Australian Native Plants at the ANBG Canberra

[Paul T]

Luit,

The Melaleucas have a style in the centre of the flower, with the clusters of stamen arranged around them.  They have a good supply of nectar and are a favourite with the honeyeaters, so they would transfer pollen on their heads to the style of the next flower etc. I am not sure re the Verticordia, but I would be guessing that the V. mitchelliana is also bird pollinated, because of it's shape and colour.  I think the others are more likely to be insect pollinated, but I really don't know for sure.

Dave,

Glad you're enjoying the pics.  I'm pretty impressed with working in such a botanical wonderland too!! 

[maggiepie]

Wonderful pics Paul, have to say the banksias are my favourites ( just)
What fabulous variety there is in Australian native plants.

[Maggi Young]

This Melaleuca linarifolia pic is just extraordinary...... I thought I was seeing an underwater photo from Hans and Lottie Haas of some fabulous sea anemone !  What  gorgeous flowers..... how glam are those for sexy bits? 

[Brian Ellis]

...the best sexy bits I've seen in a long time.  I'm stunned into (almost) silence

[ArneM]

Paul, I knew that there are interesting plants from Australia but I have never imagined such a great diversity. Fantastic plants and photos. I am really looking forward to your next pictures.

[Lesley Cox]

Just looked at this thread today, I've been saving it for when I had some spare time. What an incredible treat. An amazing place to work in Paul, no wonder you have your camera surgically attached to your body.

I've been promised an Australian holiday when Vladimir Ashkenazy is in residence with the Sydney Symphony later in the year but I might have to combine it with a trip to Canberra.

[Paul T]

Lesley,

Would be wonderful to catch up with you again.  Lots of stuff to see here in Canberra if you have time.

Arne,

I have only shown a small fraction of the plants they actually have at the ANBG, just those with noticeable flowers etc.  I've not shown any of the trees, or many of the rainforest species etc.  SO much more I would love to be able to show you, but hopefully will be able to show more as time goes on.  I really can't spend much time taking photos, as I have a job to do, but just whip the camera out here and there to take an opportunistic picture or two. 

Maggi,

They do look a bit like that, don't they.  Having them focused in a picture on screen shows the details a bit more than you may see in person, but then the overall shots never do them justice as well as seeing the plant in person.  So you gain some things from photos and lose others.

The main thing is that everyone is enjoying them.  I'll try to get the rest of the pics uploaded over the weekend..... still just under 50 of them to do.  And I've already taken a couple of pics at work today as well, but they can wait a bit yet. 

[Paul T]

I should also mention, given that we were discussing Myrtaceae and the Melaleucas etc, that Eucalyptus are also in this family.  So there are a LOT of Myrtaceae about.     Just thought I'd add those to the mix for Myrtaceae with the Melaleucas and Verticordias.  All rather different to each other.

I'll upload more pics from December today most likely. 

[Paul T]

Howdy All,

Some miscellaneous bits and pieces that I haven't particularly grouped....






Billardiera lehmanniana is a climber that is very reminiscent of some of the smaller Jasmines at first glance, and a bit like the Aussie native Sollya heterophylla.  Again, just at first glance.  I do not actually know whether the species is normally white or mauve, or whether both are found naturally.  I have included pics of both colour forms of the flowers, plus a pic of one of the plants.  This certainly doesn't look much like Billardiera viridifolia, which I posted pics of a while back.

and another climber......




Jasminum simplicifolium ssp suavissimum, is fairly large as you can see.  The top of this is over 4m off the ground and has to be pruned relatively regularly as it grows quite well!! 

I was asked in another topic to post some pics of Blandfordia, so here's a few pics...




Blandfordia grandiflora, showing both the flowers and a pic of one of the plants.  My own plant at home is just opening at the moment.




This is a relative of the Queensland Bottle Tree (which I think was one of the first things I posted in this topic).... it is Brachychiton bidwellii and the flowers are produced directly on the stem.  These are still only relatively small plants I think, as they're only about 2.3m tall or so.  I can only imagine what a large specimen of this would look like.

[Paul T]

Helichrysum boormanii grows to a bit under 1m tall.  A good blaze of colour.




Mirbelia dilatata has the most intensely coloured pea flowers, with somewhat spikey foliage.  This is another, I think, Western Australian plant that might be a bit out of it's comfort zone here.




I grew up with this on our farm an hour East of here... Patersonia occidentalis, a rather delightful member of the family Iridaceae.  The flowers just last the day, but are produced over a long period of time.  Each flower is about 4cm across.




I'd seen this plant many times, but never noticed it was flowering until I was doing some work right next to it.  The flowers of Prostanthera walteri are an unusual grey-lavendar in colour and they almost disappear into the foliage.  I discovered an Eremophila the other day with flowers almost exactly the same colour, which I walk past every day at least twice (usually quite a bit more) and it had obviously been in flower for a while already without me noticing it.  I must remember to photograph it and show you all.

That's it for right now, but will hopefully post some more pics this evening.  Maggi et al, there are even Rhododendron photos coming.... 

[Gerdk]

Paul, please continue! Everytime a new surprise!
Especially like the Blandfordia grandiflora - might be a good indoor plant
here in the NH.

Gerd

[Paul T]

Gerd,

Glad you're liking the pics.  No idea how Blandfordiae would do inside... no need for that here. 

Later than I had expected, so won't post many more now, but here's a couple more for tonight....






This is Tripladenia cunninghamii, a shade lover.  Flowers are about 2.5cm across and a lovely delicate shade of pale pink.  I am assuming that this is rhizomatous, or something akin to this.  It reminds me a bit of Solomon's Seal when not in flower, but I don't know whether it has actual rhizomes or just perennial roots etc.

[Maggi Young]

This Tripladenia is new to me so I went looking for info... found some here:
The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants
By Karl Ulrich Kramer, Klaus Kubitzki, Herbert Huber, P. S. Green
Published by Springer
ISBN 3540640606, 9783540640608
Volume III- Flowering Plants -Monocotyledons

This is what they have to say about the plant....

[maggiepie]

Paul, am really enjoying your pics, you have really opened my eyes with some
Special thanks for the Blandfordiae grandiflora pics,they they take me back to my childhood.

[Paul T]

Maggi,

The Tripladenia is really beautiful.  The pics don't do it justice.  I have had a small plant for a little while now, but have never flowered it as yet.  I have been watching the ones at the ANBG to see whether they flower.  I think mine needs more water and probably a bit more shade, so I have recently moved it.  I think it is actually the water that might be the key, as the ones at the ANBG are in both sunny and shady areas, but they get more water than mine has been.  I've shifted mine into my shadehouse now, where I keep the watering more constant.  It is already looking better than it ever has before.  I hope it does well.  When I was putting the information in last night I realised that I had never looked at the root system to see what the base was like, just potted it up each time without disturbing the roots.  Funny how some things you just never check. 

Helen,

Glad you enjoyed the Blandfordia.  The ANBG has some named varieties with larger flowers than the normal species, but they are in the polytunnels and I do not have permission to post pics from there.  All the other pictures I have posted are in the public areas and can be seen by any visitors to the gardens.