Sphaero meaning Ball and lobos Greek for pod and the specific name acanthos meaning prickly plant.
The Grampians globe-pea is a distinctive plant and when in flower is quite spectacular. It can grow to a metre tall and has rigid stems and branches with spiny branchlets. It flowers between November and January with striking yellow, orange to reddish-brown flowers. Its spherical shaped pods appear in January to February. It is listed as Critically Endangered under the Environment Protection Biodiversity and Conservation Act 1999. Endemic to the Grampians and previously thought to be known from only 70 plants. The main threats are animal grazing (one population has not been seen for 5 years after heavy grazing by goats), habitat loss and dieback caused by the pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi (Cinnamon fungus).
FOGGs have been involved in searches for this plant since 2011, some early searches where we found no plants. In 2015 and 2016 seed and cutting material were collected and grown at the RBGV Melbourne with the purpose of using these plants as a seed orchard, some seed was put into long term storage. These plants did not thrive, and it was thought they may need a rhizobia bacterium to thrive (as many pea plants do). Surveys with RBGV and FOGGS in 2023 and 2024 found 506 plants across 4 populations. All four sites have been impacted by the recent fires.
The Grampians globe-pea is one of the 24 plants currently being studied under a research project ‘Preventing the extinction of Victoria’s threatened flora’ led by Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria and started mid 2023. So far FOGGs have participated in a further search for plants, and we doubled the population at that site. Material has been sampled from across the populations and genetic studies are being done to help inform selection of the best plant material to use for propagation of an ex-situ collection at RBG as well as plants for re-introductions. Scientists from Latrobe University/RBGV have been doing pollinator studies to find out the exact insects pollinating the Grampians globe-pea, as this will be important when selecting a site for re-introducing plants in the future. Pollinator studies have revealed primarily two native bee species are involved. Rhizobia has been isolated from the Grampians sites and is being grown in the lab, this will be cultured and used to inoculate plants currently being grown as part of the ex-situ collection and plants destined for re-introduction.
This is a very special plant and over the next couple of years FOGGs will get the chance to assist with further surveys and re-introductions.
Article by Wendy Bedggood
Editors Note
A search of i-naturalist reveals 23 observations in the Grampians region south of Halls Gap and in the Serra and Mt William Ranges.