Tissue Culture Experience & Endangered Collections Tour at Australian PlantBank

Never before offered! Behind the scenes tissue culture experience & endangered plant collections tour at the Australian PlantBank  

Step inside Australia’s leading seed vault & learn high-tech plant conservation  

Join Dr Karen Somerville, internationally renowned Rainforest Conservation Scientist, Dr Lyndle Hardstaff, Plant Conservation Scientist and Educator and Veronica Viler, Horticultural Research Specialist at Botanic Gardens of Sydney for a rare behind-the-scenes tissue culture experience and guided tour of our endangered plant collections.  

You’ll get a hands-on look at cutting-edge tissue culture and cryopreservation techniques, giving you an insight into what it takes to care for endangered species. You’ll work with methods used to safeguard plants threatened by Myrtle Rust and those too fragile for traditional seed banking. Then step into our collections to see some of the Gardens’ most vulnerable species up close. Your experience concludes in the nursery, where the team propagates and grows species susceptible to Myrtle Rust to support their long-term conservation and critical research. 

As a special keepsake, you’ll get to take home your very own Wollemi Pine seedling, giving you a lasting connection to the species you’ve encountered up close!  

About your hosts  

Dr Karen Sommerville is a Rainforest Conservation Scientist based at the Australian PlantBank, where she leads the Rainforest Seed Conservation Project. With a PhD in Science (plant conservation) and expertise in seed biology, tissue culture, and cryopreservation, Karen's typical day involves laboratory work, designing experiments, analysing results, writing papers, and occasional field work.  

Dr Lyndle Hardstaff is a Plant Conservation Scientist, Educator and Postdoctoral Researcher working at PlantBank to improve conservation outcomes for Australian rainforest species. Her current research focuses on developing cryopreservation protocols and improving tissue culture procedures for species affected by myrtle rust – including the critically endangered native guava (Rhodomyrtus psidioides) and scrub turpentine (Rhodamnia rubescens).   

Veronica Viler is a Horticultural Research Specialist at the Australian PlantBank. With a focus on threatened species, Veronica utilises her 20 years of expertise to determine the best propagation and cultivation methods for these plants in the nursery environment. One of Veronica's particular areas of interest is the plant pathogen Austropuccinia psidii (Myrtle Rust).   

Location: Australian Botanic Garden, Mount Annan  

No. of tickets for the winner: x4  

Ticket expiry: 2 years  

Time: Mid-week  

Duration: 3 hours  

Guide: Dr Karen Sommerville - Rainforest Conservation Scientist, Dr Lyndle Hardstaff - Plant Conservation Scientist & Veronica Viler - Horticultural Research Specialist  

Please note: Minor details of this experience may be adjusted due to staff availability, weather, or other circumstances. If any changes are necessary, we will contact you directly to confirm. Availability to book in this experience before the end-of-year holidays may be limited and cannot be guaranteed.