Australian Native Plants at the ANBG Canberra

[arillady]

Thanks Maggie for editing my texts - I am thinking one name and putting in another by mistake - must be the grey cells not talking to each other so well.
If you can get seed I would love to get a few sometime.
Pat

[Paul T]

Pat,

Have you checked the Kuranga Native Nursery website for their listing, to see whether they at least stock it?  It's just near the Dandeongs in Victoria, so maybe you could convince someone to pick one up for you if they're over that way, and send it to you?  A first thought, at least.

Good luck.

[Maggi Young]

 I am pleased to tell you that Paul Tyerman has offered to continue his postings about the native plants growing at the Australian National Botanic Garden in Canberra. 

[Paul T]

Thanks Maggi!!

Yes, I know it is now April and I am only just starting this topic, but I have been taking pics in the meantime despite not posting them, although nowhere near as many as I was taking back in spring (also because of a few camera problems).  These are just pics I took here and there in the public areas around the gardens at the time.  I'll work my way through some of the plants in flower from the beginning of the year until now.......

I'll start with a few pics (a random sample) from the first week of January, to show how the year started at the ANBG. 

Please click on the pic for a larger version.






Acacia beadleana, a small shrub with singular cluster flowers a bit over 1cm wide.  An absolute glowing golden ball!! 




Acradenia frankliniae is about 4 metres tall, with clusters of small flowers.




Angophora hispida is another of the Myrtaceae family (and as you can see, very similar to the Eucalypts) with individual flowers well over an inch wide.  The plant I photographed these flowers on was badly damaged in storms at some point in it's life and was not worthwhile photographing as a plant, but the flowers were spectacular.  Behind is the sunny summer sky in Australia in January...... are you Northern Hemisphere types jealous of some aspects of our summer weather, or what? 




Obviously fairly closely related to the Leptospermum is this Babingtonia 'Howie's Feathertips'.  Small flowers are made up for in sheer abundance, with this plant well over 4 metres in height.

[Paul T]

Yet another of the Myrtaceaea is this Melaleuca species that I wasn't able to identify.  Extremely showy, to put it mildly.


Banksia caleyi, as shown in the previous topic.  The flowers didn't open much more than in the bud stage, but it is still so beautiful.




This Clerodendrum tomentosum occurs naturally at the coast and hour away from here.  Classic Clerodendrum flowers (each flower about an inch across), but glowing white and in large balls.  Nice flowers, nice leaves, nice plant!! 

Lastly for tonight....




This is Doodia media, a colonising fern with wonderfully colourful new foliage.  Commonly called the "Prickly Rasp Fern" because it's foliage is rather rough as it matures.

[Lvandelft]

Paul I am glad that you decided to show us more so beautiful and interesting pictures
from the Botanical Garden.
I know how much work it is to choose and fit the pics. for the Forum... 
But I am not a working person.

[David Nicholson]

Good to have them back Paul, and yes we are jealous!

[Paul T]

Glad you're enjoying them.  I should have more ready this afternoon.

[Brian Ellis]

Look forward to the next lot Paul, we have missed this topic and the incredible flora you are introducing us to.

[Paul T]

A couple for the bulb lovers......

Please click on the pic to see a larger version.




Crinum angustifolium growing out in the open in the rockery.  The flower stem was a around 70cm tall with only a few spidery flowers.




Crinum pedunculatum on the other hand is a large frost-sensitive (to a degree at least) mostly evergreen Crinum that doesn't have a bulb as such but rather a thick "trunk".    Mature plants down the coast from here can top 6 feet tall in flower, but these plants were about 4 feet tall.  If the flowers had stayed upright they would have been even taller, but they lean out from the tree canopy (they're planted beside the road) and overbalance.  Each flower is about 10 to 12cm wide I would guess, with most of them flowering together.

And a couple of followups from previous postings in the 2008 topic....




Grevillea leptobotrys still in flower in early January (and incidentally still having a couple of flowers on it now in early April!!) with it's musk candy, vanilla perfume.


Verticordia monodelpha var monodelpha in almost full flower.

[Paul T]

Howdy All,

I just realised that I should put a note in here for those who are monitoring this topic by email...... A separate topic has now been started for pictures I have taken (and will be taking) of the 2009 flowerings at the Australian National Botanic Gardens....

http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=3339.0

Enjoy.

[Paul T]

Howdy All,

Some more postings of flowerings in January....

For starters, here are some pics of some of the assorted Calostemma purpurea that flowered then.....

Please click on the pic for a larger version.












And the last two pics are included to show some of them growing amongst the rocks in the "rockery".  They're up to maybe 70cm in height in flower, mostly flowering before the leaves are produced.


Another pic of Crinum angustifolium, showing a better flower I think.






And from the edge of the rainforest gully.... .Alocasia brisbanensis, one of the Taro family.

[Paul T]

This little orchid is Spiranthes australis, formerly Spiranthes sinensis, which grows wild in parts of the ANBG.  I posted pics of this that I had in flower in a pot at home in another topic, but these photos are of one of the plants in the ground at the ANBG.  They're about 20 to 25cm tall in the pic.

And now a quick tour of a couple of things in the open glasshouse in late January.........






This is the aroid Amorphophallus paeoniifolius in leaf.  The leaves are about 2 metres tall by perhaps 1.5m wide, with army camouflage on the stems and small prickles.  Very, very cool plant!!  There are forms of this that can apparently grow in areas that get -20'C in winter, but they are dormant then so there are no leaves above ground.  I would imagine that those forms would need to be grown from seed to have that sort of tolerance.  Apparently some tubers from these glasshouse plants have been tried outside but have no survived.  I think they are just too programmed for the warm conditions.




This tiny little flower is from the orchid Ceraia pseudocalceola.  It is only maybe 1cm wide and rather difficult to photograph as the light wasn't the best at the time I was there.  Tiny little flowers for such a large sprawling/hanging plant.




This is Cycas cairnsiana, apparently coming into fruit by the look of it.

[Paul T]

Still focusing on flowerings from January.........

Please click on the pic for a larger version.




These Banksia serrata are about 5 metres tall or more, standing behind a bust of Joseph Banks himself.  This species flowers for quite a long period, with the birds constantly patrolling the flowers to check for nectar.




This unknown species of Banksia (I'll insert the correct name when I find out what it is) is only about 1.5m tall, and about 1.5m wide.  Very nice, whichever species it is.




Crowea 'Festival', looking very similar to the flower that my little bee/wasp thing from the wildlife topic was perched on.  The plant is about 1m tall.




Desmodium gunnii is a rampant ground cover with tiny little 1cm or so pea flowers.  Very cute, but can definitely fill in space very well.




Eromophila polyclada is a Western Australian plant.  The one is grafted to give it a root system more suited to our clay soils (naturally it grows on very sandy, perfectly drained soils.  It's about 1.4m tall and the flowers are a bit over an inch wide.  The photo of the plant doesn't really do it justice, it is far more noticeable than it appears.

[Paul T]

This is Lycopus australis, an obviously fairly happy plant.  It is maybe 1m tall, but is covering many square metres as it spreads quite healthily it would appear.  I've included a shot of the flowers and of the arrangement on the stem as well, just to show the flowers themselves.




Lythrum salicaria seeds well in various parts of the ANBG.  It likes moist areas, but will tolerate drier situations if necessary.  When in full flower it is stunning, growing to around 1.5m tall.  Such a glorious colour, particularly en mass.




Melia azedarach, known here as the 'White Cedar', has beautiful flowers about an inch across, and interesting leaves as well.  Can grow to a good sized tree in the right situation.