This Conservation Advice was approved by the Minister / Delegate of the Minister on: 16/12/2008 Approved Conservation Advice (s266B of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999) Approved Conservation Advice for Bulbophyllum longiflorum
This Conservation Advice has been developed based on the best available information at the time this Conservation Advice was approved; this includes existing plans, records or management prescriptions for this species.
Description Bulbophyllum longiflorum, Family Orchidaceae, is an epiphytic orchid, growing on trees, forming small clumps with thick rhizomes about 8 mm in diameter. Nodes are borne on thickened, bulb-like stems which are up to 45 mm long and 20 mm wide, conical or egg- shaped, grooved, widely spaced, dark green. Leaves are up to 15 cm long, 3 cm wide, oblong, fairly thick and fleshy, dark green. Inflorescences are up to 20 cm long, wiry, bearing a terminal group of 6–8 greenish-cream to yellowish, purple spotted flowers, each about 40 mm long, spreading in a horizontal semicircle. The dorsal sepal is erect, hooded, constricting to a tail-like apical appendage. The lateral sepals are bent downwards, joined for three quarters of their length, the margins incurved. The petals are spreading, the upper margins and apex finely hairy. The labellum (lip) is dark purple, fleshy, to 5 mm long and 2.5 mm wide, curved with a central groove. Flowering occurs from January to March (Jones, 1988). This species is currently known as Bulbophyllum clavigerum (synonymn Cirrhopetalum clavigerum).
Conservation Status Bulbophyllum longiflorum is listed as vulnerable. This species is eligible for listing as vulnerable under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cwlth) (EPBC Act) as, prior to the commencement of the EPBC Act, it was listed as vulnerable under Schedule 1 of the Endangered Species Protection Act 1992 (Cwlth). Bulbophyllum longiflorum is also listed as vulnerable under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 (Queensland).
Distribution and Habitat Bulbophyllum longiflorum is known from the McIlwraith Range–Claudie River area of Cape York Peninsula, Queensland. It also occurs in SE Asia, New Guinea and New Caledonia (Dockrill, 1992). This species grows on trees and vines in rainforests, usually in humid locations where there is plenty of air movement, such as ridge tops, slopes and along stream banks (Jones, 1988). It has also been observed growing on rocks (Harrison, 2002). Bulbophyllum longiflorum is conserved in Iron Range National Park (Briggs & Leigh, 1996).. This species occurs within the Cape York (Queensland) Natural Resource Management Region. The distribution of this species is not known to overlap with any EPBC Act-listed threatened ecological community.
Threats The main potential threats to B. longiflorum include collecting by orchid enthusiasts (Lavarack, 1980; Landsberg and Clarkson, 2004; QLD EPA, 2007).
Research Priorities Research priorities that would inform future regional and local priority actions include:
Bulbophyllum longiflorum Conservation Advice - Page 1 of 3 This Conservation Advice was approved by the Minister / Delegate of the Minister on: 16/12/2008 Design and implement a monitoring program or, if appropriate, support and enhance existing programs. More precisely assess population size, distribution, ecological requirements and the relative impacts of threatening processes. Undertake survey work in suitable habitat and potential habitat to locate any additional populations/occurrences/remnants. Undertake seed germination and/or vegetative propagation trials to determine the requirements for successful establishment, including mycorrhizal association trials. Investigate feasibility of establishing a DNA tagging system to enable identification and prosecution of illegal collections from the wild (see Palsboll et al., 2006).
Regional and Local Priority Actions The following regional and local priority recovery and threat abatement actions can be done to support the recovery of B. longiflorum. Habitat Loss, Disturbance and Modification Monitor known populations to identify key threats. Monitor the progress of recovery, including the effectiveness of management actions and the need to adapt them if necessary. Identify populations of high conservation priority. Investigate formal conservation arrangements, management agreements and covenants on private land, and for crown and private land investigate inclusion in reserve tenure if possible. Control access routes to suitably constrain public access to known sites on public land. Minimise adverse impacts from land use at known sites. Conservation Information Raise awareness of B. longiflorum within the local community. Enable Recovery of Additional Sites and/or Populations Undertake appropriate seed collection and storage. Investigate options for linking, enhancing or establishing additional populations. Implement national translocation protocols (Vallee et al., 2004) if establishing additional populations is considered necessary and feasible.
This list does not necessarily encompass all actions that may be of benefit to B. longiflorum, but highlights those that are considered to be of highest priority at the time of preparing the conservation advice. Existing Plans/Management Prescriptions that are Relevant to the Species Cape York Back on Track Biodiversity Action Plan (EPA, 2008). This prescription was current at the time of publishing; please refer to the relevant agencies website for any updated versions. Information Sources: Briggs, JD & Leigh, JH 1996, Rare or Threatened Australian Plants, Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, CSIRO Division of Plant Industry, Canberra, ACT. Council of Heads of Australian Botanic Gardens (CHABG) 1994, Census of Plants in Botanic Gardens, viewed 11 August 2008,
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