Using Hortis, a modern, cloud-based platform recommended by Botanic Gardens Australia and New Zealand, the garden’s meticulously kept records of its 5000-strong plant collection, are being brought into the digital age.

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A committed team of Friends of the Garden volunteers is working on the task, verifying the data, validating plant locations, assessing the condition of trees, and capturing high-quality photographic records, vastly improving accessibility and management for conservation, research, and development efforts.

The team has already rediscovered crucial historical data regarding two Syzygium glenum trees, a critically endangered species endemic to Cooper Creek in the Daintree Rainforest.

In onboarding the records into Hortis, it was revealed that these specimens were originally received in 2004 and 2006 from renowned botanist Lyndley Craven of the CSIRO Canberra.

Volunteer coordinator of the Living Plant Collection records Rhonda Sorensen said, “It’s almost as if you can hear the voices of two old botanists, Alex Floyd and Lyndley Craven, strategically planning 20 years ago, knowing that these plantings might one day play an important role in conservation.”

Botanic Garden staff and volunteers swiftly located the trees within the 20-hectare garden and took immediate conservation action.

Remarkably, one of these trees has been fruiting annually, an unusual occurrence compared to its wild counterparts.

Recognising the importance of this anomaly, the garden has contributed to conservation efforts by sending seeds back to the Daintree Rainforest Rescue nursery at Cow Bay.

Efforts are also underway to enhance visitor engagement by integrating the collection with a public-friendly version of Hortis.

Soon, visitors will be able to use their smartphones to explore the garden’s collection interactively, locating plants through an intuitive digital map.

“Often people think volunteering at the Botanic Garden is just about helping with garden maintenance, assisting in the information centre or guiding,” President of the Friends of the Garden Graham Tupper said.

“While they are popular ways to help, volunteers are also able to be involved in special projects like this after a little bit of training, and this has beneficial impacts well beyond our garden.”

By Andrea FERRARI