Barung members will be familiar with this term but other readers may not, and it is frequently used when planning revegetation projects. Local provenance refers to seed for revegetation projects collected from close to the site where it is to be planted. The aim is to conserve local genetic diversity rather than risk interbreeding with non-local plants and end up with a range of hybrids. This has happened in areas adjacent to some Australian national parks where hybrid grevilleas have interbred with the locals and there is concern that the true local species could be lost.
The seedlings which we purchase, propagated from local provenance seed, are also local provenance, so long of course that our individual planting site is close to where the seed was collected. These plants are likely to be well adapted to the site conditions. This, however, poses a dilemma for the landholder – how local is local?
Regulators and seed buyers suggest 5-20km but there also needs to be an environmental match (eg altitude, soil type) to the site being restored. Widely separated plant populations at the same altitude can be more similar than plants a few kilometres apart at different altitudes.
Seed collected from a large population following heavy, widespread flowering should result in genetically diverse and viable seed. Let Barung know if your local plant population of a particular species is flowering heavily; Seed can be collected in due course and the location recorded.
Seed collected from a small number of plants in a poor seeding year will probably result in plants which struggle and may not survive environmental stresses such as drought or increased temperatures. We could consider sourcing seed within the region but from populations growing under a wide range of temperature and rainfall conditions.
Revegetation is a fascinating journey. Considerations of local provenance are just one part of it.
Barung Native Plant Nursery Open Mon-Fri 8.30am to 4pm; Saturdays 9am – noon; 17 Bicentenary Lane, Maleny; Phone 5494 3151
Leave a Reply