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Our Changing World by RNZ

Our Changing World by RNZ

RNZ

Dr Claire Concannon follows scientists into the bush, over rivers, back to their labs and many places in-between to cover the most fascinating research being done in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Radio: Radio New Zealand National

Categories: Science & Medicine

Listen to the last episode:

Cooper’s orchid is New Zealand’s rarest and most elusive, with fewer than 250 plants left in the wild. It belongs to the group of potato orchids, which grow mostly underground as tubers – except for a brief period every few years when they push out a leafless stick with a few flowers. This largely subterranean lifestyle already presents a challenge, but saving this species is even harder because, like all orchids, the Cooper’s orchid can only produce seedlings with the help of the right soil fungus. After years of lab experiments to produce in vitro seedlings, botanists are now ready to boost dwindling wild populations.

Guests:

Dr Carlos Lehnebach, botany curator, Te Papa Tongarewa
Dr Karin van der Walt, conservation advisor, Ōtari Wilton’s Bush
Jennifer Alderton-Moss, plant conservation researcher, Wellington City Council

Learn more:

Read the article that accompanies this episode: Rare orchids reintroduced into the wild.
Alison Ballance talked to Carlos Lehnebach about why some orchids smell like mushrooms and how that helps them to fool insects.
This Critter of the Week episode focuses on the helmet orchid (Corybas dienemus), another rare native orchid that likes cold, damp and windy places.
In this interview, Jesse Mulligan talks to Fred Clarke, a Californian orchid breeder who created the acclaimed black orchid After Dark.
This Critter of the Week episode discusses the copper beard orchid (Calochilus herbaceous), which is threatened by habitat loss and climate change.

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Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details