Australian Native Plants at the ANBG Canberra

[Maggi Young]

OK, I can hear my back cracking under the weight of the inevitable...... I will start posting them today sometime.

I wondered what that noise was 

[Paul T]

OK, for starters..... I think someone was interested in the Kangaroo Paws (Anigozanthos) so I have prepared a selection of pics of some of the different flowers.  The Bush series all tend to be smaller varieties, ranging to perhaps a metre tall at the most (some considerably shorter than that), while others can be close to 2m tall ('Turner's Pink' for example).  I also include a pick of one of the beds of them in the ANBG, as well as a shot of one clump of one of the Bush series just to give you an idea of their appearance.  The rest are detail shots to show the colour of the flowers etc.  If more are wanted, or different pics of those shown, please let me know.

[Paul T]

And now for some of the smaller Banksias.....






This is one of the groundcover varieties called Banksia blechnifolia as it's leaves resemble Blechnum ferns.  The leaves grow to around 5ocm tall at the very most, but the plant can end up 2-3m wide.  The flowers sit on the ground at the growing tips.  As with all the Proteaceae they are loved by birds for their nectar.  I've included various pics to try to show how the plant grows, as well as showing the flowers.




Another of the groundcover types, but this one with linear leaves, is Banksia petiolaris.  Similar in growth habit to the first one, but I haven't seen specimens quite as big and thick of this one.




Banksia caleyi has the flowers in underneath it, and this plant is around 1.2m tall.  These are still buds, but they are so striking that I thought it was worthwhile posting pics.  I haven't seen them open yet, so I don't know how much they will change.




And lastly for the smaller ones I will show now.... Banksia pilostylis.  Also around 1.2m tall, this one has terminal flowers that sit up and look at you.  You can see the flowers opening from the bottom upwards.

[Maggi Young]

More amazing plants!
We  can get Kangeroo Paws in flower arrangements from fancy florists.... really cool flowers, so unlikely for a plant to have that structure and texture!

I think I must vote for those Banksia caleyi   to be awarded "Buds of the Week"..... they are perfect..... never seen anything like that!

[Paul T]

Those buds are pretty amazing, aren't they.  Each set is probably somewhere around 15cm long by 12cm wide, but that is just a rough guess from memory.  I didn't measure them.  The colour means that they can be seen from quite a long distance too, and they're near the main path so a lot of visitors get to see them.

[Brian Ellis]

Absolutely stunning Paul, hope the back is easing

[Lvandelft]

That is a very good start Paul.
Oooh, a bed with such Anigozanthos would be something in my backyard..
And then colour of Banksia caleyi. Such strange flowers for us. Amazing!

[Paul T]

And now for something a little different.... some members of the Myrtaceae family, for starters some Melaleucas....




Melaleuca linarifolia is a tree, this one is about 8 to 10m tall I think.  If you take the eaves of the building as about 2m, I think that is what it works out to be.  Intricate flowers when you get some low enough to look at.






I think that Melaleuca 'Sea Foam' is a form of linarifolia.  The plant in the pic is about 5m tall, and is covered in flowers.  This one is situated just below the cafe lawn, so it is seen by everyone.  You barely notice it when it isn't in flower, but you just can't miss it when it is.  The flowers are very striking, as you can see. Each flowerhead would be around 5cm wide.


Melaleuca radula is a delicate lavender colour, on a small shrub.


This is a white form of Melaleuca thymifolia, a small shrub to only 50cm or so in height.




This stunner is Melaleuca nesophila.  The flowers are very striking, being a ball of bright magenta with gold tips.  These plants were about 1.8m tall and covered in flowers (the long shot doesn't really show it, so I included a medium shot to show them a bit better).  In a moment I will post a sequence that shows flowers from buds through to full flower, as I think it is a cool progression....

[Paul T]

And the sequence of Melaleuca nesophila flowers opening (this is not a time lapse, they are flowers at different stages on the plant).....









Cool, eh?  Each ball of flowers is about 3cm wide, perhaps a bit more.

[Diane Whitehead]

What are the frilly white bits of the flowers of Melaleuca linarifolia?

[Paul T]

Diane,
They are actually the stamens.  Most of those that I have looked closely at seem to have 5 bundles of stamens surrounding a single style.  These bundles are the frilly bits, topped in pollen.

