The Western Australian Herbarium’s collections management system and census were set to read-only mode on 1 October 2025. Taxonomic updates published since this time are not being reflected in Florabase, herbarium collections, or Western Australia’s taxonomic names census (Nomos). Conservation listings displayed on Florabase may also be out of date. Please refer to DBCA’s Threatened species and communities webpage for the most recent Threatened and Priority Flora List, noting that recent taxonomic updates are similarly not included. Our database migration is moving to a staging phase. We thank you for your patience as we ensure the integrity of our biodiversity data, develop new workflows, and train staff to use the new systems. Please reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns.
The notice period
started at 12:00 pm on Wednesday, 1 October 2025 +08:00 and will end at 12:00 pm on Friday, 1 January 2027 +08:00.
A new species of Dysphania R.Br., D. congestiflora S.J.Dillon & A.S.Markey is described and an amendment to the most recent key of Dysphania is provided to include the new taxon.
Western Australian plant taxa not collected for more than 50 years
An analysis of the Western Australian Herbarium collections generated a list of 29 endemic taxa last collected between 1888 and 1965, which are not currently on the Presumed Extinct schedule. On review, four of these taxa are not of immediate concern. The remaining 25 taxa are predominantly shrubs, generally known from very few collections, and are concentrated in heavily cleared bioregions, particularly the Avon Wheatbelt. Two taxa, Ptilotus sericostachyus subsp. roseus (Moq.) Benl and Darwinia divisa Keighery & N.G.Marchant, are recommended for immediate nomination as Presumed Extinct, while the remaining taxa will require further survey and/or taxonomic work to resolve their conservation status. Further survey will be challenging given the general lack of specific geographical and habitat information available for these taxa.
A taxonomic revision of Beaufortia (Myrtaceae: Melaleuceae)
Beaufortia R.Br. (Myrtaceae) is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia and is almost confined to the South-West Botanical Province, with a few species extending a short distance into the Eremaean. Twenty-two species are recognised in this revision of the genus, including three new species: B. burbidgeae A.A.Burb., B. kwongkanicola A.A.Burb. and B. raggedensis A.A.Burb. Beaufortia puberula Turcz. is reinstated and B. interstans F.Muell. placed into synonymy under it. Lectotypes are selected for B. anisandra Schauer, B. dampieri A.Cunn., B. elegans Schauer, B. empetrifolia (Rchb.) Schauer, B. micrantha Schauer, B. micrantha var. puberula Benth., B. orbifolia F.Muell., B. schaueri Preiss ex Schauer, B. schaueri var. (?) atrorubens Benth., B. sparsa R.Br. and B. squarrosa Schauer.
Tetratheca butcheriana (Elaeocarpaceae), a new and rare species from the Pilbara bioregion of Western Australia
PERKINS, A.J.,REIFFER, S. AND AJDUK, H., Nuytsia27: 203–209 (2016)
A new species of Tetratheca Sm., discovered while performing flora surveys along banded ironstone cliffs north-west of Tom Price in 2015, is described. It is named T. butcheriana A.J.Perkins in honour of Ryonen Butcher, a botanical researcher and well-published taxonomic expert on Tetratheca in Western Australia. This species is one of two species of Tetratheca geographically restricted to the Pilbara bioregion, both of which are of conservation significance. A taxonomic description of T. butcheriana is provided, along with photographs and a list of diagnostic features to aid in identification.
Eremophila buirchellii and E. calcicola (Scrophulariaceae), two new species from Western Australia
BROWN, A.P. AND DAVIS, R.W., Nuytsia27: 211–216 (2016)