North Rothbury Persoonia

THIS PLANT IS ALMOST EXTINCT. Persoonia pauciflora, also known as the North Rothbury Persoonia is endemic to the small town of North Rothbury in New South Wales, hence the name. The plant has two other names – geebung (Dharug language) and jibbong (Wiradjuri language).

It produces fruit which looks like a green berry that contains a seed with a size similar to that of a coffee bean. The Aborigines used to harvest the fruits, then ate them raw as a snack, while the bark of Persoonia was used for the production of fishing lines.

Nowadays, the plant is endangered due to habitat degradation and deforestation, so it is limited to an area of about 4 square kilometers. Unfortunately, there are less than 400 plants remaining, so North Rothbury Persoonia is very close to being extinct.