Australian Native Plants at the ANBG Canberra

[Paul T]

Grevillea lavandulacea is best called a "sprawling shrub", or at least this particular plant is.  Quite woody at the base in this particular individual and about 2.5m wide by maybe 1.2m high.  Lovely grey foliage, contrasting the bright flowers beautifully.

The Hibbertia empetrifolia are a good mound of a plant...... in leaf and flowering from the ground on each side, which really gives the mound effect.  The plant in the picture is a bit under 2 feet by 2 feet.  Flowers are about 1.5cm wide, but there are lots and lots of them.  There are a couple more larger versions of this plant just coming into flower on the main concourse of the Gardens.  When they're in full flower I will photograph them as I think they will be spectacular.  They look to be spreading out much more, but I have to investigate how tall those plants actually are, as they may be cascading out of a higher garden bed.

Philotheca verrucosa almost glistens.  As can be seen in the flower picture, they are relatively shiny but have great texture.  SO many flowers on the plant too.  Individual flowers are about 1cm wide, but you can't miss the plant as it just glows.

And lastly for this post..... Pimelea sericea which looks fascinating out of flower due to it's overlapping leaves, now topped by the flowers just opening.  I don't know how big these plants get as these that I was photographing are all quite small.  Not sure whether they'll stay that way or not.  The flowerhead is about an inch wide.

[Paddy Tobin]

Hi Paul,

Delighted that you have found time to continue this thread as you are bringing us, in the Northern Hemisphere, a selection we would no normally see, certainly not see growing so very well.

The Grevillea lavandulacea, first photograph, in your last post above is absolutely beautiful, a great combination of flower and foliage colour.

Keep them coming. Paddy

[Paul T]

Thanks Paddy.  Here's a few more I never got around to posting yesterday......

One of the pea family is Pultenaea juniperina.  Flowers are a bit over 1cm wide, the shrub is about 4 feet tall.  Couldn't get a decent pic of the whole thing as it was in light and shade.  Appears to spread a bit by suckering, although not badly by the look of it.

Next we have a couple of native Ranunculus.... Ranunculus glabrifolius and Ranunculus collinus.  These are closeups of the flowers, but I took some better photos today I think which show the foliage a bit better.  Both are small groundcovers when in full sun, and a bit taller in the shade.  The former might get to 3 inches tall in the shade (an inch tall in full sun) and the latter to about 6 inches maximum (maybe 3 inches in full sun).  Both have flowers less than an inch wide.

Ricinocarpus speciosus is an upright shrub, but I don't know exactly how large as I don't think this one is mature.  This was just to about 6 feet, but the way it was growing I think it will continue upwards for a while yet.  Flowers are about 1.5cm wide and subtle but nice.

And lastly for yesterday's unfinished postings.... Rulinga luteiflora, which is a soft yellow small shrub to a couple of feet tall, but when you look at the individual flowers they are quite striking.  They remind me of a bunch of eyes watching.  The centres aren't noticeable from a distance, the shrub is just soft yellow from the backs of the flowers and the calyxs (I think I have the right name there) that are left behind when the flower drops.  I'd grow it just for those flowers though, even if you have to stop and look properly to see the details.

That's it for yesterday's, but I took a bunch of photos today to post once I get a chance to prepare them.  Lots of wattles of assorted types today, as they're at their peak or starting to go over now.

Enjoy.

[Lvandelft]

Hi Paul, when you started this topic I was on holiday.
Just now I've found it and I am very happy to see so many native plant of Australia.
Great pictures and very interesting!
Good that it's spring in your country, which means we can await many more pictures then??

[Paul T]

Sorry for the delay in posting more pics...... here's a few from the last week or so....

The first are a couple of Acacia varieties..... the Acacia floribunda as you can see grows into a tree.  Lovely flowers to it, a wonderful soft yellow rather than the strong gold of so many species.  And towards the other end of the scale is one of the mounding varieties... Acacia 'Green Mist' which grows to maybe 3 feet tall and 6 feet wide.  It rarely flowers well, so this plant is rather heavily in flower.  Normally only a flower or two here and there in a home garden, but most aren't as well grown as those at the ANBG.

