Kangaroo paw

Kangaroo paw is the common name for a number of species, in two genera of the family Haemodoraceae, that are native to the south-west of Western Australia.

[3] The genus Anigozanthos' author was French botanist Jacques-Julien Houtou de Labillardière, who first collected the kangaroo paw in 1792 near Esperance.

[3] The plant is native to south-western Australia, occurring naturally from the Murchison River in the North to Busselton and Mount Barker in the South, and Lake Muir to the East.

[8] In 2007 Kings Park Botanic and Garden Board started a breeding program to protect the Kangaroo Paw from disease and the impact of climate changes.

The breeding program is working with Edith Cowan University to map the genome sequences, look to find disease and drought resistant triggers for the plant.