Progress report on a project sponsered by the Australian Flora Foundation
Dr. Andrew Rozefelds (Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery with the Tasmanian Herbarium).
When Philotheca freyciana Rozefelds was first described it was known from just three individuals in the wild. Extensive fieldwork has now located over one hundred individuals and a selected population is now being monitored. The Royal Tasmanian Botanic Gardens is investigating cutting propagation and has twelve genotypes under cultivation with more on the way. A few seeds were also collected but only one seed has germinated after more than three months. Plant tissue culture is also being attempted and the initial results look promising. While we now know there are more plants in the wild, the numbers are still small and cultivation of the species will now ensure its survival.