website, with information supplied by Denny King's daughter Mary.

As with some other pre-historic plants it does not set seed but reproduces by layering, making it very vulnerable to fungus, heavy boots or bush fires.

Efforts to propagate by the Gardens have been rather frustrating, made worse by a reduction in funds for Threatened Species, but they're now having another try with the aid of one of our enthusiasts who does it by grafting on to another Lomatia. Most of us feel it's worth a try to save a species that has survived ice-ages.

* * * * *

Thanks for that info, Joy. Further details can be seen on the Australian Plants Society (Tasmania) website. By coincidence, there's a short item on this plant in the latest issue of Burrendong Arboretum's newsletter Brigge - it is reported that the plant is growing in a greenhouse in England (it's only a small plant that hasn't flowered but the accompanying photo shows it to looking healthy).

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