Flora Seen on Your Last Walk?

[Neo]

In the theme of Wildlife seen on your last walk, how about flora?

A last or recent walk, or something native from your bushland backyard.

Include common or botanic name or a guess, with location.

Here is one from a recent stroll. Blue (glaucous) Lomandra. No mature specimens around. The area may have been a controlled burn as it is neatly charred one side of the track. Also a little Flannel Flower and some others.

[Neo]

That was Katang nature reserve. Here is another just north on Bonny Hills headland. Fan flower, Scaevola species.

[Neo]

And another fave from a month ago, south at Diamond Head. Isopogon. First spotted the leaf which was Grevillea-like then there were plenty of flowers and other windswept little shrubs. (and whales)

[MickyB]

Skirted Tree Fern (Cyathea x marcescens) is a natural hybrid between Rough Tree fern (C. australis) and Slender Tree fern (C. cunninghmaii). It only occurs in Tassie and Victoria and there are less than 60 known specimens in each state. This photo was taken near the east coast of Tassie.

Skeleton Filmy Fern (Apteropteris applanata) is a Tasmanian endemic. It is epiphytic (grows on a host plant) and lithophytic (grows on rocks). As an epiphyte it can only be found growing on 3 or 4 species of trees.

Skeleton Filmy Fern (Apteropteris applanata).jpg (171.74 KiB) Viewed 90055 times

[peregrinator]

Hundreds of these in Wyperfeld National Park (Mallee region in NW Victoria) on a walk to Kelleys Lookout. Sorry, I don't know the name.

[MickyB]

Hundreds of these in Wyperfeld National Park (Mallee region in NW Victoria) on a walk to Kelleys Lookout. Sorry, I don't know the name.

Looks like Onion Weed (Asphodelus fistulosus)

[peregrinator]

Looks like Onion Weed (Asphodelus fistulosus)

Thanks for educating me, MickyB. I feel like deleting my post as a consequence!

But the paradox is that I thought it looked very pretty. There's an interesting line in this document: http://vro.agriculture.vic.gov.au/dpi/vro/vrosite.nsf/pages/impact_onion_weed "During flowering, dense patches would create a major effect to aesthetics." Yeah, in my ignorance, I thought it was a positive effect!

I've walked in this area quite a bit and not seen this plant previously. This spring's weather has encouraged lots of growth of various kinds and the Mallee region in particular looks quite lush. So I really should not be surprised that weeds are thriving in the bush, just like they are in my suburban garden.

[taswegian]

I'd suggest the Onion Weed be left.
It highlights how pretty flowers in the bush can be assumed to be native where in fact they're weeds.
There's a general ignorance about weeds and the wrong ones in the wrong places can be devastating.
It may help identify problem areas of the making, and if possible invoke an eradication program.

There's a pretty active weed awareness for the back track up Mt. Roland, and Parks are keen to keep weeds from spreading up the track and onto the Mountain.
Hope you can bear the embarrassment Peregrinator. I have been fooled by such and guess will be in future.

[kitty]

Orchids in bloom on the Bibbulmun in September.
Leaping Spider Orchid (top left and bottom right); Fire Orchid (top middle and middle); Pink Fairy Orchid (bottom middle); Jug Orchid (green one). Not sure of the others.

[kitty]

Bibbulmun in October
Blue Leschenaultia, Queen Triggerplant (top middle), Fringe Lily (Purple), Dryandra, Verticordia Varigated Feather Flower, Tripterococcus brunonis (bottom middle), Triggerplant (bottom right). Im not sure of the others.

[Neo]

Wow. A bit jealous. Tempted to move to WA!

[whitefang]

When I get a chance I'll upload photos of the rest of the orchid species I have seen in the last two months.

From left to right we have: Thelymitra antennifera, Caladenia reticulata, Caleana major, Calochilus robertsonii, Pyrochis nigricans and Caladenia tentaculata.

All of these species are native to the Adelaide Mount Lofty Ranges.

[whitefang]

I figured I better upload these ones now or else I'd forget.

These are all native to the Adelaide Mount Lofty Ranges as well.

From left to right: Phaladenia deformis, Diuris pardina, Diuris orientis, Leptoceras menziesii, Glossodia major, Caladenia sp.

