Today, I am choosing a plant instead of an animal: the critically endangered Mongarlowe Mallee (eucalyptus recurva). It is Australia’s rarest Eucalypt, also known as the "Ice Age Gum’.

The Mongarlowe Mallee is a many-stemmed shrub (mallee) that grows to 4.5 m tall. Its bark is smooth and mottled grey and orange-brown, shedding in short ribbons. The glossy-green leaves are arranged in pairs that are arranged at right angles to the adjoining leaf pair . The leaves are up to 3 cm long and 8 mm wide. The white flowers are arranged in clusters of three, on a common stalk to 5.5 mm long. The main distinguishing character of this species - from which its name is drawn - is its conspicuously recurved leaf tips.

It is found only in the NSW Southern Tablelands where it is known from only four locations. Three of these sites support only single plants, whilst the other has three individuals present - the total known population of this species is thus only six individuals.

The video shows the conservation efforts of this plant carried out at the Australian National Botanic Gardens. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPH-oSMOv34