It has warts, a distinctive smell and it lives in hard-to-reach places.
It’s estimated there are just 3,000 Warty Zieria plants left in the world – and all of them are around Mt Dromedary and Tilba Tilba.
Eurobodalla Council has teamed up with Tilba District Landcare, National Parks and Wildlife Service and local landholders to protect the native plant, which is listed as vulnerable under both state and Commonwealth legislation.
Warty Zieria is a shrub that grows up to 3.5m tall. It has warty branches, narrow leaves that grow in groups of three, and creamy white flowers that grow in large clusters.
Council’s natural resource officer Mitchell Jarvis said one of the main threats to the survival of Warty Zieria was from weed invasion, particularly lantana.
He encouraged landholders who think they might have this threatened plant on their property to give him a call.
“Council can help landholders undertake lantana control on properties that are home to Warty Zieria plants using funding from the NSW Environmental Trust,” he said.
“A coordinated approach is essential to ensure the plant’s long-term survival, so we need as many properties as possible on board.
“If we lose this species forever, we won’t be able to get it back.”
Mr Jarvis said the Council initiative, funded through the NSW Environmental Trust, had seen great success since it began in late 2016.
“During the project we’ve found Warty Zieria in places we didn’t know it existed, which is really exciting,” he said.
“The property owners have been chuffed they’ve got this plant on their property and people have been quick to get on board and look after it.”
If you think you’ve got Warty Zieria on your property, phone Council’s natural resource officer Mitchell Jarvis on 4474 1263 or email Mitchell.jarvis@esc.nsw.gov.au
Above: Council is encouraging residents in the south of the shire to be on the lookout for Warty Zieria on their property. The native plant is found nowhere else in the world and is listed as vulnerable in NSW and Commonwealth legislation.
