In Tasmania, a rare dwarf violet has been discovered for the first time in 200 years

Local resident Juliet Gaynor-Brown was walking in Tasmania's Ben Lomond National Park when she came across a small purple flower on the side of the road. She uploaded the photo to iNaturalist, after which the discovery was studied by experts.

During the Christmas holidays in Tasmania, two violet experts confirmed that it was a very rare species called Viola improcera. It turned out that the dwarf violet has never been recorded in Tasmania, and it is an endangered species found only in a few places in eastern Victoria and southeastern New South Wales. This was reported by abc.net.au.

Noting that this is a "huge expansion of the range," the experts drew attention to the fact that the found plant was not alone - a large number of violets grew around it. The specimens were collected and added to the state herbarium, and information about the new find will be updated in plant databases across Australia.

Dr. de Salas said the species was quite small and inconspicuous, and liked to grow in areas where people were disturbed.

"It's been hiding for 200 years right next to a footpath, and that shows how good it is at hiding. They like to grow on bare ground, and they like to spread to disturbed ground. The ability to grow on the side of the road is what got it noticed in the first place," the expert adds.

He and his colleague obtained permits and collected specimens, which were placed in a factory press to dry before examination. They will then be mounted and preserved in the state herbarium along with 300,000 other specimens, and duplicates will also be sent to herbaria in other states.

It will be added to the state's endangered species list, and data across Australia will be updated to reflect that it now occurs in Tasmania, including a chapter on violets in the Flora of Tasmania.