[awildland]

Further to Kitty's post....WA really does win the flora stakes in Australia. Here's a collection of flowers we saw last year in Kalbarri National Park, Stirling Ranges National Park and Fitzgerald National Park. (Including the amazing Royal Hakea). This is just a tiny tiny selection of what was flowering!! The diversity is amazing. So many beautiful flowers as wel as orchids.

[peregrinator]

Further to recent posts regarding orchids, this wild orchid survey might be useful:

https://docs.google.com/a/magian.com/fo ... rm?c=0&w=1

[Neo]

I've been to Dubai for Christmas and New Years. My sister had to move house but had grown this local shrub/tree from seed. Turns out its common name is Sodoms apple. Has a bunch of uses from scorpion bites to making gunpowder!

[Neo]

Another one from Dubai UAE. No idea. Its pretty harsh in the desert and hills. I call it a jelly bean bush.

[awildland]

It has been a good year for Flame Trees on the east coast and on a walk to Rawson Falls (near Comboyne, NSW) on the weekend we came across the most amazing swathes of fallen Flame Tree flowers. Best I have ever seen. The flowers were piled up in thick drifts between the rocks. Nature rolling out the red carpet.

IMG_3153.jpg (101.49 KiB) Viewed 89206 times

[ofuros]

Natures red on green looks beautiful

[Aztec]

Here's some I've taken on my last few walks (Cradle/Lake St Clair Tas)

No names - as I don't know what the heck they are!!

[MickyB]

Very nice photos Aztec.

1st is Swamp Honey-myrtle (Melaleuca squamea)
2nd is Christmas Bells (Blandfordia punicea)
3rd I'm not 100% certain but I think it's Lemon Boronia (Boronia citriodora)
4th I think is Triggerplant (Stylidium graminifolium??)

[MickyB]

These photos were taken a few months ago in Kinglake N.P. It's of a strap water fern (Blechnum patersonii) and I found it behind a waterfall (red circle).
The following info is from 'Threatened Species Management Plan for Kinglake National Park' (Prepared for Parks Victoria in 2011)

Blechnum patersonii Strap Water-fern (Threatened in Region & KNP)
Notes: highly localised and very rare (single plant c. 1988) in rainforest of the Plenty River
headwaters. Also recorded in the early 1970’s by Jim Willis along upper Jehosaphat Creek.

The plant I found wasn't in the same area so there is at least two strap water ferns in Kinglake N.P.

B. patersonii Kinglake.jpg (132.68 KiB) Viewed 88894 times

[devoswitch]

Wondering if anyone can help me identify this flower please. Found a few randomly popping straight out of the soil in Freycinet NP.
I apologise for the crappy iPhone pic which wouldn't for the life of me focus.

[Neo]

Woah very similar to one i saw two weeks ago. Looks like an orchid. This one was coming through the eucalypt leaf litter in an unformed gutter on the side of a busy sloping road. There were two flowering stems, i didnt poke around to confirm if they originated from the one plant.

[MickyB]

Wondering if anyone can help me identify this flower please. Found a few randomly popping straight out of the soil in Freycinet NP.
I apologise for the crappy iPhone pic which wouldn't for the life of me focus.

I think this is triggerplant (Stylidium graminifolium).

Woah very similar to one i saw two weeks ago. Looks like an orchid. This one was coming through the eucalypt leaf litter in an unformed gutter on the side of a busy sloping road. There were two flowering stems, i didnt poke around to confirm if they originated from the one plant.

Orchids are not my strong suit but I think it's a Hyacinth Orchid (Dipodium variegatum). Could be wrong though.

[Neo]

http://anpsa.org.au/s-gra.html

Says trigger plants have 5 petals but 4 conspicuous (obvious) petals... there are 130 varieties mostly in Australia.

Thanks MickyB looks like you are spot on with my photo being the Dipodium

http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-b ... variegatum

[devoswitch]

Hmmm photos don't seem to be triggerplant. I'm no expert but looked very orchid' ish.

[Neo]

Could be one of these then, an other dippy

http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-b ... e=Dipodium

[devoswitch]

Not triggering anything... had seed pods hanging off some stems that looked like orchids . Black banana shaped pods. No leaves. Only saw maybe 10 over the circuit.

[devoswitch]

Actually after further research it seems to be the one thanks neo!