NEW PLANT SPECIES IDENTIFIED IN NORTHEASTERN AUSTRALIA AFTER CENTURY OF...

Botanists from the University of New England have formally classified a bright pink flowering shrub found in northeastern New South Wales as a previously unknown species. The plant, now named Phebalium banyabba, had been mistaken for the related species Phebalium nottii for over 100 years. Researchers collected a specimen north of Grafton and determined through physical analysis and DNA testing that it represented a distinct species. The name honours the Bandjalang First Nations people's designation for the region where the plant is found.

The shrub grows less than two metres tall and produces pink and rusty-coloured flowers between late winter and spring. Botanists identified distinguishing features including densely hairy calyces with distinctive dendroidal hairs, larger calyx lobes, and larger seeds than related species. Jeremy Bruhl, the botanist who described the new species, and Ian Telford, co-author of the study published in the journal Telopea, led the identification process. Researchers assessed both the plant's physical characteristics and genetic material to confirm its status as a separate species.

Plant identification carries significance for conservation efforts, as misclassification can obscure a species' population size, threats, and legal protection status. Surveys found fewer than 1,000 individual plants in the wild, located across two sites: 466 plants in one location and 502 mature plants in another. Paul Sheringham, a rare plant expert from New South Wales, noted the limited distribution of Phebalium banyabba. The research team analysed pressures facing the species in its natural habitat to inform future conservation strategies.