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~
Newsbits
August 2008~
Visitors Welcome.
Next
Meeting:
Friday 8th August
7.30pm for 8.00pm start.
*Venue:
Horticultural
Research Station, Research Rd., Narara
Speaker for August
Our speaker for August is Ian Slade. Ian has a property at Peat’s Ridge where he grows orchids for the commercial market and also runs a chicken farm; he has been a member of our group for many years and presents the Specimen Table at our monthly meetings. Tonight Ian will be talking about native orchids.
Speaker for July Nola Nola believed that there wouldn’t be a dramatic change towards the use of Australian native plants any time in her lifetime but during the last 5 years has found it very rewarding seeing so many people making use of them. There have been many changes with Australian plants with lots of new cultivars and Nola brought along some of the new ones for us to see as well as some of the older ones that haven’t been seen for a while but now seem to be coming back. Grasses have become very popular possibly helped along by Nola and Jocelyn’s book Native Grasses for Australian Gardens which incidentally is currently being reprinted and will not be available for a few weeks, and also because they will grow almost anywhere. Nola has found that when planting out a garden she will add a grass plant here and there amongst the other more vulnerable plants as they will survive and work well and the client will not be so disappointed should the others fail. Amongst the grasses that Nola showed us was a tiny Conostylis a very reliable and long flowering plant that will do well in a sunny well drained position and it will keep flowering right into summer and a small Poa species that makes an excellent border plant in a sunny situation. There were Lomandras, one from South Australia L. ‘Stormy Seas’ that Nola says should perform well here on the coast, a dwarf form of Lomandra longifolia which would make a great container plant and the other local L.multiflora which is a beautiful plant and one that we see in the bush around the Central Coast. Nola says a good rule to follow is if a plant has blue/grey foliage it will perform best in full sun and a plant with green foliage will take a lot more shade but will also do well in a sunny position. People think that if they buy a grafted plant it will last forever but this is not always the case. The gums and Grevilleas do well but grafted Boronias, Eremophilas and Darwinias have a limited life span and people become disillusioned with them. A Boronia that costs around $13.50 will last about the same time as a grafted plant that costs more like $30. We saw two new Dianellas. D. ‘Petite Maree’ only grows to about 20cm and makes a great border plant and another small Dianella from Langhorne Creek in Victoria also good for a border and both of these plants would make great substitutes for Mondo Grass. There were two new Kangaroo Paws. Nola reluctantly sells the small ones; they don’t perform well and they lose them in the nursery so people become disillusioned and the last thing Nola wants is for people to become disillusioned with native plants. There are two exceptions here with A. ‘Bush Pearl’ and A. ‘White Diamond’ being strong performers. There were many other beautiful and interesting plants that are recent arrivals at the nursery that Nola presented with the help of Cathy so a visit to the Wildflower Place would be well worth considering over the next few weeks. Book of the Month Presented by Audrey Audrey’s choice for this month was Field Guide to Australian Mammals by Cath Jones & Steve Parish a book that is published by Steve Parish Publishing. This book Audrey purchased with money given to her for her birthday and it is chock full of interesting and well presented information. It shows maps with habitats of mammals across Australia. The chapters are colour-coded, well set out and easy to read with Monotremes in Red; Marsupials in Blue; Placentals in Purple and Mammals and People in Yellow. Each section carries a detailed general description of the animals - e.g. Platypus – it gives information on its discovery by Europeans comments on its survival, breeding and where to find them. In the large Marsupial section it shows a litter of Quolls in the pouch, their babies, and footprints. The Placentals section includes aquatic animals and introduced species and lists the species that they prey on. The final section on Mammals and People gives interesting tips on how to take successful photos of wildlife in the wild. This section also deals with wildlife conservation and finishes with a map of National Parks around Australia. A great book to take on holidays or enjoy at home that retails at only $29.95.
