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A new #OpenAccess article in #AusJBotany identifies potential consequences of the spread of varroa mite and highlights the large knowledge gaps that currently limit understanding of the subsequent impacts on the Australian flora.

@ausjbotany.bsky.social

www.publish.csiro.au/bt/BT24020
Australian Journal of Botany
March 10, 2025 at 11:35 PM
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High fire severity and frequency threaten the persistence of a widespread obligate-seeder Banksia in south-eastern Australia

By Annette M. Muir, Nevil N. Amos & Paul D. Moloney

Read it in #AusJBotany:
www.publish.csiro.au/bt/BT24048
Australian Journal of Botany; #AusJBotany; publish.csiro.au/bt
February 26, 2025 at 10:45 PM
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Congratulations to Chieh Lin, recipient of the @ausjbotany.bsky.social prize for best student-authored paper in 2024!

Studying at @jcuofficial.bsky.social, Chieh's research focus is on seagrass beds connectivity, resilience, and recovery.

www.publish.csiro.au/bt/BT24017

#AusJBotany #OpenAccess
Chieh Lin wears a khaki shirt and a blue cap, and crouches in shallow water along a coastline investigating seagrass.
March 19, 2025 at 2:53 AM
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📷 #ESA2025

6) Journal Manager Pat Hannah (@pattedplants.bsky.social) with @ausjbotany.bsky.social and @marinefreshwater.bsky.social editors.

L-R: Tom Le Breton, Clare Vernon, #MarineFreshwaterRes EiC Shokoofeh Shamsi, Zoe Xirocostas, Pat Hannah, and #AusJBotany EiCs John Morgan and Mark Ooi.
Journal manager Pat Hannah and six journal editorial board members sit at a long a restaurant table, smiling at the camera. From left to right: Tom Le Breton, Clare Vernon, Shokoofeh Shamsi, Zoe Xirocostas, Pat Hannah, John Morgan, and Mark Ooi.
December 2, 2025 at 1:42 AM
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A plant species presumed extinct in the wild has been rediscovered in northern Queensland, thanks to a sharp-eyed observer, a smartphone camera & the #CitizenScience platform @inaturalist.bsky.social.

#OpenAccess in @ausjbotany.bsky.social:

connectsci.au/bt/article/7...

#AusJBotany
The first known field photographs of the plant Ptilotus senarius. Top left is (a) Inflorescences and slender stems. Top right is (b), a close up of inflorescence showing one open flower. The bottom image, labelled (c) shows the plant's habitat. A caption invites us to read the open access article, titled 'Rediscovery of a presumed extinct plant species, Ptilotus senarius (Amaranthaceae), through iNaturalist', in Australian Journal of Botany. The photo is credited as being by Aaron Bean on iNaturalist.
January 19, 2026 at 11:09 PM
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Chieh Lin, @ausjbotany.bsky.social Best Student-authored Paper:

connectsci.au/bt/article/7...

Eilish McMaster, Australian Systematic Botany Best Student Paper:

connectsci.au/sb/article/3...

#AusSysBot #AusJBotany
3/5
December 17, 2025 at 12:57 AM
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New #AusJBotany #EditorChoice article 📢

'A handbook for standardised measurements of plant reproductive traits: from pollen grain to seedling' by Peter Poschlod, et al.

Published #OpenAccess in @ausjbotany.bsky.social : doi.org/10.1071/BT25...
The cover of Australian Journal of Botany against a background photo of a yellow wattle tree in bloom, with the caption: "Peer-reviewed research in Southern Hemisphere botanical ecosystems. ConnectSci.au/bt".
March 17, 2026 at 11:07 PM
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'Implications of varroa mite establishment for Australian plants and their persistence' by @tomlebreton.bsky.social, Amy-Marie Gilpin, @saltandbrine.bsky.social & @markooiecol.bsky.social

Published #OpenAccess in @ausjbotany.bsky.social:

www.publish.csiro.au/BT/BT24020

#AusJBotany
A close up of two mites on a bee larva inside the cell of a brood comb. A caption reads: "Implications of varroa mite establishment for Australian plants and their persistence. Read the open access article in Australian Journal of Botany. Photo: xiSerge from pixabay".
March 20, 2025 at 10:34 PM
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New research from the Kings Park Seed Bank in Perth has shed light on the surprising life and death of seeds, important for the conservation of species & research into plants which can cope with climate change.

cosmosmagazine.com/nature/plant...

