Robert Ashdown has posted a very good article, with wonderful photos, of this plant which can be found growing naturally on the Great Dividing Range between Goomburra and Cunningham's Gap.
http://ashdown4628.clients.cmdwebsites.com/blog/?p=3845
Monday, January 21, 2013
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Rough Saw-sedge
Gahnia aspera
Family: CYPERACEAE
These plants are often seen in professionally designed gardens, and as you can see, they are beautiful plants, especially when in fruit.
They are undeniably handsome, but the sharp-edged leaves cut any piece of human flesh that happens to brush past them. Children’s tender skin is particularly vulnerable.
I have been told that the foliage and flower heads are used in fresh and dried flower arrangements. They can’t be much fun to work with!
However, provided they can be placed where this won’t cause a problem these plants are worth growing just for their value to our local wildlife. Native to the dry rainforests and grasslands along the Range, they are hosts for small butterflies, and their very hard red seeds are a favourite food of rosellas.
Aborigines used to pound the edible seeds to make a flour, but they are very hard, and apparently quite able to defeat an ordinary kitchen blender. They have also been used as beads.
These frost and drought hardy plants should certainly be included in bush regeneration plantings and perhaps bush tucker gardens, but are best left out of small suburban gardens.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
A Comment Worth Repeating
Ian Menkins of Oakey added a comment to my blog of a few weeks ago, on the subject of Hawkweed Picris evae:
“Picris barbarorum is another rare species on the Darling Downs. It tends to be found further west on the plains, rather than on the eastern foothills where P. evae is more likely to be found. P. barbarorum does not have a woolly coma like P. evae. Instead there are bristly hairs in neat vertical lines. P. barbarorum is extinct in Victoria, the only record being from an Aboriginal woman's dilly bag in early Colonial times. I am not sure of its status in NSW. It can be quite common here on the grasslands of the Darling Downs, particularly when rains have followed a very long dry spell. But it can then become very scarse for decades. In the garden it performs very much like P. evae and comes up reliably from seed each year. The plant has similar growth habit and flowers to P. evae. on Hawkweed”
Thanks for the interesting comment, Ian. I have never seen P. barbarorum. I think it would be easy to overlook, as Picris plants are not particularly conspicuous among the general vegetation when not flowering or in seed.
A photo of it can be found at
http://wetlandinfo.derm.qld.gov.au/wetlands/factsfigures/FloraAndFauna/Species/picris-barbarorum.html
Conservation of rare plants like these, with no particular garden-appeal, depends heavily on the preservation of natural areas, by private landowners or in government-managed reserves. This is only likely to become more difficult with time, a good reason for us all to support whatever conservation efforts are in existence, and to remind all three levels of government, from time to time, that we do care about environmental matters.
“Picris barbarorum is another rare species on the Darling Downs. It tends to be found further west on the plains, rather than on the eastern foothills where P. evae is more likely to be found. P. barbarorum does not have a woolly coma like P. evae. Instead there are bristly hairs in neat vertical lines. P. barbarorum is extinct in Victoria, the only record being from an Aboriginal woman's dilly bag in early Colonial times. I am not sure of its status in NSW. It can be quite common here on the grasslands of the Darling Downs, particularly when rains have followed a very long dry spell. But it can then become very scarse for decades. In the garden it performs very much like P. evae and comes up reliably from seed each year. The plant has similar growth habit and flowers to P. evae. on Hawkweed”
Thanks for the interesting comment, Ian. I have never seen P. barbarorum. I think it would be easy to overlook, as Picris plants are not particularly conspicuous among the general vegetation when not flowering or in seed.
A photo of it can be found at
http://wetlandinfo.derm.qld.gov.au/wetlands/factsfigures/FloraAndFauna/Species/picris-barbarorum.html
Conservation of rare plants like these, with no particular garden-appeal, depends heavily on the preservation of natural areas, by private landowners or in government-managed reserves. This is only likely to become more difficult with time, a good reason for us all to support whatever conservation efforts are in existence, and to remind all three levels of government, from time to time, that we do care about environmental matters.
Casearia
Casearia multinervosa
(pronounced Cazzie-ARea
Family: FLACOURTIACEAE
This plant is in fruit in Peacehaven Botanic park at Highfields at present.
A local plant, (it grows naturally in dry rainforests from the Richmond River to Bundaberg, including Redwood Park, near Toowoomba, ) it has the potential to be one of our most useful garden shrubs.
These specimens are growing in Peacehaven Botanic park at Highfields, in a particularly sunny and dry corner, where they are demonstrating their ability to look lush and make a neat green screen, despite difficult conditions. These plants have not been watered since they were planted five years ago, and thrived despite the drought.
