Plant of the month 01/2023: Scleria sphacelata

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 plant are shown above. See flowers of a male plant on this page courtesy of Steve & Alison1.

Scleria sphacelata and various other plants with sharp-edged narrow leaves, are commonly called “razor grass”. But for botanists, sedges are NOT grasses!

For a simple way to distinguish the Family of “grass-like” plants, look at the stem (culm) and remember this rhyme:

Sedges have edges,
Rushes are round,
Grasses have nodes from the top to the ground.

Sedges are in the Cyperaceae family. Their stems are often triangular and you can see or feel “edges” on the stems. The stems are solid with no nodes.

Rushes are in the Juncaceae family. They have round (cylindrical) stems which are solid with no nodes.

Grasses are in the Poaceae family. Their stems are round and hollow with solid nodes (swollen joints).

There are exceptions to these simple differences and it’s best to use a botanical key for details.

Plant of the month 10/2022: Lagunaria queenslandica

Photo: Russell Cumming

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.

Photo: Russell Cumming

When it grows in open areas, Lagunaria queenslandica has a spreading habit as suggested by its common name, Queensland Pyramid Tree. In contrast, the tree at the Bush Garden is tall and slender, working its way upwards in a narrow gap within this densely-planted revegetation area.

Photo: Russell Cumming

Young leaves have a pale scaly underside that becomes smoother with age. They are said to have a faint citrus smell when crushed.

Photo: Russell Cumming

Lagunaria queenslandica can be propagated fairly easily from seed if you wait until the pale green fruits have matured to brown before extracting seeds. Take care to avoid irritant fibres when handling the seed capsules.

Lagunaria queenslandica is an attractive and hardy tree that attracts many birds. It’s well suited to local parks and large gardens. Tubestock plants of local provenance are sometimes available at the Landcare nursery in Rowes Bay.

Be aware that commercial nurseries sell similar-looking trees that are cultivars of a different species, Lagunaria patersonia. The natural species Lagunaria patersonia is endemic to Norfolk Island.

Plant of the month 09/2022: Thelymitra queenslandica

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.

Photo: Ishara Udawela

The northern sun orchid, Thelymitra queenslandica, Orchidaceae, is endemic to Queensland, with a limited distribution from the Paluma area to about Mount Finnigan (south of Cooktown).

Photo: Malcolm Tattersall

Thelymitra queenslandica produces a slender upright stem with 4 to 15 flowers that open sequentially on sunny days, closing overnight and re-opening with the return of the sun.

Thelymitra queenslandica occurs at higher elevation (approx. 800 to 1300 m) on rocky slopes, typically in open forests. Within those areas it sometimes grows along road embankments, conveniently visible like the beautiful specimen we saw.

Photo: Malcolm Tattersall

Plant of the month 08/2022: Graptophyllum excelsum

Photo: Cameron Atkinson

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.

Photo: Cameron Atkinson

Graptophyllum excelsum (Acanthaceae) is a Queensland endemic, listed as Near Threatened under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act. It is uncommon in the wild and only patchily distributed in a few coastal areas of northern and central Queensland.

Photo: Cameron Atkinson

Graptophyllum excelsum also known as Native Fuchsia can do well in local gardens in a sunny, well-drained spot and usually grows as a dense shrub up to 3 m tall. Propagation can be done from cuttings or fresh seed. Growth tends to be fairly slow, but it’s worth the wait!

Photo: Julia Hazel

Graptophyllum excelsum typically produces a few flowers intermittently around the year, plus a spectacular full flowering period that often occurs during August although timing may vary in different areas.

Plant of the month 07/2022: Thysanotus tuberosus

Photo: Julia Hazel

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 flower. It is one of about 50 Thysanotus species in Australia but most of them occur only in Western Australia.

Flower colour ranges from the bright purple specimens we saw at Clemant to pale mauve (photo below). Thysanotus tuberosus usually flowers during the warmer months of the year and we thought the July flowers may have been a response to this year’s exceptional rain during our early winter months. Welcome rain! Welcome flowers!

Photo: Julia Hazel

Plant of the month 06/2022: Scaevola spinescens

Photo: Julia Hazel

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.

Photo: Julia Hazel

Scaevola spinescens typically grows as a small shrub with attractive soft growth after rain (photo above). Over time the branches become prickly, as indicated by the common name Spiny Fan Flower. Attractive small flowers appear intermittently throughout the year, followed by tiny purple-black fruits that attract birds and provide bush tucker when ripe (photo below).

Photo: Russell Cumming

Although Scaevola spinescens typically grows on drier slopes amid open forest, it has also been recorded in diverse habitat, even beside salt pans near Townsville (photo below, two decades ago).

Photo: Russell Cumming

Some planted specimens have been growing well in suburban North Ward over recent years and it appears this species is remarkably hardy and adaptable to different growing conditions.

For Indigenous Australians, Scaevola spinescens has a long history of traditional use for treating injuries and illnesses. The plant’s pharmaceutical potential has attracted scientific interest and researchers have begun to study its medicinal properties.