For more than a century, a bright pink flowering shrub in northeastern New South Wales, Australia, was hiding in plain sight. Botanists thought it belonged to the known species Phebalium nottii, but closer inspection has now revealed that the plant was something else entirely.
Botanists at the University of New England (UNE) have formally described it as Phebalium banyabba, a species found only in a limited part of northeastern NSW. The work, published in the journal Telopea, corrects a long-running scientific misidentification and gives conservationists a clearer picture of what needs protection.
The trail began when Paul Sheringham, a rare plant expert with the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, collected a plant north of Grafton, NSW, that was believed to be Phebalium nottii. But to botanists at the UNE N.C.W. Beadle Herbarium, the specimen did not quite fit.
"Phebalium banyabba forms a lovely shrub less than two meters tall and is covered with stunning pink and rusty flowers in late winter through spring," said Emeritus Professor Jeremy Bruhl, who described the new species together with Dr. Ian Telford.
The evidence came from both physical traits and DNA. Molecular work by then PhD student Dr Sangay Dema confirmed that the samples were distinct, while close examination showed features that separated the plant from related species — densely hairy calyces with distinctive dendritic hairs, larger calyx lobes, and larger seeds.
Once the plant appeared to be a separate species, the team searched for additional populations. The species has only been found in two locations, with fewer than 1,000 individual plants in the wild — 466 plants in one location and 502 mature plants in a second.
"These low numbers are likely due to threats such as the species' restricted distribution, too frequent fire, drought, cattle grazing, and the species' dependence on seed regeneration rather than resprouting after fire," said Mr Sheringham.
The plant relies on seed regeneration rather than regrowing from its base after fire, making the timing and frequency of fire especially significant. If fires occur too often, plants may not have enough time to mature and replenish the seed bank.
The name Phebalium banyabba honors the Bandjalang First Nations people's name for the region where the plant is found. Formal scientific publication also makes the species visible to conservation law, supporting its listing as a Threatened Species under NSW legislation.
Conservation work has already moved beyond description. The species has been propagated at the Australian National Botanic Gardens, and there are plans to introduce it to the horticultural trade — a step that could reduce pressure on wild populations by lowering the incentive for illegal collection.
