The Landcare revegetation area on Castle Hill provided a nice surprise this month (Sept 2021, photo below) when flowers appeared on several small Pavetta australiensis, only 8 months after they were planted as tubestock. Pavetta australiensis (Rubiaceae) grows as an understory shrub in our drier rain forest areas, monsoon forests and vine thickets. It has …
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Dischidia nummularia (Apocynaceae) is a dainty native vine that grows as an epiphyte on paperbarks and other coastal trees in northern Queensland, sometimes in association with Myrmecodia species (ant-plants) and some native orchids. In favourable situations, these plants develop an attractive cascade of rounded succulent leaves. People have likened Dischidia nummularia foliage to strings of …
Continue reading “Plant of the month 08/2021: Dischidia nummularia“
Townsville is outside the natural range of Myrsine subsessilis subsp. cryptostemon but a single specimen is growing very well in Anderson Gardens. With masses of tiny flowers clustered along the stems, this plant made a splendid show at the time of our group’s July outing. Small blue fruits can be expected to ripen in a …
Continue reading “Plant of the month 07/2021: Myrsine subsessilis“
After our wonderful outing to White Mountains National Park, it was impossible to pick “the best” among many fascinating plants we saw. Instead, our Plant of the Month is “the biggest” of our weekend discoveries. Eucalyptus chartaboma is not widely known, although it is a Queensland endemic. Its scattered distribution in north Queensland includes the …
Continue reading “Plant of the month 06/2021: Eucalyptus chartaboma“
Our P o M for May is Drosera adelae, a “true North Queenslander” highlighted in Hugh’s presentation at our recent meeting. Like other Drosera (about 150 species worldwide, commonly known as Sundews) D. adelae has mobile glandular hairs on its leaves, used to trap tiny insects from which the plant absorbs nutrients. D. adelae is …
Thanks to Cameron for nominating Jacquemontia paniculata (Convolvulaceae) for P o M and providing his fine photos. Cam found an abundant display of Jacquemontia paniculata flowers on Castle Hill early this month, April 2021. Jacquemontia paniculata is a slender vine, potentially quite widespread locally, but it’s easily overlooked for much of the year. It twines …
Continue reading “Plant of the month 04/2021: Jacquemontia paniculata“