<
https://theconversation.com/lets-show-a-bit-of-love-for-the-lillipilly-this-humble-plant-forms-the-worlds-largest-genus-of-trees-and-should-be-an-australian-icon-191080>
"You’re probably familiar with the sight of a lillipilly bush. This hardy
Australian staple – a glossy evergreen bearing powder-puff flowers and clusters
of bright berries – features in many a garden hedge.
But you may not know this humble native has spread across the globe in waves of
emigration, adaptation and evolution. Almost 1,200 species of lillipilly are
now found in rainforests across the tropics and subtropics of Africa, Asia and
the Pacific.
Our research helped reconstruct the evolutionary history of lillipillies in
unprecedented detail. We show how lillipillies evolved in Australia and now
form the largest genus of trees in the world.
Lillipillies are one of Australia’s great gifts to the natural world. But the
story of these homegrown heroes may be taking a grim turn."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
