Kangaloon Sun Orchid "listed" on EPBC Act

Breaking News: Kangaloon Sun Orchid listed on EPBC Act, as a Critically Endangered Species.

I am delighted to pass on the news that the Kangaloon Sun Orchid, a newly described species of Orchid, which is known to occur in Butler's Swamp, Kangaloon, (near Robertson) has been accepted by the Federal Minister for Environment, the Hon Peter Garrett MP, for listing under the Federal environment legislation for protection - the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. It is classed as "Critically Endangered".

Kangaloon Sun Orchid (Thelymitra kangaloonica)

You may see the listing details here: http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=81971

The earliest records for this species are old records from Stockyard Swamp, and from the Wildes Meadow Swamp, (prior to that Swamp being flooded to form the Fitzroy Falls reservoir). These plants have been studied by members of the Illawarra Branch of the Australasian Native Orchid Society for many years.

Wildes Meadow Swamp lost 80% of its swamp area, when it was flooded in the early 1970s, to form the Fitzroy Falls Reservoir, as part of the "Shoalhaven Transfers" system, to help supply water to Sydney and Wollongong.

Butler's Swamp and Stockyard Swamp are both potentially at risk from recent proposals by the Sydney Catchment Authority to pump water from the Kangaloon Aquifer. Although the Mr Rees declared last year that the Kangaloon Aquifer proposal was to be "put on hold", the SCA is still preparing to get the Minister for Planning to grant Development Approval to the proposal - so the threat is still live (even if not imminent).

I welcome Mr Garrett's decision to recognise the risk to this species, and to list it with the highest status of protection under the EPBC Act.

Like most Sun Orchids, this plant is shy to flower, and will only open its flowers on a bright, sunny day, and then only for a few hours. Like most Sun Orchids the flowers open and close, depending upon the weather. This plant is a lavender blue colour, with darker stripes. It was photographed flowering on the edge of Butler's Swamp in early November 2007.

Only one single flower was reported as flowering in that season - and this is that specimen. I photographed it several times, several days apart. I also reported it to the researchers from SMEC, environmental consultants for the SCA. This image is of the flower as it darkens, after having opened (presumably several times), over a period of a few days.

Few plants are as rare as this one is. I am glad that it has been recognised as "critically endangered" under the National environment protection legislation.

Here is a close-up of the "column" of the Kangaloon Sun Orchid, showing the details of the column arms (the "mop-like hair tufts"), and the distinctively notched "post anther lobe" (the yellow bit on top of the column). The shape, form and colour of these details of the column are diagnostic features of Sun Orchids. I must admit to finding these details infuriatingly difficult to photograph well, and then to describe. But, I assure you, these details are very important for getting the correct identification of Sun Orchids.

Here is a link to the post I published on 9 May 2007 when I nominated this species for listing under the EPBC Act.

And here is the Ministerial Instrument, signed by the Minister, Mr Garrett, on 19 December 2008.


The listing was announced by the Minister yesterday (18 January 2009).