Specimen Table Presented
by Ian The flowers of Dodonaea viscosa subs.cuneata are unimpressive however they are followed by colourful pinkish-red 3-winged fruits that cover the bush and make a magnificent display in spring. Its distribution area is the Cumberland Plains area of the Sydney district. Commonly known as Wedge Leaf Hop Bush. Philotheca myoporoides previously known as Eriostemon myoporoides is a shrub 1m-2m high with star-like flowers in late winter and spring. A very hardy plant that will tolerate shade or sun and will take hard pruning after flowering. It can be propagated from cutting. Dodonaea viscosa subs.cuneata Prostanthera incisa is a shrub that grows 1m-2m high, has highly aromatic leaves and bears violet flowers mainly in spring when the shrub is covered in flowers. A local plant with a distribution area stretching from the Hawkesbury to Newcastle. Like most Prostanthera it is short lived but will strike readily from cutting. Another local Prostanthera is P.linearis which grows to about 1.5m is long flowering and likes a bit of shade.
Zieria ‘Pink Crystals’
made an appearance on the table this month. This is a small shrub
to about 1m that is tolerant of frost, periods of drought and
requires little attention once established. It’s a hybrid between
Z.cytisoides
and
Z.laevigata
and bears pretty pink
flowers in winter through to early spring. Olearia phlogopappa is another small shrub that bears daisy flowers with colour forms ranging from white to mauve. Needs a sunny well-drained position and can be propagated from cuttings which strike readily. Thryptomene saxicola grows to about 1m high. The plant from W.A. bears tiny pale pink flowers most prolific in winter and spring with some flowers throughout the year. Very Hardy, will grow and flower in a shady situation but performs better in full sun and it will strike readily from cutting. It makes an excellent vase specimen, will do well in a container and makes regular appearances on the table. Worth a spot in every garden. Grevillea shiressii (Pictured above) will grow to 3m high and bears greenish-blue flowers in winter and spring. A rare plant with a limited distribution area restricted to the Mullet Creek and Mooney Mooney Creek areas of the Central Coast. It has a conservation status listing of ‘vulnerable’ Information source Les Robinson’s Field Guide to Native Plants of the Sydney Area and Wrigley & Fagg’s Native Plants. Harry brought along a Solanum plant that came from Katandra Reserve that he has been growing on as part of our Bushcare work. There are more than 1000 Solanum species world wide and 70-80 of these in Australia. Solanum aviculare (Linnaeus) (sol-ain-um) or Kangaroo Apple contains solasodine, a steroid drug used in the manufacture of oral contraceptives and it is cultivated in large quantities in the Soviet Union. Aborigines consumed the fruit after burning off the skin. “Aviculare” is Latin for ‘little bird’ referring to the winglike leaves. Related is Solanum mauritianum commonly known as ‘wild tobacco tree’ which is a targeted weed for the Bushcare team at Katandra Reserve. The flowers are purple with yellow anthers and the fruit is egg-shaped and changes from yellow to orange when ripe. The seeds are ingested and spread by birds. All parts of the plant are highly toxic. Other Solanums include Solanum nigrum known as black nightshade which is another weed and then there’s the potato and tomato plant. Research on Solanum species by Harry Strong.
Plant of the Month Presented by Alan Alan’s plant of the month is Melastoma affine from the Melastomataceae family. The meaning of the name when broken up is Mela means “black” while stoma means “mouth”. It’s more commonly known as ‘Native Lasiandra’ or ‘Pink Lasiandra’. The distribution area is Northern NSW, Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia and Indonesia. Melastoma affine is a rounded shrub to about 50cm high but it will grow taller with the right conditions. It has opposite leaves with five prominent veins and bears mauve-purple flowers mostly in summer with some flowers appearing all year round. The flowers are 5cm in diameter, contain six petals with 12 or more prominent yellow anthers and the calyx is covered in short, soft spines. They occur at the end of stems of six or more buds that open progressively. The fruit is sweet and edible but stains the mouth black, hence the name. The plant grows best in a sheltered, shaded position in well-composted soil, is frost tender but quite hardy in drought conditions. A long flowering plant with nicely textured leaves. The exotic Tibouchina of South America is of the same family and the flowers of Melastoma affine are similar to the Tibouchina or Lasiandra.
At Katandra in July
In flower at Katandra is
the native passionfruit Passiflora herbertiana.
(Pictured below left & right) This is a
climbing plant that is found in sheltered slopes and rainforest
margins from the coast to lower Blue Mountains. Although widespread
it is uncommon and the Bushcare team were quite excited to see it in
flower.
