Nightcap Oak :: Eidothea hardeniana

Bad at Goodbyes :: Episode 038

On today’s show we learn about the Nightcap Oak, a critically endangered flowering tree native to eastern Australia, in the northeast corner of the state of New South Wales.

• (00:05) Intro
• (02:05) Species Information
• (26:12) Citations
• (28:10) Music
• (35:24) Pledge

For more information about Nightcap Oak conservation and New South Wales rainforest conservation in general, please see the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service at https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/ and the NGO Rainforest Rescue at https://www.rainforestrescue.org.au.

Research for today’s show was compiled from:

• Australian Journal of Botany v.70, 189-203. Baker Andrew G., Catterall Claudia, Wiseman Matthew (2022) “Rainforest persistence and recruitment after Australia’s 2019–2020 fires in subtropical, temperate, dry and littoral rainforests.” – https://doi.org/10.1071/BT21091
• Australian Plants v.21 no.172. Weston, Peter & Kooyman, Robert. (2002). “Eidothea hardeniana: Botany and ecology of the Nightcap Oak” – https://anpsa.org.au/newsletter/australian-plants-journal-vol19-to-24/
• Ecology and Evolution v.15: e71251. McMaster, E.S., Dimon, R.J., Baker, A.G., Harre, C., Mallee, J., Maric, A., Richards, P., Wiseman, M., Ho, S.Y.W. and Rossetto, M. (2025). “Combining Spatial, Genetic, and Environmental Risk Data to Define and Prioritize In Situ Conservation Units.” – https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71251
• The Guardian. Sat 12 Oct 2024. Readfearn, Graham. “They are relics of the Gondwana age but five years after Australia’s black summer these trees are dying a ‘long, slow death’”. – https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/oct/13/nightcap-national-park-rainforest-trees-age-bushfires-impact
• The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T112631200A113309140. Forster, P., Ford, A., Griffith, S. & Benwell, A. 2020. “Eidothea hardeniana.” – https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T112631200A113309140.en
• Journal of Ecology, 93: 906-917. Rossetto, M. and Kooyman, R.M. (2005), “The tension between dispersal and persistence regulates the current distribution of rare palaeo-endemic rain forest flora: a case study.” – https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2745.2005.01046.x
• New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service – https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/conservation-programs/nightcap-oak-conservation-project
• Nightcap oak (Eidothea hardeniana) Conservation Action Plan. New South Wales Environment and Heritage, Department of Planning and Environment, ISBN 978-1-922975-30-0; EHG 2023/0036; January 2023. – https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/publications/nightcap-oak-eidothea-hardeniana
• Telopea. v.9. Weston, Peter & Kooyman, Robert. (2002). “Systematics of Eidothea (Proteaceae), with the description of a new species, E. hardeniana, from the Nightcap Range, north-eastern New South Wales.” – http://dx.doi.org/10.7751/telopea20024022
• Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eidothea_hardeniana

Please find us on the web at Bad at Goodbyes and on instagram. Please subscribe and rate/review Bad at Goodbyes wherever you listen to podcasts. Please help spread the word about the show and about the species we feature. Please take care of each other, and all of our fellow travelers.

A note on accuracy: I strive for it! These episodes are well-researched and built from scholarly sources, hoping to provide an informed and accurate portrait of these species. That said, I’m an ambient musician! I am not an academic and have limited scientific background. I may get things wrong! If you are using this podcast for scholarship of any kind, please see the cited sources and double-check all information.