Community key to protecting endangered Avon peppermint gum
By Danielle Kutchel
ABC Gippsland
Topic:Trees
4m ago4 minutes agoSat 15 Mar 2025 at 11:40pm
A group of people dressed in hats and hiking clothes gather around a man holding gum leaves and talking to them.
Russell Larke, centre, shows field naturalists a sample of the Avon peppermint gum. (Supplied: Latrobe Valley Field Naturalists Club)
In short:
Researchers have discovered a larger than expected population of Avon peppermint gums in East Gippsland, Victoria.
There were once thought to be just 10 of the critically endangered trees left in the wild.
What's next?
Researchers are working with the local community to document and preserve the tree so it survives threats from severe weather and climate change.
As a kid, Russell Larke would follow his grandma around her garden, keeping a watchful eye as her Australian natives blossomed in the spring sun.
These early encounters developed into a lifelong passion, and as an adult, the self-described "plant nerd" now has his own gardens to tend.
As senior curator of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Cranbourne, Mr Larke is now involved in conserving a unique tree that has captivated his attention.
It is called the Avon peppermint gum, and it is critically endangered, with just 10 trees once known to be in existence across Victoria.
Mr Larke is part of a group of researchers who are enlisting the help of the community to tracking these trees down and plant more to ensure their species' survival.
A canopy of green gumtree leaves.
The canopy of the Avon peppermint gumtree. (Supplied: Latrobe Valley Field Naturalists Club)
A critical find
The Avon peppermint was originally known to only exist near the Avon River in east Gippsland.
Mr Larke and his team have been conducting survey work in the field — much of it around Maffra and Sale — to see whether this was true.
A man in a grey long sleeved shirt and black cap stands in bush, holding gum leaves and smiling.
Mr Larke people with an acreage can plant Avon peppermint. (Supplied: Latrobe Valley Field Naturalists Club)
What they found rewrote the tree's entry in the history books — because there were far more than 10.
Since the discovery, seeds have been collected and banked in the Victorian Seed Bank to hold them for future recovery of the Avon peppermint.
Genetic studies have shown the researchers how the tree adapts to a changing climate, and new Avon peppermints are now growing successfully at the Cranbourne Botanic Gardens and Gippsland properties.
A small branch of gum tree leaves close up.
The Avon peppermint gum is at risk from flooding, fire and climate change. (Supplied: Latrobe Valley Field Naturalists Club)
The hope now is to plant more of them on private properties close to the Avon River, to spread the genetic diversity around and help create a future for the endangered plant.
"We call them ex-situ populations," Mr Larke said.
"In a botanic garden setting, we can only plant so many [because] we have limited space … but locals who might be on acreage can make a much more valuable contribution to their conservation with plantings and revegetation,"
Encouraging genetic diversity
The Avon peppermint gum is at risk from flooding, fire and climate change.
But protecting it from planned burns that can wipe it out of a particular area and supporting seed collection and ex-situ planting raises its chances of survival.
According to Mr Larke, trees adapt to their local environments over time, developing distinctive genetic qualities. This "adaptive potential" needs to be preserved, and the more genetic diversity is maintained, the better chance the tree has of surviving threats.
And engaging the community in these efforts is critical, according to the researcher.
"In most cases, the community is the link to ongoing protection of these things, so they need to understand it's out there, but [we also need to] provide avenues to help people get involved, Mr Larke said.
"People want to contribute and they want to make a difference."
A group of people in hiking clothes and hats stand in bushland, looking up.
Field naturalists have helped search for the elusive Avon peppermint gum. (Supplied: Latrobe Valley Field Naturalists Club)
Field naturalists lend a hand
This is where the Latrobe Valley Field Naturalists Club comes in.
Late last year they hosted Mr Larke for a guest presentation on his research into the tree.
The following day, about 25 people, including members of the club, made the trek out to The Channels, a trail along the Avon River near Monomak, in east Gippsland.
Julie Murray, president of the Latrobe Field Naturalists, said they searched "uphill and down dale" for the elusive tree before a member spotted it.
"It was this really elegant, fine plant," she said, adding it had a distinctive smell.
It was found in a place of unique vegetation, according to Ms Murray, with plants taking on different or stronger characteristics compared to other locations.
In the Avon peppermint's case, that means it has adapted to the water levels of the nearby river, sending up new shoots before floods.
The Latrobe Valley Field Naturalists will now help monitor the tree in its natural habitat and provide details to Victoria's biodiversity heritage library for future conservation efforts.
"That knowledge will be held with the club and it will be in our records,"
Ms Murray said.
Mr Larke said there was more work to be done along the Avon River, to find more populations of the Avon peppermint.
A person holding a small branch of gumleaves, showing them to other people.
The Avon peppermint is critically endangered. (Supplied: Latrobe Valley Field Naturalists Club)
"I would love to think there is more out there, for sure," he said.
"There's still so much work to be done. It has gone from 10 individuals to high hundreds and potentially more.
"We're not documenting the extinction of something. We're actually documenting the expansion of something, which is pretty cool."
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Posted4m ago4 minutes agoSat 15 Mar 2025 at 11:40pm
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