Here's a photo of Alyogyne 'West Coast Gem', the same as Lesley posted in her pics from her visit to Australia.  Just to show another picture of the flower plus how it becomes such an open shrub.  I'd imagine that this one likes a good prune periodically to keep it bushy.  This one is about 8 or 9 feet tall, with each flower about 5 inches across.  I used to wonder whether it was related to Pelargonium as the leaves are so similar and it has quite fleshy new growth.

Chamelaucium 'Cascade Brook' is a variety of Geraldton Wax Flower from Western Australia.  They are used here in the cut flower trade, but I think they are exported now as well?  This plant is maybe 6 foot tall by about 8 feet wide.  Individual flowers are less than an inch wide.

[Paul T]

The ANBG has representations of the rainforest regions from the eastern states of Aus.  In some of them they have epiphytes attached to the trunks etc.  To start with here are a couple of these epiphytes...... The Asplenium ferns are attached up the trunk, collecting rain in their fronds and funneling it down to their roots below.  We also have numerous different orchids, this one being the Orange Blossom Orchid, Sarcochilus falcatus.  The second pic shows it in relation to the other plants on the tree with it.

As well as the numerous Acacia and Grevillea that are around right now, this seems to be a very happy time for members of the pea family.  Here are just a few (there'll be more tomorrow hopefully when I have prepared some more pics.  I'm working my way through the pics I've taken this week)...

Daviesia horrida has thorns that live up to the name.  Nasty little beasties they are too.  The plant is quite sparse to about 4 feet high in this individual, but I don't know their potential in that regard.  Can't tell from just the one plant.    Must find out where there are more in the ANBG to have more idea of the potential size.

The Swan River Pea is Gastrolobium celsianum and is a ground cover to around a foot or so tall, depending whether it is climbing over obstacles or not.  Lovely red flowers are about 1.5 inches long.  This plant is well over 6 feet wide.

Another spreader/climber is Hardenbergia comptoniana which can either grow flat and cascade, or grow up things and cover them beautifully.  This picture is taken in an alcove on one of the buildings, showing how well it can climb and cover something.  Very striking when in full flower like it is now.

And lastly for this post (there'll be more shortly) is Indigofera australia which is a loose shrub with blue-ish green leaves and wonderful racemes of flowers at this time of year.  Can sucker a bit, but nothing major.  The plants grow to about 4 feet tall.  At the moment you can see them all over the ANBG as they are so noticeable right now.

[Gerdk]

Here's a photo of Alyogyne 'West Coast Gem', the same as Lesley posted in her pics from her visit to Australia.  Just to show another picture of the flower plus how it becomes such an open shrub.  I'd imagine that this one likes a good prune periodically to keep it bushy.  This one is about 8 or 9 feet tall, with each flower about 5 inches across.  I used to wonder whether it was related to Pelargonium as the leaves are so similar and it has quite fleshy new growth.

Paul, most interesting pictures. What a beautiful large 'Blue Hibiscus'! My plant is
about 1.5 m tall. A good pruning seems to be essential.
Does this species grow in the wetter parts of Australia?
My plant obviously enjoyed the cold and wet summer here.

Gerd

[Paul T]

Gerd,

I would have thought it was from the drier and hotter areas, as it seems to do quite well here.  No idea of exactly where it comes from, but if southern Western Australia then it is likely to have pretty hot summers.  Interesting to know that it likes your conditions too.... a cold and wet summer is just something I can't replicate here to test it.    In fact the whole idea is almost alien to me. 

[Paul T]

I can't go long without posting a pic of a Grevillea, so here is Grevillea 'Cara Lynn'.  This plant would be around 2 metres tall and wide, perhaps a bit more, with the flowerheads being around 1 inch wide.  The overpowering scent of honey and nectar hits you whenever you're near it, because there are just SO many flowers out on it.  Needless to say it is popular with the birds and insects.