Casearia has dense clusters tiny, perfumed, greenish-white flowers in spring, which develop into these yellow seed capsules in summer.
In nature, this little tree is part of the sub-canopy in the hoop pine forests which were once common along the range in our part of Queensland.
While it is capable of growing into a neat little tree, with a rounded shady canopy, it is more usually multi-stemmed in the wild. Gardeners can encourage the latter tendency by tip-pruning when the plant is young.
Always a neatly shaped plant, it is suitable for formal applications.
(pronounced Cazzie-ARea
Family: FLACOURTIACEAE
This plant is in fruit in Peacehaven Botanic park at Highfields at present.
A local plant, (it grows naturally in dry rainforests from the Richmond River to Bundaberg, including Redwood Park, near Toowoomba, ) it has the potential to be one of our most useful garden shrubs.
Casearia has dense clusters tiny, perfumed, greenish-white flowers in spring, which develop into these yellow seed capsules in summer.
In nature, this little tree is part of the sub-canopy in the hoop pine forests which were once common along the range in our part of Queensland.
While it is capable of growing into a neat little tree, with a rounded shady canopy, it is more usually multi-stemmed in the wild. Gardeners can encourage the latter tendency by tip-pruning when the plant is young.
Always a neatly shaped plant, it is suitable for formal applications.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Hawkweed
Picris evae
Family: ASTERACEAE
I can’t see this plant ever being particularly popular in gardens, but I’m sure you’ll agree its fluffy heads give it a ragged sort of charm. These plants are in my garden (which has its own brand of ragged charm) and are looking their best at present, having been planted last autumn.
It is an annual plant, belonging to the branch of the daisy family which includes dandelions and lettuce.There are 12 Australian Picris species, and about 40 of them worldwide, including the European Oxtongue hawkweed Picris hieracioides - originally named for the ancient Greek words pikros "bitter" (for the flavour of the roots and leaves) and hierax "hawk", because it resembled another European plant known as hawkweed.
If you hear of "hawkweeds" as environmental problems in Australia, it refers to these OTHER hawkweeds, (Hieracium species), not to Picris. (Here's another case where a bit of discrimination in applying common names would be a great help to ordinary people understanding of our wild plants!)
Meanwhile, our local "hawkweed", Picris evae, is now so rare that’s listed nationally as vulnerable. Its natural range coincides largely with the cultivated areas of our black soil plains, which is the reason is getting hard to find. However, it does also occur naturally in grassy Eucalypt woodland along the edge of the range, on red soil, where “inappropriate fire regimes” are listed as a threat to it.
This is a reminder that a significant portion of our local ecology developed as a result of many thousands of years of consistent management by Aborigines, who used fire as a tool to shape the landscape of their homeland to suit their needs. The burning was far from random or ad hoc. Burning at the right time (whenever that is) is good for this plant. Lack of burning, too-hot burns, or erratically timed burns are bad for it.
Unfortunately, the detailed knowledge of how to manage our local fire ecology has been lost with the people who held it.
Family: ASTERACEAE
I can’t see this plant ever being particularly popular in gardens, but I’m sure you’ll agree its fluffy heads give it a ragged sort of charm. These plants are in my garden (which has its own brand of ragged charm) and are looking their best at present, having been planted last autumn.
It is an annual plant, belonging to the branch of the daisy family which includes dandelions and lettuce.There are 12 Australian Picris species, and about 40 of them worldwide, including the European Oxtongue hawkweed Picris hieracioides - originally named for the ancient Greek words pikros "bitter" (for the flavour of the roots and leaves) and hierax "hawk", because it resembled another European plant known as hawkweed.
If you hear of "hawkweeds" as environmental problems in Australia, it refers to these OTHER hawkweeds, (Hieracium species), not to Picris. (Here's another case where a bit of discrimination in applying common names would be a great help to ordinary people understanding of our wild plants!)
Meanwhile, our local "hawkweed", Picris evae, is now so rare that’s listed nationally as vulnerable. Its natural range coincides largely with the cultivated areas of our black soil plains, which is the reason is getting hard to find. However, it does also occur naturally in grassy Eucalypt woodland along the edge of the range, on red soil, where “inappropriate fire regimes” are listed as a threat to it.
This is a reminder that a significant portion of our local ecology developed as a result of many thousands of years of consistent management by Aborigines, who used fire as a tool to shape the landscape of their homeland to suit their needs. The burning was far from random or ad hoc. Burning at the right time (whenever that is) is good for this plant. Lack of burning, too-hot burns, or erratically timed burns are bad for it.