@ausjbotany.bsky.social @murdoch.edu.au #AusJBotany
How long does a seed live? The science behind seed banks
Seed banks around Australia store the seeds of thousands of species, but even when stored in ideal conditions, some species live longer than others – and even
cosmosmagazine.com
May 15, 2025 at 3:43 AM
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A horticulturalist putting bands on birds in a remote part of QLD saw an interesting plant.

He uploaded photos to a #CitizenScience app, where a Queensland Herbarium botanist saw them and recognised a plant thought to be extinct:

connectsci.au/news/news-pa...

@ausjbotany.bsky.social #AusJBotany
Citizen scientist re-discovers Australian plant thought extinct for nearly 60 years
A plant which was last collected 58 years ago has been rediscovered thanks to photographs presented on the citizen science platform iNaturalist. Ptilotus senarius is a small shrub found in the north of Australian state Queensland. The species was only named in 2014 after analysis of herbarium specimens from 1925...
connectsci.au
February 6, 2026 at 3:29 AM
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"Australia may soon face unprecedented conservation decisions, from relocating native species & gene-editing invasive pests to deliberately creating ecosystems better suited to the conditions of the future."

@ausjbotany.bsky.social #AusJBotany #OpenAccess

Read more: www.scimex.org/newsfeed/wha...
Lab-grown meat, gene editing and extreme fire: Researchers' prediction
Lab-grown meat, gene editing and extreme fire: Researchers' predictions for life in the 2100s A major study has examined the deep environmental technological and societal challenges and sc
www.scimex.org
July 21, 2026 at 1:08 AM
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A recent study of the striking hairpin banksia (Banksia cunninghamii), in areas of Victoria affected by the 2019-2020 Black Summer bushfires, found the species is threatened with local extinction if fires return to these areas in less than 12 years.

cosmosmagazine.com/nature/plant...

#AusJBotany
Talks turn to rescue as climate changed fire threatens flora
Australian plants adapted to resist and recover from fire are becoming threatened by it, as climate change worsens fire weather and drives more frequent and severe wildfires.
cosmosmagazine.com
February 26, 2025 at 10:45 PM
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A towering discovery: a 77-metre hoop pine may be Australia’s tallest rainforest tree! 🌲

In a study in #AusJBotany, researchers using Airborne Laser Scanning data to model the canopies of millions of trees identified some that stood head and shoulders above the rest.

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...
A screenshot of an ABC News article titled 'Hoop pine may set record as Australia's tallest rainforest tree'. The header image is a photo of massive hoop pines, taken from the ground looking directly up the trunks to their canopies.
December 3, 2025 at 11:16 PM
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Plant ecologists are having a fresh look at the impact of the varroa mite which might change the relationships between bees and local native vegetation.

cosmosmagazine.com/earth/agricu...

#AusJBotany @ausjbotany.bsky.social
European honeybee decline could mean native bees thrive
Plant ecologists are having a fresh look at the impact of the varroa mite, which might change the relationships between bees and native vegetation.
cosmosmagazine.com
March 20, 2025 at 10:34 PM
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Ptilotus senarius, once presumed extinct, has been rediscovered thanks to an eagle-eyed citizen scientist, an expert botanist & a willing land-owner.

The find was published #OpenAccess in @ausjbotany.bsky.social 🧪

connectsci.au/bt/article/7...

📷: Aaron Bean, @inaturalist.bsky.social

#AusJBotany
A close up of a Ptilotus senarius flower being held gently between two fingers. The flower is purple-pink and feathery. A caption explains: "Thanks to an eagle-eyed citizen scientist, an expert botanist and a willing land-owner, this presumed extinct plant has been rediscovered." The photo is credited as being by Aaron Bean, iNaturalist.
January 23, 2026 at 4:01 AM
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New #AusJBotany #EditorsChoice article 🧪 🌱

'Scenarios for ecosystems in the year 2100'
By Mark Westoby, et al.

