Colourful potential for Central West

THE vibrant blooms that grace our bush each spring time may soon become a regional tourist attraction and a bright solution to drought-afflicted flower gardens if production trials run by the Centre for Native Floriculture (CNF) are successful.

The vision of the CNF, based at the University of Queensland’s Gatton campus, is to “help create an internationally and environmentally sustainable native floriculture industry which will provide significant employment opportunities in Queensland.”

Floriculture is the cultivation of flowering and ornamental plants.

CNF’s founder, program leader and researcher, Doctor Margaret Johnston, visited Barcaldine in June last year, along with fellow CNF floriculturalists Dr Lilly Lim and Dr Ian Gordon, to meet with locals at a Floriculture Feasibility Workshop, which was supported by the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPIF).

Dr Johnston returned to the Central West later in the year on a field trip with postdoctoral research fellow Dr Dion Harrison to further uncover the floricultural potential in the region.

“After we received funding, we did an extensive survey at a local herbarium searching for possible native flowers that might be suitable for colourful potted plants,” Dr Johnston said.
“We developed a target species and then went searching for it.

“We had a bit of luck on our trip to the west in September, due to the winter rain that followed the dry conditions.”

The plant species Dr Johnston targeted as having special potential was the Ptilotus species.
“Australia has many plants that have the potential for colourful potted plants but the Ptilotus species is a beautiful, very attractive species which flowers profusely,” Dr Johnston said.

“If it is provided with more water than it receives in the wild, it will flower and flower.
“It has incredible genetic diversity and an enormous range of shapes, sizes and colours.
“In Queensland alone, there are 100 different Ptilotus species.

“Ptilotus is also quite an endurable flower and has a long cut-stem life, as well as being tolerant to dry conditions.”

Dr Johnston and Dr Harrison collected seeds and cuttings from the different Ptilotus species while on their field trip and hope to release Ptilotus commercially as an attractive and water-wise Australian flower by 2008.

“We appreciate the assistance of Jenny Milson from Longreach DPIF and her wonderful knowledge of the region’s flora,” Dr Johnston said.“If anyone with similar knowledge of plant species can identify and collect seeds from Ptilotus species, we would welcome their contribution.”

Ms Milson said she believed there was a lot of potential for Central West nurseries to start working with more native species such as Ptilotus and for residents to start planting more water-wise gardens.

“I think the region has so much to offer and I want to make sure we get some of our native species on the map,” Ms Milson said.

“At the moment, DPIF does not have formal involvement in the CNF trials as we are limited by funding.

“But we’re absolutely supporting CNF’s work in the Central West and our aim is raise awareness of the region’s floriculture potential.”

For more information on floriculture, check the Native Floriculture section on the website www.aghort.uq.edu.au or call 07 5460 1301.