Australian Native Plants at the ANBG Canberra

[Paul T]

Some more pics from this week.....

To follow on from yesterday's Melaleucas here are some more...




Melaleuca elliptica has large, pendulous flowerheads, far more like a Callistemon in size, but even larger than most of those.  Around 2.5 to 3m tall.


Melaleuca fulgens 'Hot Pink' is the named variety of the orange species I posted a pic of yesterday.




Melaleuca wilsonii is a small shrub, more like a ground cover except not so thick.  Beautifully fluffy pink flowers.




And this is Kunzea ambigua - prostrate form which is very striking.  Striking enough that I bought one on the weekend for my garden.  Only about 30 to 40cm in height, but a couple of metres wide.  Very, very nice.

[Paul T]

This, rather unusually coloured flower is Hakea trineura.  Quite tall and thin (the plant in the picture would be at least 3m tall), the flowers are just amazing, large and bushy and so unusually coloured.  They hang from the branches as you can see in the second picture.  Different, and I just LOVE it.




Hymenosporum flavum is known as the Native Frangipani due to the similarity to the flower of that name, and also the perfume.  Beautiful in all sorts of ways.  This plant is about 5m tall and still growing.  Each flower is about 4 or 5cm wide.

[Paul T]

And lastly for tonight, a selection of Boronias...


Boronia 'Carousel', such a wonderfully deep pink.




Boronia heterophylla is the largest of the genus I have ever come across, these plants were around 2m tall.  Unlike many of the species this one has the same perfume as the brown boronia (B. megastigma), a favourite flower to sniff for me.  Not as strong as the brown, but still the same lovely scent.




Boronia mollis 'Lorne Pride' is an absolute corker of a plant.  This was about 1.4m tall and over 3m wide, covered in these wonderful pink flowers and interesting leaves.  Striking, in a very different way to many of the genus.




Boronia 'Spring White, a nice and compact variety.

That's it for tonight.  I still have to sort, name and then prepare pictures from later this week.  Still a lot I can post if people aren't overloaded with the Aussie plants?  I don't want to put you off by posting too many of them.  SO much in flower right now.

Thanks for viewing!!

[ranunculus]

I don't want to put you off by posting too many of them.

Oh yes, we are SO fed up of seeing all these glorious plants beautifully photographed!   

[Paul T]

Oh, well in that case I'll stop then. 

[Brian Ellis]

It's a real joy to see all these on a scraggy, dank autumn morning here in England.  Also an education to see many of these things which are quite different to the plants available here such as Olearia megalophylla.  Cheers Paul

[Luc Gilgemyn]

I had never realized that there were so many Leptospermum around...
This thread doesn't stop amazing me 

[Paul T]

Luc,

There are more Leptospermum than I have shown here, particularly species-wise.  I can think of at least another half dozen named hybrids we have here in Aus.  At least!

Brian,

The Olearia amazed me too.  I'd only seen the small Olearias like the pink O. phloggopappa that I posted earlier in this thread, and those only when I started working at the ANBG.  I keep finding new things all the time at work.  You're only seeing a small fraction here, which is why I am a little concerned that I'm posting too much already.  I don't get much time to process the pictures, which is why they're a bit sporadic, but I have lots in my files now.  I add more every time I take my camera to work with me, just taking a moment here and there to photograph things as I see them.    The processing takes far more than the few moments of photography.  So much to see.

[Maggi Young]

What a great series, Paul, thank you.
I intend to move this thread to the Memorable Topics section.... 

Many of us will be familiar with that most excellent product Tea-tree oil, or as you call it, Ti Tree oil....  which is useful for a myriad of ailments and injuries..... I have a question which I hope you, or another Forumist, can help with..... I have been told, indeed have read on some packaging of certain Tea-Tress products, that the oil is derived from Melaleuca alterniifolia...... whereas you, and others , cite Leptospermums as the source........can you cast any light on the matter, please?

[Paul T]

Maggi,

Thank you for the move.... I'm honoured to have this topic in such illustrious company!! 

I couldn't recall whether it was spelled Ti Tree or Tea Tree, so I just chose one.  I don't use the stuff, so I don't know the spelling.  As to the sources.... I think I recall something similar now that you mention it, that it comes from something else other than Leptospermum, which are coloquially known as Tea-Trees (or however it is spelled  ).  I really don't know for sure, but will see if I can find out for you.

[Gerdk]

This thread doesn't stop amazing me 

I can only repeat what Luc said - and: the richness of your flora is just incredible!

Gerd

[Brian Ellis]

I keep finding new things all the time at work.  You're only seeing a small fraction here

You are just so lucky!  What a job.  Keep 'em coming I grow a couple of Olearia phloggopappa but they are surpassed by the O.megalophylla, does it only come in white

[ian mcenery]

Just caught up with this thread Paul. just fantastic. ...and do you get paid for this too???

[Lvandelft]

Paul, you show so many plants new to me, like Boronia or Gompholobium confertum.
Always looking out for new plants I cannot resist to find out where and how they grow
in their own habitat.
Never get enough of plants you are able to show here, because Australia is a bit far away for us. 
It might be of interest for you that W. A. Florabase describe this as an erect shrub.??

[ashley]

What a great idea this thread is Paul; many thanks.  Presumably it could be stretched to include natives elsewhere in Australia or even abroad  

In my experience excellent seed sources for oznuts outside Australia include Nindethana (http://www.nindethana.iinet.net.au/) & Wildseed Tasmania (http://www.wildseedtasmania.com.au/).