BGANZ members who have, or know of, multi-provenance living collections of any myrtaceous species from the Australian east coast, the south-west of WA, or from Malesia, with wild-source data, are asked to notify the authors. As in the case of Lemon Myrtle, these can be crucial to rapid screening for resistant genotypes. Arrangements are not yet in place for a central information repository of holdings of these species among BGANZ members, but these will be pursued and publicised by BGANZ in bulletins and future issues of The BGer.
Suggested species for priority retention Archirhodomyrtus beckleri
Rhodamnia: R. angustifolia,
Austromyrtus dulcis
R. argentea, R. australis,
Backhousia: B. citriodora, B. leptopetala, B. oligantha Decaspermum humile [both ‘southern’ and ‘northern’ populations] Eugenia reinwardtiana
R. costata, R. dumicola, R. maideniana, R. rubescens, R. sessiliflora, R. spongiosa (and all others for precautionary retention) Rhodomyrtus canescens, R. pervagata, R. psidioides
Gossia: G. acmenoides,
(and all others for
G. gonoclada, G. hillii,
precautionary retention)
G. inophloia, G. lewisensis,
Stockwellia quadrifida
G. myrsinocarpa (and all others for precautionary retention) Lenwebbia prominens (and all others for precautionary retention) Melaleuca polandii, M. quinquenervia (prioritise plants showing resistance if exposed)
Syzygium: S. anisatum (=Anetholea anisata), S. oleosum Tristaniopsis exiliflora Uromyrtus australis, U. lamingtonensis, U. metrosideros, U. tenella Xanthostemon oppositifolius.
Nearly dead trees of Silky Myrtle Decaspermum humile and Syzygium corynanthum (the green in the crown is mostly vines).
References Carnegie AJ, Kathuria A, Pegg GS, Entwistle P, Nagel M, Giblin FR (2015) Impact of the invasive rust Puccinia psidii (myrtle rust) on native Myrtaceae in natural ecosystems in Australia. Biological Invasions 18(1): 127—144. doi:10.1007/s10530-015-0996-y Pegg GS, Giblin FR, McTaggart AR, Guymer GP, Taylor H, Ireland KB, Shivas RG, Perry S (2014) Puccinia psidii in Queensland, Australia: disease symptoms, distribution and impact. Plant Pathology 63(5): 1005–1021. DOI: 10.1111/ppa.12173 24
the botanic gardener | ISS 48 July 2017