List of threatened flora of Australia facts for kids

Australia is home to many unique plants, but some are in danger of disappearing forever. This list tells us about the plants that are most at risk. These plants are called "threatened" under a special law in Australia called the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). This law helps protect Australia's amazing nature.

Understanding Threatened Plants in Australia

When we talk about "threatened" plants in Australia, it means they are facing a high risk of becoming extinct. The EPBC Act helps identify and protect these plants. There are different levels of threat, and the two most serious are "critically endangered" and "endangered."

Critically Endangered Plants: On the Brink

Plants that are critically endangered are in extreme danger. They face a very high risk of becoming extinct in the wild in the near future. This means there are very few of them left, and they need urgent help to survive.

Here are a few examples of critically endangered plants from Australia:

• Abutilon julianae, also known as the Norfolk Island abutilon, is found on Norfolk Island.
• The Acacia cochlocarpa subsp. velutinosa or Velvety spiral pod wattle, grows in Western Australia (WA).
• The Canberra spider-orchid (Caladenia actensis) is a rare orchid found in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).
• The Nightcap oak (Eidothea hardeniana) is a special tree found in New South Wales (NSW).
• King's lomatia (Lomatia tasmanica) is a very rare plant from TAS.

Endangered Plants: High Risk of Extinction

Plants that are endangered are also at a very high risk of becoming extinct in the wild. While not as immediately critical as "critically endangered," they still need strong protection to prevent their numbers from dropping further.

Here are some examples of endangered plants in Australia:

• The Blunt wattle (Acacia aprica) is found in Western Australia (WA).
• Brown's banksia (Banksia brownii) is a beautiful plant from Western Australia (WA).
• The Charming spider-orchid (Caladenia amoena) is an orchid found in VIC.
• Davidson's plum (Davidsonia jerseyana) is a fruit tree from New South Wales (NSW).
• The Silky eremophila (Eremophila nivea) is another plant from Western Australia (WA).
• The Wollemi pine (Wollemia nobilis) is a famous and very old tree species found in New South Wales (NSW).

See also

• Flora of Australia
• List of extinct flora of Australia
• ROTAP
• Threatened fauna of Australia