Australian Native Plants at the ANBG Canberra

[maggiepie]

Paul, forget my previous enquiry, I found what I was looking for with google 

[Maggi Young]

Paul, forget my previous enquiry, I found what I was looking for with google 

 Come on then,  tell the rest of us what they were called, please!

[maggiepie]

 Come on then,  tell the rest of us what they were called, please!

Lady Fingers

http://www.waratahsoftware.com.au/wp_flora_orchids.html

There are pink and white ones.

Maggi, here's another very interesting link if you ever get some free time with nothing to do..hah!!

http://hvbackyard.blogspot.com/2007/06/20-autumn-orchids-in-hunter-valley.html

[Maggi Young]

Caladenia catenata    and Caladenia carnea.... very cute......
and you've got to love any orchid called the Large Duck Orchid, dontcha?! ( Caleana major)


( these are all native Australian Orchids, not sure whether they'll be at the ANBG, though    )


 After a brief glimpse..... more study later..... lovely sites you've given links  for there, Helen, Ta!

[johnw]

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.

Paul - Thanks for the shots of vireyas growing the ground - not common in North America.  I wish I had the space for more of them. In 1986 I went to Los Angeles and came back with 20 or more, within a few years they had taken over the greenhouse.  I kept two which are hybrids of one of your native species - Rhododendron gracilentum  x  lochae ('Valentine's sister) and Valentine itself. Both these have stayed small and bushy, the former with purply bells and the latter a good red.  Nice to hear of viriosum which is completely new to me. 

johnw

[Paul T]

John,

It is highly likely that the hybrids you have that contains Rhododendron lochiae actually contains  Rhododendron viriosum.   According to some sources, most of what is cultivated is actually the latter, despite having been identified as lochiae.   They originally thought they were all the same thing.

Maggi,

I would have suggested Caladenia.... we also had small blue Lady Fingers at our farm an hour East of Canberra, when I was growing up.  White, blue and pink ones.  All just so beautiful.  Also Beardies, Flying Ducks, Sun orchids, Donkey Orchids etc (to use the common names).

Maggi, there are a number of wild orchids at the ANBG but unfortunately not many flowered this year so I couldn't see for sure what was what.  I posted the pic of the Dipodium, and there are also have a couple of established clumps of some of the Chiloglottis varieties.  There also should be Diuris.  The ANBG backs onto "Black Mountain" (not much more than a small hill really) and there are all sort of Pterostylis, Caldenias, Diuris etc growing there, so the odds are that they would have them in various places throughout the gardens as well.

[arillady]

Paul have you come across Homeria  Humea elegans syn. Calomeria amaranthoides at all in the Bot Gdn?
Pat


 (Edit by M to remedy mistaken name )

[Paul T]

Pat,

No I haven't, but that doesn't really mean anything.  Looking at Mt Tomah pictures they are in full flower at the beginning of February, so I haven't been working at the ANBG when it is due to be in full flower.  I'll keep an eye out for anything that is a plume of red in the next month and let you know. At 3.5m that is a decent size to it.

[maggiepie]

Paul, can't find any reference to a blue Lady Fingers, would love to see a pic if you come across one.

[Lesley Cox]

He probably just saw the blue Lady fingers on very cold days.

[maggiepie]

He probably just saw the blue Lady fingers on very cold days.

Haha Lesley, I get to see those quite often when I go outside.

[Paul T]

OK, I recall them as blue, probably mauve.  There were definitely 3 diferent colours we had, maybe it was just a light and a dark pink as well as the white.  Was over 20 years ago that we sold that place, so it is not exactly fresh.

[Paul T]

Well, in all the excitement of posting pictures over the life of this topic I was absolutely dreadful at producing typos (actually, perhaps I was just really GOOD at producing typos).  I'm sure I've missed a lot of them, but I have been through my postings in this topic and corrected a whole bunch of them.  I am not sure whether that makes this topic come up as unread for other people or not...... so I thought I would just post a quick explanation here in case it did suddenly come up as unread for you and you couldn't see anything new.  I'd rather explain, even if it did mean I had to admit to duff typing on a lot of occasions. 

[arillady]

Paul,
I know that the Humea is a large plant but this forum has so many knowledgeable members - such as you.
It was a plant that was used in the 1950s and 60s I think by English flower arrangers such as Constance Spry. An older friend and fine gardener in Ireland asked me about seed donkey years ago - at least 20 years ago. I did get some old seed from somewhere but none germinated at the time.
From Flower Decoration by Constance Spry  first published 1934 republished 1953.
"Another arrangement which suits these same vases is auretum lily and Humea elegans.
This aromatic plant is sometimes called the incense plant. It is of value from many points of view. It is graceful, as well as apparent from the illustration on page 139; it has lovely coppery colour, it lasts for a very long time when cut, and can be kept throughout the winter. Its scent fills the room and may remain long after the plant has been removed."
Constance Spry also used quite often the nearly fabled Iris susiana which is like hens teeth now to find.

[Paul T]

Pat,

So are you trying to find seed of Humea?  I am not quite sure what you're asking?  Or are you still referring to what you had called Homeria elegans in the previous posting?  Humea would make more sense, as I thought Homeria was a south african bulb that has now been sunk into Moraea?  I only looked up the Calomeria name at the time you mentioned it.


 Edit by M. : I have changed the mistaken name Homeria for Humea in Pat's earlier post.