The Royal Botanic Gardens’ ‘ Raising Rarity’ program fosters students’ ability to identify and care for threatened native plants. Presenters Meg and Tash visited St. Mary’s to introduce us to ‘Craspedia Canens’, a once prolific but now critically endangered, endemic flower.

A group of students in grades 3-6 received a crash course in taxonomy and nomenclature, chose a site for our garden beds, learned to use microscopes, got familiar with Craspedia Canens and took possession of a field kit. We will use the field kit to monitor soil conditions and plant growth until the seeds are ready for harvesting and delivery to the Victorian Conservation Seedbank.