The fight is on to save a rare orchid that is found in just seven locations in Western Australia's midwest. Source: Dr Belinda Davis/Kings Park

An iconic Aussie park is fighting to save an incredibly rare plant that is facing “big threats” as its population dwindles to just 85.

The precious orchid — commonly known as the Northampton midget greenhood or western swan greenhood — can be found in just seven locations in Western Australia’s midwest.

Despite its reputation for being a “tough survivor” due its ability to endure harsh summers and multi-year droughts, serious concerns for its survival have emerged in recent years due to habitat loss from historic land clearing for agriculture and the spread of invasive weeds.

Threats to the species also include changes to hydrology and overland water flow, damage to habitat and plants by pigs, road maintenance and an increasingly drying climate.

This has prompted scientists and horticulturists at Perth’s Kings Park to take matters into their own hands.

Rare orchid seeds collected from remaining seven wild locations

Following unusually high rainfall in early 2021, more of the plants emerged from dormancy than previous years, providing experts with the perfect opportunity to gather Northampton midget greenhood (Pterostylis sinuata) seeds and fungi for propagation, Dr Belinda Davis, a research scientist for the Kings Park Science Program specialising in orchid conservation, told Yahoo News.

“Orchid species have complex symbiotic relationships with fungus species — at each stage of an orchid’s lifecycle they are dependant on a fungus,” she explained.

“For many orchid species, this relationship is specific to a single fungus species. So it is critical that both orchid and fungus material are collected together.”

Serious concerns for the species' survival have emerged in recent years. Source: WA_botanist/ATLAS

To propagate, the seeds and the fungus were introduced to each other in a laboratory to “encourage the symbiotic partnership” between the pair. Afterwards the seedlings were moved to the park’s onsite glasshouses.

“The seed and fungi have also been placed in long-term secure storage in liquid nitrogen to ensure this material is available for conservation efforts in the future such as translocations,” Dr Davis said.

“Having plants growing in the glasshouse now means that we are able to study the species and better understand its ecology.”

What have scientists learnt so far?

The Northampton midget greenhood had been previously collected but never successfully germinated, Dr Davis told Yahoo. During the propagation process, scientists found that not all of the fungi was able to germinate seed.

“Previous germination attempts did not have the ‘right fungus’ to enable germination,” Dr Davis explained. “We now have the ‘right fungus’ in long-term storage, helping secure the future for this tiny plant.”

And as of just this week, the first flowers are starting to form on the first plants in captivity. “These precious plants will become the foundation of a seed orchard from which we will be able to keep harvesting precious seed and fungi without impacting on wild populations,” Dr Davis said.

This article originally appeared on Yahoo News Australia at https://au.news.yahoo.com/iconic-aussie-park-fights-to-save-incredibly-rare-plant-facing-big-threats-034152586.html