Here are just two examples of our conservation collections.
Titan Arum (Amorphophallus titanum, or Corpse Flower) is a rare and endangered plant native to the rainforests of the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
The plant's notoriously smelly flower emits an odour akin to rotting flesh to attract pollinators.
This quirky adaptation is a real crowd-pleaser and sees thousands of people flocking to the Garden to get a whiff on the rare occasion that they are in bloom and on display.
Our horticultural curators have been tending to a collection of these plants and collaborating with other botanic gardens across the world to help save this threatened species. You can read more about this here.
At the east end of the Garden, next to the State Herbarium building, you will find a unique display of South Australian plants, many of which are threatened in the wild.
The plants have been selected to exhibit flora collections from the Flinders Ranges and South Australia’s arid lands which, over time, have developed special adaptations to cope with dry conditions. These plants are rarely seen outside of their natural range and most are not displayed in any other botanical collection in the world. It genuinely is one of a kind.
More than 100 different species are currently being showcased in the new area, including South Australia’s state floral emblem, the Sturt Desert Pea (Swainsona formosa) which is rare and near threatened in much of South Australia.
While the list of plants is too long to list here, some worth particular note are the critically endangered Xerothamnella parvifolia (Freckled duck), the rare Indigofera longibractea (Flinders Ranges Indigo) and critically endangered Rhodanthe anthemoides (Chamomile sunray), which is Adelaide Botanic High School’s emblem.