Another good sized plant covered in flowers is Philotheca myoporoides ssp acuta (formerly in the genus Eriostemon for those who are thinking that is what it is).  This bank of plants is just under 2 metres tall and absolutely covered in flowers that are about 1.5cm wide.  Beautiful!!!!

And for something different, here's Richea dracophylla.  About 5 feet or so tall, with terminal inflorescences, the buds spiraling around the flowerhead and interspersed at times with bracts.  hard to capture it properly, but I hope you get the idea?

[Paul T]

And lastly for tonight...... The "Sturt's Desert Pea", or Swainsonia formosa, which the ANBG is currently having a display of (along with a large display of everlasting daisies to show their use as a bedding plant etc).  They're in pots to show them off.  They're only just starting to flower and should continue doing so for most of summer.  The flowers are stunning, such a striking combination of colours and such a thick texture to them.  I've included some information on them, but I am not sure exactly how much of it can be read.  I've made this pic a bit larger than usual to give people a better chance of reading it, but hopefully the size doesn't inconvenience people too much when downloading.

That's it for tonight's ANBG pics.  As I mentioned earlier I will hopefully get some more of this weeks pics uploaded and posted tomorrow as we have a long weekend here.  May or may not get the time, but otherwise hopefully within the next few days.

I'll also post a pic in the Wildlife thread of some of the Eastern Water Dragons that live around the bottom pond in the Tasmanian section of the ANBG, if anyone is interested.  Wondered whether I should post it here or not?

[ashley]

What a great series Paul ; thank you very much.   

Swainsonia formosa we saw at Alice Springs Desert Park last winter had a less prominent black eye than yours.  Are different forms or populations recognised do you know?
 

[Lvandelft]

Magnificent pictures Paul!
I enjoyed these very much, while raining all day outside with max. 12° C.
The Chamelaucium 'Cascade Brook' Is at least imported here for the flowertrade I think.
It's often seen in mixed bouquets.

Last year the flowers of Cham. uncinatum were sold engros for 12 to 40 Eur. cts. each.

[Armin]

Paul,
what a fascinating different flora. 
I'm resorbing all the provided info.
Please continue...

[Lesley Cox]

Interesting that Sturt's Desert Pea grows in extreme desert areas, but only flourishes in the wetter years and in damper patches of ground. You'd think, in that case, it would inhabit somewhere not so desert-like.

[Paul T]

Thanks for the responses everyone.  Glad you're enjoying the pics.

Ashley,

Yes, there are different colour forms.  The one with the black boss is the most striking to most people's eyes, but there is on the type like you saw, plus whites, "pink", and I've seen comments relating to yellows.  We have some of the white and pink types (I think) still coming along in the glasshouses at work, but they are still smaller and not yet into flower.  I'll get photos of these when they start flowering so that you can all see what they look like.

Lesley,

If the plant get regular water in less harsh conditions they can apparently last up to 3 years (we have been told with judicious pruning and care we could keep ours growing for that long), but only when they're grafted onto better rootstock.  My pics are of stock that is cotyledon grafted onto Clianthus puniceus from New Zealand.  This gives it a much more adaptable root system that helps it survive much better.  They are actually in self-watering pots so that they get a constant moisture source.  Apparently they like lots of water while in growth so that is not problem, but in nature they have the cyclical climate that is damp or dry.  Their natural roots require extreme drainage (the Clianthus is more forgiving in this way, but still likes plenty of air at the roots I think) so that does limit the soils it can grow on in nature.  The other key to maximising flowers with this species is to trim it regularly when young to thicken it up.  Once the stem shifts into flowering mode it cannot shift back into growth.  If the growing tip is damaged it can't replace itself, instead some growth points back towards the base of the plant will initiate.  By tip pruning it regularly to delay initiation of flowering we've ended up with something like 20 stems per plant that should all flower, instead of perhaps 5 or 6 stems.