News
27 September, 2024
A blooming extravaganza
Lowood's section of the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail is fast becoming renowned for hosting one of the most diverse array of Eremophila plants across the east coast of Australia.
This hardy Australian native plant is being investigated for new bioactive compounds that could impact drug discovery and development.
Peter Bevan and his team of volunteers have been managing a trial site, adjacent to the rail trail, of some 100 Eremophilia plants for the past two years.
The site was established at the request of Associate Professor in Chemistry at Griffith University, Rohan Davies, to support a Griffith University based study into the medicinal benefits of the plants.
Canberra based Lyndal Thorburn, National Chair of the Australian Eremophila Study Group, recently took time out to walk the trail and inspect the flowering plants with local specialist Peter Bevan.
Accompanying Lydal was her husband, Tom, UQ Gatton based lecturer, Robyn Cave, and Chinese student Xnetong Yan, who has just commenced a three year scholarship program studying Australian plants with the University of Queensland.
The tour group were particularly interested in capturing seeds from the Eremophila for propagating purposes. Something they said, was quite difficult to do.
According to Peter, the Eremophila is technically a desert plant, with a wide range of varieties found throughout Australia, many of which are now flourishing and flowering along the rail trail at Lowood.
