Myrtle Rust

Well, it’s a year since Myrtle Rust (a fungus that affects plants in the Myrtle or Myrtaceae Family such as Gum Trees, Lillypilly’s, Bottle brushes etc. arrived on the Blackall Range.
What have we learnt this time – a) Australia is still vulnerable to the introduction of organisms that can have enormous economic & ecological impacts, b) that introduced organisms don’t respect state borders (even if our Bio-Security Officers hope that they do) & c) that ecological diversity, connectivity & resilience is the only defence against introduced organisms & the ecological change that they represent.
You’ll note that I am using the word introduced rather than invading. Invading implies that an organism has arrived on our shores all by itself and promptly set about ravaging our innocent native flora & fauna. Even though this word may be used by the media in general, Myrtle rust has very much been introduced by gaps in the quarantine on the import of timber, cut-flowers, exotic flora or even someone’s dirty shoes? We must take responsibility.
Local impacts from the introduction of Myrtle Rust appear at present to be limited to our rainforest Myrtaceae such the Silky Myrtle Decaspermum humille, Scrub Ironwood Rhodamnia rubescens, Native Guava Rhodomyrtus psidioides and Thread-bark Myrtle Gossia inophloia. This is by no means a comprehensive list & damage appears to vary from species to species & for individuals within a species depending of time of year, soil type, altitude & susceptibility or resilience of individuals etc… Cultivated & isolated plants appear to be more susceptible than plants in a forest, which is bad news or gardeners & revegetation, but a sigh of relief for some of our very rare Myrtaceae such as The Blackall Range Velvet Myrtle Lenwebbia sp. blackall range, & The Small-leaf Myrtle Gossia fragrantissima that are tenuously holding onto survival in only a few rainforest fragments.
It’s plants in the garden & early phases of revegetation, that appear to be suffering the most. Extra watering & fertiliser might well make for a more lush, bushier & attractive looking plant, but this also appears to be perfect conditions for Myrtle Rust to move in and do some damage. This could have long term impacts on the survival & spread of many rainforest Myrtaceae in revegetation & throughout the landscape.
How can we help our natives survive the onslaught of introduced diseases, for the long term we need to select seed from plants that show signs of resilience and immunity and that will help produce the next generations of plants that can survive introduced disease such as Myrtle Rust. That’s where we at Brush Turkey come in. We can help