The importance of genetic issues associated with the sourcing of propagules is increasingly recognised for successful ecological restoration. A consideration of life history traits has contributed to ‘best-guess’ scenarios on the appropriate location and desirable properties of local provenance source populations, but these can lack precision. For clonal species, population genetic structure and variation will depend on the balance between the extent and growth rate of asexual clones, sexual reproduction, pollen dispersal, and subsequent seed dispersal and recruitment. We assessed patterns of population genetic structure and variation for Alexgeorgea nitens (Nees) L. Johnston & B. Briggs (Restionaceae), a dioecious, clonal, perennial species, with novel life history traits. Our results show high levels of genetic diversity within populations, and surprisingly low levels of population differentiation (ΦST = 0.17). We suggest that the high genetic diversity observed within these populations reflects extensive pollen dispersal and successful seeding (sexual reproduction) and recruitment events, even though direct observations of seedling recruitment are rare. In this case, a ‘best-guess’ propagule-sourcing scenario based on life-history traits that appear to limit dispersal capability does not predict the extent of high local genetic diversity and weak population genetic structure in A. nitens.

Ecological restoration benefits from information on population genetic structure and variation within a species to make informed decisions on where to source material of the local genetic provenance. Conospermum triplinervium is extremely rare in Bold Park, a large bushland remnant currently undergoing restoration in Perth, Western Australia. We sampled plants from Bold Park and six other native populations across the northern half of the species’ range to assess patterns of morphological and genetic variation. There was considerable variation across six leaf measures with significant differentiation among some populations. The molecular data showed a high level of population structure (ΘB = 0.4974), with varying degrees of spatial overlap among populations in an ordination plot. Significant differentiation was observed among all pairs of populations, except for Bold Park and its geographically closest populations at Kings Park and Neerabup. These two populations had greater genetic variation (50.9% and 54.5% polymorphic markers, respectively) than did that at Bold Park (20.2%). The small Bold Park population would benefit from augmentation (via cuttings) from local plants. However, in the longer term, should the Bold Park population show evidence of declining viability, then material should be sourced from the genetically similar Kings Park population to increase genetic variation whilst also maintaining genetic integrity.