By Debbie Reynolds,
Pimelea Conservation Officer
Spiny Rice-flowers are a species of Pimelea, Pimelea spinescens, and among the 1,300 small plant species that call Victoria’s native grasslands home. They’re unusual because they’re dioecious – a population has both male and female plants (and sometimes hermaphrodites). The males, which produce the pollen, are quite showy with their creamy-yellow flowers. When you see a lot of them in flower you can smell a beautiful perfume coming from them.
Although they only grow to about knee-height, I think of the Spiny Rice-flower like a rainforest tree in the grassland. They always have some greenery and they have lots of insects living on them. Because they flower during the winter months, they ensure a supply of nectar for insects in the grassland throughout the year. They are found in grasslands between Melbourne and the Grampians, and there is another
subspecies found in the Wimmera. The Wimmer Riceflower was once thought to be extinct, but we have now found it in four places.
Victoria’s grasslands are among the most cleared ecosystems in Australia. What remains is highly fragmented, often found on roadside, rail reserve areas and private land. They’re not connected anymore, which is a problem because it means genetic diversity is reduced. We’re constantly losing these small patches; it’s death by a thousand little cuts. Weeds and changes to fire patterns reduce the quality of grasslands. Like the Spiny Rice-flower, many of our grassland plants and animals are critically endangered.
In 2013, I completed my PhD on Spiny Rice-flower, looking at their populations and how they reproduce. I collected seeds from the plants by placing hessian bags over their fruits and measured their viability and what helped them germinate. Spinys have an oily seed; their name comes from Ancient Greek meaning soft fat or lard.
Although they only grow to about knee-height, I think of the Spiny Rice-flower like a rainforest tree in the grassland. They always have some greenery and they have lots of insects living on them. Because they flower during the winter months, they ensure a supply of nectar for insects in the grassland throughout the year. They are found in grasslands between Melbourne and the Grampians, and there is another
subspecies found in the Wimmera. The Wimmer Riceflower was once thought to be extinct, but we have now found it in four places.
Victoria’s grasslands are among the most cleared ecosystems in Australia. What remains is highly fragmented, often found on roadside, rail reserve areas and private land. They’re not connected anymore, which is a problem because it means genetic diversity is reduced. We’re constantly losing these small patches; it’s death by a thousand little cuts. Weeds and changes to fire patterns reduce the quality of grasslands. Like the Spiny Rice-flower, many of our grassland plants and animals are critically endangered.
In 2013, I completed my PhD on Spiny Rice-flower, looking at their populations and how they reproduce. I collected seeds from the plants by placing hessian bags over their fruits and measured their viability and what helped them germinate. Spinys have an oily seed; their name comes from Ancient Greek meaning soft fat or lard.
Now I work as Pimelea Conservation Officer at Trust for Nature as administrator for the Pimelea spinescens Recovery Team, supported by government and donors through the Pimelea Conservation Trust.
The concerning thing about the Spiny Rice-flower is that most of its populations are small – less than 100 individuals. These sites might not be here in 50 years.
When I revisited the sites I studied for my PhD over a decade later, I found that at many sites there were no new plants and many plants had died.
The focus of the Recovery Team is to increase knowledge, secure populations and manage threats to the plants. Like many grassland plants, Spiny Riceflowers do not like vegetation around them to get too dense. Previously, grasslands were regularly burned by First Peoples, but European colonisation has disrupted these essential land management practices.
Spiny Rice-flowers are well-adapted to respond to fire. They develop a tap root that descends deep into the soil and stores water. After fire they grow back beautifully soft and lush, and flower and seed prolifically, which attracts more insects. In my research I also found that managing vegetation growth, such as through burning, was also the best way to encourage the seeds to germinate.
The concerning thing about the Spiny Rice-flower is that most of its populations are small – less than 100 individuals. These sites might not be here in 50 years.
When I revisited the sites I studied for my PhD over a decade later, I found that at many sites there were no new plants and many plants had died.
The focus of the Recovery Team is to increase knowledge, secure populations and manage threats to the plants. Like many grassland plants, Spiny Riceflowers do not like vegetation around them to get too dense. Previously, grasslands were regularly burned by First Peoples, but European colonisation has disrupted these essential land management practices.
Spiny Rice-flowers are well-adapted to respond to fire. They develop a tap root that descends deep into the soil and stores water. After fire they grow back beautifully soft and lush, and flower and seed prolifically, which attracts more insects. In my research I also found that managing vegetation growth, such as through burning, was also the best way to encourage the seeds to germinate.
Part of my job has been growing Spinys and reintroducing them to the wild. At one site, where previously there were only two or three plants, we have planted rice-flowers to increase the population; we need at least 20 plants on a site for the population to be self-sustaining. At another site, with thousands of plants, we have planted Spinys from different locations, with different genetics to improve genetic diversity.
Which brings me to the bridge over the railway. I consulted on the development and collected seed from the plants, which will be used to propagate more plants. Then the date arrived to move them. We used a spade on a tractor to dig down and around them. Carefully we lifted the Spiny Rice-flowers out of the ground and put them in hessian bags, then in a wire cradle transport.
We then transported them to another grassland, where we had to dig a larger hole to plant them all in. At the time it was raining, which helped water the rice-flowers into their new home.
It’s a lot of effort to rescue these rice-flowers, but to ensure the species survives we need to do everything we can to increase their population and maintain
their genetic diversity. We also need to protect and improve what remains of their grassland habitat, so there is a safe place where we can reintroduce the Spinys or translocate them from sites that are being cleared. One day, I hope the Spiny Rice-flower will no longer be endangered, and part of thriving, healthy grasslands once more.
There is also still plenty to learn about this special plant, particularly about its distribution. If you think you’ve got Spiny Rice-flower on your property, please
get in touch at debbier@tfn.org.au.
If you’ve enjoyed learning about the Spiny Rice-flower, you might also be interested to learn about saving Victoria’s grasslands and the Plains-Wanderer. We also invite you to read about the Pimelea conservation trust and recovery plan here.
Which brings me to the bridge over the railway. I consulted on the development and collected seed from the plants, which will be used to propagate more plants. Then the date arrived to move them. We used a spade on a tractor to dig down and around them. Carefully we lifted the Spiny Rice-flowers out of the ground and put them in hessian bags, then in a wire cradle transport.
We then transported them to another grassland, where we had to dig a larger hole to plant them all in. At the time it was raining, which helped water the rice-flowers into their new home.
It’s a lot of effort to rescue these rice-flowers, but to ensure the species survives we need to do everything we can to increase their population and maintain
their genetic diversity. We also need to protect and improve what remains of their grassland habitat, so there is a safe place where we can reintroduce the Spinys or translocate them from sites that are being cleared. One day, I hope the Spiny Rice-flower will no longer be endangered, and part of thriving, healthy grasslands once more.
There is also still plenty to learn about this special plant, particularly about its distribution. If you think you’ve got Spiny Rice-flower on your property, please
get in touch at debbier@tfn.org.au.
If you’ve enjoyed learning about the Spiny Rice-flower, you might also be interested to learn about saving Victoria’s grasslands and the Plains-Wanderer. We also invite you to read about the Pimelea conservation trust and recovery plan here.