[Paul T]

Here are some more of the Myrtaceae family, in this case Verticordias.  These are all small to very small shrubs, with flowers that don't seem even remotely related to the Melaleucas above.  Many of these come from Western Australia, so they are probably far out of their comfort zone here in the Canberra climate.  I would imagine in the wild they would likely be much more spectacular.




This little Verticordia monadelpha var monadelpha is only around 20cm tall, with cute little fluffy white flowers.  It still isn't in full flower, so if I get a chance to photograph it in full flower I'll post it.




This is Verticordia galeata, which blazes in yellow.  The whole plant was maybe 30cm tall (can't remember if this particular plant was, but the tallest I can recall coming across was about that) and the flowers are around a cm across.  The flowers last for weeks and weeks, holding up to rain and wind etc.  it is really surprising how long they last, given how delicate they look.




This is the tallest of the genus i have come across as yet (but there could be lots more I haven't noticed yet) at around 1m tall.  The flowers are quite tiny though.  Verticordia plumosa.




The colour and form of this one is breathtaking.  Verticordia mitchelliana positively glows!!  It is a small shrub, growing a bit gangly in our climate but I would imagine much thicker in it's native habitat.  The largest of these I have come across was around 30cm tall by 60cm wide, but very open.


And lastly for this genus at the moment.... Verticordia blepharophylla, a closeup of the flowers.  It's habit is a little like the V. plumosa in that it is taller and thinner, topped by the flowers.

Again, with all of these I'd be fascinated to see how big and robust they are in their natural climate.  The deep sandy soils they would probably naturally grow on are very different to here, no matter how much we amend the soils.  Still, some of the things we grow at the ANBG are pretty amazing given the wide varieties of natural climates they would get in the wild.

[Paul T]

I know I posted a bunch of Grevillea earlier in the month, but here are a couple more beauties that I found in the mean time....




Grevillea asteriscosa has tiny little flowers that are less than 2.5cm in total length.  But they are the cutest little things.  Spiky, glossy leaves set it off quite well.  A fairly small grower, at least in our climate.


Grevillea haplantha ssp haplantha


And a new favourite of mine Grevillea buxifolia which I am going to have to try to get for my own collection.  I just love the greyish flowers, with hints of green and pink, and the way they open, leaving a hole where the end of the style once sat.  These were only young plants, and I haven't had a chance to look into how big they will get.  Excellent flowers though.






This is the Western Australian floral emblem... Gossypium sturtianum, Sturt's Desert Rose.  A lovely hibiscus-like flower, with interesting blue-grey leaves that curl in at the edges.  Once you get your eye in the leaves stand out very prominently.  It grows with quite an open habit here, to 2.5m or so.  The flowers are around 10cm across.

And to continue with hibiscus-like flowers, well actually to continue with some Australian native Hibiscus to go with the Hibiscus divaricatus that i posted a while ago.....


Hibiscus splendens.  Flowers are around 15cm or so wide, perhaps a bit wider.




Hibiscus heterophyllus ssp heterophyllus has white flowers with a pink edge on the reverse.  The centre is an intense deep purple, which I have shown a closeup of.  We have plants at the ANBG of this which are probably 4.5m tall or more, and the stems have fine thorns all over them, although not really nasty ones.  A beautiful flower, but I am not sure I would like to have to push my way through a cluster of the plants. 

[t00lie]

Super plants Paul.

It's a good flowering season here for our NZ native trees but nothing to match the display you are posting.

With such a heavy 'mast' year being predicted here there should be plenty of food about for native birds ,some of which i understand only breed under these current favourable conditions .
 
The flip side is that the Dept of Conservation are already warning of an explosion of pest numbers --stoats /wessels /rats /mice .......and unfortunately a few of these will target birds.     

To to be able to work as you do in such a botanical wonderland makes me so envious.

Keep posting.

Cheers dave.

[Lvandelft]

Paul, when I look at the flowering of Melaleuca linarifolia, it looks almost the same as if when I yesterday saw all the shrubs and trees covered with frost here around the house.
The Verticordia mitchelliana (and the other ones too!) is an absolute stunner.
I am curious how these flowers get pollinated.
I presume that they show the style outside of the flowers.
They look a bit sticky to me.
Very interesting shrub!