Family: LAMIACEAE
Here’s a little herb that’s related to lavender and salvia. Native ajuga is often grown in gardens, but we rarely see the local variety being used, which is a pity as this smaller, hairier bugle is much more drought hardy than plants brought in from elsewhere. This plant is one of many which have popped up of their own accord, in a dry and sunny spot in my own garden. We do see it around the district on hills and slopes.
It is a spreading groundcover which flowers over a long period in spring and summer, and otherwise just looks quietly ornamental with its red-backed leaves. It is typically a plant of grasslands, where it tends to scatter about, but it can make a spreading mat in good garden soil. It needs no watering, but will make a more dense mat if it’s given some occasionally, and if it’s grown in shade, where it’s leaves are a little larger.The shape of its flowers, with their exaggerated bottom lips, tells us that the plant is pollinated by insects, which use the lips as landing stages. It is rich in both nectar and pollen and is a favourite with native bees.
It grows in full sun or part shade.
Your Ajuga is of interest to me. We have one similar here in South Australia. I do not believe it is A. australis. I think it would be great if our Government institutions could spend a bit more in identifying our plants. It is difficult to save our biodiversity if we do not know what they even are. It is a beautiful native plant and you do a good job publicising it. Thank you. John Wamsley, Prime Minister's Environmentalist of the year, 2003.
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting to hear from you, John.
ReplyDeleteWe are fortunate to have a few very active people in the Queensland Herbarium, though they do depend a lot on their personal networks with interested amateurs.
I'm interested in your remark about the Ajuga. Ajuga australis is so variable that I am sometimes unsure of what I am looking at. I notice that the NSW Flora site says that Australia has "1-3 species", so presumably there is still some disagreement as to whether there are separate species.
The Qld herbarium thinks we have an Ajuga sinuata in Toowoomba, including a site quite close to me. I thought we had it on our place, but I found that when I dig it up and plant it in better conditions it looks more like A. australis, so I don't know what to think.
Trish