An abundance of botanical delights on our September to Mt Zero made it hard to choose a single species for P o M! The editor’s dilemma was resolved, thanks to Ishara nominating the beautiful ground orchid, Thelymitra queenslandica. The northern sun orchid, Thelymitra queenslandica, Orchidaceae, is endemic to Queensland, with a limited distribution from the …
Continue reading “Plant of the month 09/2022: Thelymitra queenslandica“
Thanks to Cameron for nominating Graptophyllum excelsum as our P o M for August. Recently Cam photographed these plants in full flower among rocky outcrops on Magnetic Island above Nelly bay, and he noticed the gorgeous scarlet flowers were attracting many butterflies and sunbirds. Graptophyllum excelsum (Acanthaceae) is a Queensland endemic, listed as Near Threatened …
Continue reading “Plant of the month 08/2022: Graptophyllum excelsum“
Editor’s pick for our new PoM is the gorgeous little fringe-lily Thysanotus tuberosus (photo above) that we spotted during our July outing to Clemant State Forest. Thysanotus tuberosus (Asparagaceae) has a wide range in eastern Australia but is not seen often. Being a small plant with slender grass-like leaves, it only stands out while in …
Continue reading “Plant of the month 07/2022: Thysanotus tuberosus“
Scaevola spinescens caught people’s attention during our recent outing to remnant bush at the edge of the JCU Douglas campus. The small patch we visited has a remarkable variety of native plants still holding out amid surrounding property development. Unfortunately this little patch is under ever-increasing pressure from invasive weed species. Scaevola spinescens typically grows …
Continue reading “Plant of the month 06/2022: Scaevola spinescens“
This pretty little plant was spotted by Val during a walk on the bushy slopes of Douglas. What species had she found? At first everyone was stumped. Later, Nanette and Beth worked out the answer: Glycine pescadrensis. Glycine pescadrensis is a native plant that has been recorded infrequently across much of eastern Australia (Atlas of …
Continue reading “Plant of the month 05/2022: Glycine pescadrensis“
Hedraianthera porphyropetala was a highlight of our March outing to Emmett Creek, along with numerous other fascinating and seldom-seen plants. It was a “new species” for many of us and we found both flowers and fruits on it – how lucky can you get! Hedraianthera porphyropetala (Celastraceae) in an Australian endemic, growing as an understory …
Continue reading “Plant of the month 04/2022: Hedraianthera porphyropetala“