Unfortunately, the detailed knowledge of how to manage our local fire ecology has been lost with the people who held it.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Black Bean
Castanospermum australe
Family: FABACEAE
It takes a few years to see a reward, when we plant rainforest trees, but black beans are among the ones which put on a good show while still quite young. This lovely specimen in Highfields has been flowering for several years now. I don’t know it’s age, but it’s probably about 10 years old. The species is great value for a larger garden. It will grow quite fast to make a medium to large tree - about the size of the familiar camphor laurels, which are used as street trees in Toowoomba. It's dense, dark green canopy makes it a very good shade tree.
The flowers appear on old wood, inside the canopy.
Flowers at all stages of development are on the tree at the same time, and make a perfect illustration, if you happen to be wanting to teach children how flowers “turn into” seeds.
These little green pods will develop into large brown seedpods, whose huge seeds will germinate if left sitting on damp soil in a pot - another interesting thing for children to see. They can use the pods as boats, once the seeds have been taken out. The circular depressions left by the seeds make good “seats” for tiny toys.
The special shape of the flowers shows us that the plant wants to attract nectar-eating birds as pollinators. The jacaranda in the background (an introduced tree, native to Amazon rainforests) has very little appeal to wildlife. The black bean, however, is pulling its weight as an active contributor to a healthy suburban environment.
It is drought hardy in the Toowoomba area, and tolerates light frosts.
For more on this plant, see Nov 2009 (or use the “search” box, at top left).
Family: FABACEAE
It takes a few years to see a reward, when we plant rainforest trees, but black beans are among the ones which put on a good show while still quite young. This lovely specimen in Highfields has been flowering for several years now. I don’t know it’s age, but it’s probably about 10 years old. The species is great value for a larger garden. It will grow quite fast to make a medium to large tree - about the size of the familiar camphor laurels, which are used as street trees in Toowoomba. It's dense, dark green canopy makes it a very good shade tree.
The flowers appear on old wood, inside the canopy.
Flowers at all stages of development are on the tree at the same time, and make a perfect illustration, if you happen to be wanting to teach children how flowers “turn into” seeds.
These little green pods will develop into large brown seedpods, whose huge seeds will germinate if left sitting on damp soil in a pot - another interesting thing for children to see. They can use the pods as boats, once the seeds have been taken out. The circular depressions left by the seeds make good “seats” for tiny toys.
The special shape of the flowers shows us that the plant wants to attract nectar-eating birds as pollinators. The jacaranda in the background (an introduced tree, native to Amazon rainforests) has very little appeal to wildlife. The black bean, however, is pulling its weight as an active contributor to a healthy suburban environment.
It is drought hardy in the Toowoomba area, and tolerates light frosts.
For more on this plant, see Nov 2009 (or use the “search” box, at top left).
Black-fruited Sedge
Cyperus tetraphyllus
Family: CYPERACEAE
Plants’ scientific names can be as unsatisfactory as their common names. “Tetraphyllus” means “four leaves”, but this is obviously not a four-leafed plant.
I wonder whether the name might have been a reference to the leaf-like bracts that surround each seed-head. Perhaps the first plant examined seemed to be consistent in having four of them?
In practice, though, they can have anywhere between three and six bracts. In this plant, which I grew from seed at home, they consistently have five, of varying sizes.
Isn’t it a lovely, spiky-looking thing? The spikes are soft, though, and don’t prickle the legs of passers-by.
In the wild, this plant is found lining the edges of shady rainforest paths. When not in seed, it resembles the introduced plant, mondo grass, and would make an excellent native substitute for it. The lovely seedheads are a bonus.
It is easily grown from seed (as are all our native sedges), but can also be purchased from specialist suppliers.
It is somewhat drought tolerant (growing naturally in Goomburra National Park), but probably won't tolerate frost.
Family: CYPERACEAE
Plants’ scientific names can be as unsatisfactory as their common names. “Tetraphyllus” means “four leaves”, but this is obviously not a four-leafed plant.
I wonder whether the name might have been a reference to the leaf-like bracts that surround each seed-head. Perhaps the first plant examined seemed to be consistent in having four of them?
In practice, though, they can have anywhere between three and six bracts. In this plant, which I grew from seed at home, they consistently have five, of varying sizes.
Isn’t it a lovely, spiky-looking thing? The spikes are soft, though, and don’t prickle the legs of passers-by.
In the wild, this plant is found lining the edges of shady rainforest paths. When not in seed, it resembles the introduced plant, mondo grass, and would make an excellent native substitute for it. The lovely seedheads are a bonus.
It is easily grown from seed (as are all our native sedges), but can also be purchased from specialist suppliers.
It is somewhat drought tolerant (growing naturally in Goomburra National Park), but probably won't tolerate frost.
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