Researchers and environmentalists are in a race against time to bring a rare plant back from the brink of extinction.
The Bomaderry Zieria is native only to the town of Bomaderry on the NSW south coast, and is not found anywhere else in the world.
The shrub is small and delicate, covered in clover-like leaves and velvety hairs.
It also produces small, pinkish-white flowers during winter and spring.
It has been monitored by researchers for the past 20 years.
They have found that since 1997 the population of the plant has declined 60 per cent.
Increasing plant population in the wild
Cuttings have been taken during the past few years and grown in special greenhouse conditions at botanic gardens in Canberra, Wollongong and the Shoalhaven.
Earlier this year, 300 cuttings were reintroduced to a nature reserve in Bomaderry to try and increase the plant population.
Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) senior threatened species officer, Kylie Coutts-McClelland, said the first post-planting observation took place last week.
She said she was concerned about the variation in how the plants were responding to being relocated back into their natural habitat.
"It may just be the initial shock of being planted out, but we'll track their progress for at least the next three years," Ms Coutts-McClelland said.
"We are looking at whether we can increase the survival rates of plants we re-introduce from botanic gardens' collections into the wild through additional watering and fencing to protect against browsers such as wallabies."
Hard battle ahead for species
In the course of their research on the rare shrub, researchers have also discovered the plant appears to have lost its ability to reproduce.
While other plants, including other closely related zierias, normally seed at certain times of the year, this one no longer does.
There is no explanation as to why this might be the case, but it makes the replanting of the unusual species all the more important.
The Bomaderry Zieria is one of many endangered species being cared for as part of the NSW Government's Saving Our Species program.
The program sets out actions required to save specific plants and animals from extinction.
Shoalhaven City Council is working with the OEH and volunteers to try and get more Bomaderry Zierias growing.
Shoalhaven council Bushcare coordinator Alasdair Stratton said they would probably lose some of the newly planted zierias.
"They're being planted into a pretty harsh environment and they've been sitting in a nursery for the last five or six years," Mr Stratton said.
"They're going to be getting watered and closely monitored by us and OEH.
"It's not just about us replacing the wild population, it's just an experiment to see if we can actually get these plants that have been sitting in the nursery established."
The newly planted shrubs will continue to be monitored for another couple of years as part of the program to see whether it is possible for them to survive in the wild.