Information source
Fairley & Moore’s book ‘Native Plants of the Sydney District’ Also seen at Katandra this month was this rather large Boletus, Phlebopus marginatus (Pictured right) thought to be Australia’s largest terrestrial fungus with caps up to 1 metre across. One specimen in Victoria was recorded weighing in at 29kg. This particular specimen was only about 20cm across the cap so a small one by comparison. The fruiting bodies are sometimes seen forming rings around Eucalyptus trees and they may fruit at any time of the year after rain. Its soft tissue is the favourite breeding ground of fungus flies. Information source ‘A Field guide to Australian Fungi’ by Bruce Fuhrer.
Gosford Bushcare Training Calendar
Bookings essential, please contact 4325 8195 or 4325 8169 to book your place. Friday 29th – Sunday 31st August Sydney Olympic Park 9.30am – 4.30pm Admission $17 Adult or $15 for Seniors/Pensioners. www.abcgardeningexpo.com.au Australian Open Scheme
Saturday 30th
– Sunday 31st August Visit Margaret & Peter's garden part of the Australian Open Garden Scheme. There will be guided tours, plants & books for sale and refreshments.
Sunday 21st &
Sunday 5th October
Hartley Hill has 1.5 hectares of native gardens surrounded by
natural bushland. Entry $5 per person. Devonshire teas available. All proceeds to be donated to the Hunter Medical Research Institute. Last year Gosford City Council held an invertebrate’s workshop and it was here that I became familiar with the Spiny Leaf Insect Extatosoma tiaratum a member of the Phylliinae family which is a small sub family of the Phasmatodea order and one of just 3 species from that sub family to be found in Australia. The young nymphs feed on fern leaf Acacias and young Eucalyptus leaves while the adults prefer the more mature leaves of the Eucalypts, roses, rubus species, as well as many other species. Being herbivores they will feed off the foliage of some of your plants but don’t have big appetites so it is unlikely that they will do your plants any permanent harm. What they do eat of course is recycled at the other end into nutrients for the garden. They have many predators including reptiles mammals, other insects but mainly birds and they rely on their stick-like form as camouflage and will sway on the branch when disturbed. Most stick insects move around and mate only at night to avoid confrontation with their predators.
The female spiny leaf
insect is much bigger than her male counterpart and considerably
different in form as you will see from the photos. She has the
ability to produce viable eggs without any input from the male
(parthenogenesis) however all of these eggs will produce female
offspring. Should she be fortunate enough to mate with a male she
will produce eggs that are both male and female. Sex of the eggs
can be determined by their shape with eggs containing female insects
being round and plump and male’s eggs smaller and flatter. These
eggs can take from a few months to 3 years to hatch.
Male Insect Female Insect As they grow to maturity they moult (hemimetabolistic) 5 times for males and 6 for females and they then eat their exoskeleton. Most leaf insects are cream or brown but if fed certain species of plants may become green. They can be kept as pets and are easy to care for, they require fresh foliage once or twice weekly and their enclosure needs to be cleaned and sprayed with water also twice weekly. Following the workshop I became surrogate parent to a cache of eggs and now have a male and female adult living in an aquarium in my living room. I have also acquired hundreds of eggs over the past few months, complements of the pair, and some of these I believe are likely to hatch in early October. Hopefully only a few of these will hatch or they will be looking for adoptive parents or be taking their chances with the birds in the garden. Information source A Field Guide to Insects in Australia Paul Zborowski and Ross Storey
International Carnivorous Plant Conference This conference will be held at the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney from 25-30th September. Greg Bourke of the Australasian Carnivorous Plants Society will introduce you to the world of carnivorous plants. Learn what makes a carnivorous plant carnivorous, why carn ivory has been adopted by plants, the various methods used to trap prey, where carnivorous plants can be found, uses by humans and cultivation. There will be a display of carnivorous plants with some plants for sale. Cost is $18 (Members $12) which includes morning tea. Bookings essential, contact the Friends of The Gardens on (02) 9231 8182 or email friends@rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au. Visit www.Sydneycarnivorous.com for further information.