Published #OpenAccess in @ausjbotany.bsky.social: doi.org/10.1071/BT26...
The cover of Australian Journal of Botany against a background photo of a yellow wattle tree in bloom, with the caption: "Peer-reviewed research in Southern Hemisphere botanical ecosystems. ConnectSci.au/bt".
August 3, 2026 at 12:11 AM
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Read Chieh's #OpenAccess article, titled 'A comprehensive functional trait database of seagrasses in tropical Queensland', in @ausjbotany.bsky.social:

www.publish.csiro.au/bt/BT24017

#AusJBotany
March 19, 2025 at 2:53 AM
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"Researchers in Victoria have conducted a census of a lowland eucalypt forest in south-eastern Australia... The census recorded over 51,000 individual trees from 46 species, revealing a complex pattern in forest structure"

@ausjbotany.bsky.social #AusJBotany #OpenAccess

Read more 👇
Census of eucalypt forest in Vic will help show the long term impacts
Census of eucalypt forest in Vic will help show the long term impacts of climate change Much like the upcoming national census run by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, researchers
www.scimex.org
July 28, 2026 at 12:14 AM
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Sabah’s hidden giant: Nepenthes pongoides (Nepenthaceae), a micro-endemic tropical pitcher plant from northern Borneo

By Alviana Damit, Nur Adillah Mohd Yusof, Jemson Jumian, Charles Clarke & Alastair Robinson

#OpenAccess in @ausjbotany.bsky.social

www.publish.csiro.au/BT/BT24050

#AusJBotany
7/7
Five people in a forest in Borneo smile at the camera. One holds up a large pitcher from a tropical pitcher plant. Text explains: "An elusive giant pitcher plant in Borneo has been documented by a team of researchers in Australian Journal of Botany."
May 7, 2025 at 3:09 AM
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The largest pitcher they found was 45 cm tall and capable of holding at least 2 litres of water.

It was covered in long, rusty red hairs, inspiring the team to name it "Nepenthes pongoides" after the orangutan, whose scientific name is Pongo.

#AusJBotany
3/7
The pitcher plant's body, covered in reddish hairs. Text explains: "The team named it Nepenthes pongoides after the orangutan, whose scientific name is Pongo, on account of the plant’s thick covering of long, dark, rusty red hairs."
May 7, 2025 at 3:09 AM
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New #AusJBotany #EditorsChoice article 🧪 🌱

'Structure and composition of a mixed-species eucalypt forest in south-eastern Australia'
By Ella Hellessey, Craig R. Nitschke, Andrew W. Western, Darius Culvenor & Patrick J. Baker

#OpenAccess in @ausjbotany.bsky.social: doi.org/10.1071/BT26...
The cover of Australian Journal of Botany against a background photo of a yellow wattle tree in bloom, with the caption: "Peer-reviewed research in Southern Hemisphere botanical ecosystems. ConnectSci.au/bt".
August 4, 2026 at 12:09 AM
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Could you be the next @ausjbotany.bsky.social student prize winner?

Find out more details, including details about previous winners, on our website:

www.publish.csiro.au/bt/forauthor...

#AusJBotany
CSIRO PUBLISHING
Awards and Prizes
www.publish.csiro.au
March 19, 2025 at 2:53 AM
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'Rediscovery of a presumed extinct plant species, Ptilotus senarius (Amaranthaceae), through @inaturalist.bsky.social'

By Thomas Mesaglio (@thebeachcomber.bsky.social) Anthony R. Bean and Aaron Bean

#OpenAccess in @ausjbotany.bsky.social 🌿

connectsci.au/bt/article/7...

#AusJBotany
A stand of Ptilotus senarius plants in a rugged landscape with bushland in the backdrop. The plants have long, dark green stems and are crowned with purple-pink, feathery flowers. A caption invites us to read the open access article, 'Rediscovery of a presumed extinct plant species, Ptilotus senarius (Amaranthaceae), through iNaturalist' in Australian Journal of Botany.
January 23, 2026 at 4:01 AM
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“It is also a positive conservation link since the orangutan is also a critically endangered species; in the age of plant blindness, it seemed like an appropriate link to make since the charismatic orangutan is well-loved around the world.”

www.forbes.com/sites/grrlsc...

#AusJBotany
4/7
Giant Hairy Pitcher Plant Discovered In Northern Borneo
Discovered in low-lying rocky mountains in central Sabah, the species was named for the orangutan, because its hair resembles great ape’s long, dark, rusty-red hair.
www.forbes.com
May 7, 2025 at 3:09 AM
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"I am grateful for the opportunity to study such dynamic and diverse seagrass meadows in Tropical Queensland," Chieh said.

"In my PhD, I am dedicated to applying functional traits to improve our understating of seagrass resilience."

#AusJBotany
As the sun sets, Chieh Lin examines seagrass in shallow coastal waters by torchlight.
March 19, 2025 at 2:53 AM