Photos by Russell Cumming, text by Julia Hazel Thanks to Nanette for identifying this interesting sedge during a recent walk around the top of Mount Stuart. Scleria sphacelata (Cyperaceae) is a dioecious species, unlike most other Scleria species, so it bears distinct male and female flowers on separate plants. Flowers of a female Scleria sphacelata …
Continue reading “Plant of the month 01/2023: Scleria sphacelata “
On our October visit to the riverside “Bush Garden” in Mundingburra, we spotted pink hibiscus-like flowers high up in the foliage. Greg identified the tree as Lagunaria queenslandica (Malvaceae). It’s a species endemic to Queensland that occurs naturally in open forest and riparian vegetation along seasonal streams. When it grows in open areas, Lagunaria queenslandica …
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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 …
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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“