July Bushwalk We had a very good turnout of members for our July Bushwalk along the fire trail at Bambara Road Kariong, on the edge of Brisbane Water National Park. Boronia ledifolia (Pictured Right) was in full bloom, as were many wattle species; Acacia longifolia, A.myrtifolia, A.ulicifolia, with some A.suaveolens and early A.linifolia. Lots of white blooms were seen in the undergrowth – Pimelea linifolia, Woollsia pungens, Leucopogon microphylla, Ricinocarpos pinifolius and Zieria laevigata.
There were several quite large bushes of the
yellow pea,
We also identified a
plant few had seen before:
Leucopogon amplexicaulis, in bud,
with little heart shaped hairy leaves clasping the stems. On the
rocky outcrops where we enjoyed the view over Brisbane Water, we
found bushes of lovely pink
Eriostemon australasius, and
yellow
Phebalium squamulosum. The damp sandy edges of the
trail had been slashed, but still had plenty of sedges,
Over 40 species were seen in flower, a good start to the flowering season so far. In August we expect an even better display in another section of this National Park.
Meeting Time &
Place:
10am at Staples Lookout, where we leave the cars.
Description:
We cross the road and walk about 300m down Woy Woy Road from the
Lookout to the entrance at the locked gate. The fire trail can be
rough and hilly in places, but the wildflowers here are amongst the
best in the area. We should see Tetrathecas and Boronias, and lots of other early spring flowering natives including peas and Hibbertias. There are several flat rocky areas where we look for Eriostemon, Phebalium, [See Phebalium squamulosum (Pictured left) ] Baeckea and Greenhoods and Rushes. On a side trail to Kariong Brook there is a good place to have lunch. From here, the more energetic often take the track down to the waterfall and back. Bring your lunch pack, water, and the usual hat, sunscreen, etc. For anyone wanting further information or a plant list, please contact Diana. For confirmation on the day, please ring Diana before 9am on 4372 1120 or Elsie after 9.30am on 0408 653140.
Flora Festival Thursday 11th September – Sunday 14th September If you would like to help, telephone me on 4365 5049 or contact me by email at damael@bigpond.net.au And I will add your name to the chart.
A roster will be circulated at all our meetings leading up to the festival – don’t be afraid to add your name. Get to know and enjoy working beside other members and join in the camaraderie.
Cd - Native Plants & Bushwalks Of The Central Coast The CD contains over 400 photographs and lists 24 bushwalks in National Parks, State Forests and Reserves of the Central Coast region and each bushwalk has a listing of the plants which may be found along that walk. In some cases maps are included. The disc is available for $15 plus $2.50 if postage (within Australia only) is required and can be ordered by filling in the form below and posting to Diana Dean 4 Grants Road, Somersby 2250, or purchased at any of our monthly meetings. An order form is now available for download on our website. With most computers it will be necessary to click on the ‘Start’ menu, go to ‘My Computer’, and double click on the CD or DVD drive. Most people will be able to access the CD by clicking on the ‘Internet Explorer’ icon. For computers that are not operating with Microsoft the CD can be accessed by clicking on the ‘Acrobat Reader’ icon.
CD - Native Plants & Bushwalks of the Central Coast
Many years ago Alan created a list of plants that the group had identified while on their monthly bushwalks. This list was passed over to Diana & Barry a few years ago and it was then converted into a data base. Over the past 3 years a great many more plants have been added to the list and now 800 plants are included on the data base. Photographs were also collected along the way some taken by Diana & Barry and others taken by some of the keen photographers amongst the group members. From this data base and collection of photos a DVD was produced to run on the coach for the Sydney Tour of the ASGAP Conference last year. This particular tour was subsequently cancelled due to lack of numbers but a seed was planted and the thought of a CD began to grow. After many hours spent at the computer the CD is now complete. It contains over 400 photographs and lists 24 bushwalks in National Parks, State Forests and Reserves of the Central Coast region and each bushwalk has a listing of the plants which may be found along that walk. In some cases maps are included. The disc is available for $15 plus $2.50 postage (within Australia only) The CD can be purchased at any of our monthly meetings.
or if you wish to order
a form is available from this website.
The Committee and members would like to thank Diana and Barry for all the effort and hours spent in producing the CD the profits from the sale of which will benefit the group.
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