Australian Native Plants at the ANBG Canberra

[Lesley Cox]

Maggi and Paul, Where were you both a couple of years ago or a bit more recently when Tim Orpin posted a pic of something Otto had found in a native garden nearby, and it was weeks before anyone could identify it, with Polygonatum, and other genera suggested. I think it may have been an American Forumist who eventually came up with this name. (Or maybe it was something else altogether and my rapidly decayiong brain is deceiving me again  ) Anyway Tim sent me some seeds of whatever it was but they haven't come up yet.

[Paul T]

Lesley,

I probably wouldn't have recognised it anyway, as mine has never flowered.  The ANBG plants are the first I have ever seen flowering, and then connected the name to my plant.

[Maggi Young]

Hmm, that's embarrassing... I do remember the quest to find the name, but I have no recollection of learning what that was! Great plant, anyway!


Original quest was here.....    http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=362.0

[Paul T]

Well, not a single reaction to the promise of Rhododendron pics.  One would think no-one was interested in them?    Despite the dearth or response, I shall dutifully post the pics that I had prepared..... (sob!) 






Rhododendron lochiae x macgregoriae.  The former is an Australian species, but the latter I think is New Guinean.  The plants are only about 60cm high or so, with quite small flowers but in a lovely coral colour.  The straight species lochiae is currently in bud and about to open flowers. 

However, a qualification..... According to some sources the plants predominantly in cultivation under the name R. lochiae are in fact R. viriosum.  Originally it was all thought to be one species but was in fact 2 distinct ones.  It is therefore possible that what is at the ANBG is actually R. viriosum as the floral tube appears to be straight (in lochiae is is supposed to be curved).  As the flowers open I will check on our species one to be sure.  The odds are that despite the label, the hybrid shown (I have kept it labelled as it is within the ANBG) is likely to involve viriosum rather than lochiae.  That also depends on whether the split into the two species is recognised by authorities or not.  Things can vary from state to state and I do not know whether this split it fully recognised by all botanists etc.

[Paul T]

And some Aussie native orchids......





Dipodium atropurpureum, a terrestrial leafless saprophytic.  This one is actually growing wild near one of the ANBG roads.  It is a volunteer, not technically part of the collection I think, as I could not find a tag for it.  Each flower is about 2.5cm wide, the whole inflorescens is around 50cm or so.






Cymbidium suave.  This is a lovely pendulous miniature species, here growing in a log.  Each flower is around 1.5cm wide, but I unfortunately don't have any "good" pics of the individual flowers, so I am sorry but you get quite a poor one.  The flower is now just on finished, so I don't think I will be able to get a better picture unfortunately.

I still have a few remaining pictures from December to prepare, but it is too hot to get to it right now.  Currently 9:30pm and still 23.3 degrees outside here in Canberra, according to the Bureau of Meteorology website.  All our windows are open but not helping.  Going to be a yukko night for sleeping! 

Anyway, enjoy the pics.

[Maggi Young]

Is that it? Three pictures?     You promise Rhodo pix and I get all geared up for a Down Under Rhodo Fest and you show THREE pictures??? 
Well! I hope you can do better than this, Paul ........mind you, the mere thought of those vireyas growing inthe open ground is enough to raise my heartbeat for the next hour!!


 Good enough to divert my attention from the fab Cymbidium, even!

[Paul T]

Maggi,

After the silence I deleted the other 150 pictures I had taken and was going to share.    Your loss.

Given that Australia has only 2 species of Rhododendron that are nearly identical, and the ANBG only grows Australian Native plants (with a few from the islands north of Aus and New Guinea), there wasn't really much chance of variety now was there?  Here I thought that you might just have been thrilled by the fact that there actually ARE Australian Rhododendrons (not exactly something you associate with Australia in general).  And I promised pics of R. lochiae/viriosum as well, but no thanks for that either.    I don't know WHY I bother really? 

I'll just take my bat and my ball and go home..... oh wait, I'm already there.  Well I'll just take my bat and my ball and go!! 

[maggiepie]

Paul, have enjoyed all your pics, thanks.
Btw, when I was a child ( many moons ago), the bushland surrounding our house had many tiny orchids, some pink and some white.
We just called them 5 fingers, is there any chance you might know what I am referring to, and if so, what their proper name would be?
These plants were only about 6 inches high ( from memory which isn't too reliable at times )

[ashley]

Well, not a single reaction to the promise of Rhododendron pics.  ..... (sob!) 

Many thanks for this great thread Paul.  I'm enjoying it a lot and learning too

(For example) I didn't realise that there were rhododendrons native to Australia.  Are they vireyas, and are they restricted to northern Queensland or also found 'further down'?

 

[Gerdk]

Well, not a single reaction to the promise of Rhododendron pics.  One would think no-one was interested in them? 

Paul, this doesn't mean that nobody would like to see the pics. Like many others (I presume)
I overlooked this! Please show the Rhodos - I'm very much interested in these species, especially those from tropical regions and the SH.

Otherwise I also noted, that a lot of distributions which I made to this Forum are of no or only poor interest for other forumists. It seems - just like with music - there is a 'mainstream'  here!
Nevertheless I'll continue according the motto: How silent would it be in nature when
only the best song birds are allowed to sing (I hope I translated this German saying correctly).

Gerd

[ashley]

How silent would it be in nature when only the best song birds are allowed to sing (I hope I translated this German saying correctly).

Well said Gerd!

[ranunculus]

How silent would it be in nature when only the best song birds are allowed to sing (I hope I translated this German saying correctly).

That is how 'X Factor' gets away with it!   

[Paul T]

Well, not a single reaction to the promise of Rhododendron pics.  One would think no-one was interested in them? 

Paul, this doesn't mean that nobody would like to see the pics. Like many others (I presume)
I overlooked this! Please show the Rhodos - I'm very much interested in these species, especially those from tropical regions and the SH.

Gerd,

I'm sorry, that was my tongue-in-cheek humour getting the best of me again.  I was more having a dig at Maggi, who is usually somewhat enthused about Rhodos (hence my original comment about Rhodo pics coming), when she didn't respond at all.  I realise that we often don't get comments about things we post.... it was meant as humour, and obviously failed.  Sorry again.  And your translation read just fine.... I know exactly what you mean.

[johnw]

Paul - Would love to see any rhodo shots you might have. Somehow I missed the offer.   I must have been entranced by the other natives there - for a Canadian it's a bit like seeing plants from another planet.

johnw - +1c and a bit of mist

[Paul T]

John,

I posted some further up this page, but will hopefully have some more in the next couple of days when they open.  Fingers crossed.  They're miniature vireya types from one area in North Queendland.