“Roar-some” Jurassic-era cycads find new home in Wollongong

Image: The new collection makes it easy to imagine dinosaurs roaming our gardens. Image digitally altered.

Wollongong has a new dinosaur connection and no, it’s not the Gongbusaurus. It’s a collection of plants from the Jurassic Period that were today unveiled at Wollongong Botanic Garden.

Called cycads, they typically have a woody trunk with a crown of hard, feather-like leaves. Although they resemble palms and ferns, they are not closely related to either.

Wollongong Botanic Garden curator Felicity Skoberne said, in addition to being one of the oldest plant species on the planet, these cycads have an amazing backstory.

“Half of the collection came from the estate of the late Ian and Norma Edwards. An influential Doctor of Medicine and passionate plant collector, Ian served as Director of the International Palm Society from 1998 to 2002,” said Ms Skoberne.

“The couple had always planned for their collection to be shared and, when they passed, their friends and family obliged.”

The relocation involved carefully extracting each plant by machine and transporting them from Burraneer to Wollongong on large trucks. It was made possible thanks to the support of the Friends of Wollongong Botanic Garden.

The remainder of the 34-strong collection were replanted from elsewhere in the garden and there was also a donation of five plants from Stan Walkley in the Sunshine Coast hinterland.

Ms Skoberne said the team was thrilled to be able to display and protect these beautiful plants.

“It’s amazing to think that these plants’ ancestors once witnessed epic t-rex fights, hid hungry velociraptors, and perhaps gave back scratches to brachiosaurus.

“Our roar-some collection includes five critically endangered and eight endangered plants.”

Notable endangered specimens include Cycas taitungensis from Taiwan, Encephalartos kisambo (Voi cycad) native to Kenya and Tanzania, and Cycas riuminiana from the Phillipines.

“Cycads are generally considered slow growers so to have a collection of older plants like these is wonderful.

“Many species of cycad are under threat in the wild due to both habitat destruction and over-collection for food, medicine or the illegal plant trade.

“Ultimately, this collection helps support conservation efforts through education and seed sharing via botanic gardens networks. It will grow even more impressive with time.”

Wollongong Botanic Garden is open from 7am to 5pm daily.

The cycad collection is located on the northern side of the gardens, near the Joseph Banks Glasshouse (P10 on map).

Wollongong Botanic Garden’s Cycad Collection was made possible by:

• Ian and Norma Edwards
• The Edwards Family including Frith and Ray Sellers
• Colin Wilson
• Stan and Jane Walkley
• Edwina and Steven Wain of the NSW Tropical Plant Society
• Friends of the Wollongong Botanic Gardens
• Wollongong Botanic Garden and Parks teams
• Lance Carr from Mountain Range Nursery

Sunday 28 May 2023 is an excellent time to come along, meet the cycads and join an array of activities as part of the annual Botanic Gardens Day celebrations.