Category Archives: Vegetation

Strelitzia

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Strelitzia

Brightly coloured ‘birds’, the strelitzia.

  • Strelitzia are also known as ‘bird of paradise plants’ or ‘crane flowers’.
  • The flowers of strelitzia are shaped like a spikey-headed bird, hence their common names refer to birds, and are generally bright orange or yellow and purple, although a couple of the species have white flowers.
  • Strelitzia are named after the place where Queen Charlotte was born in 1744, in the territory of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.
  • Strelitzia are native to South Africa and do not like the cold as they are a tropical climate plant, however some species are frost resistant.
  • There are five or six species in the group of strelitzia, Strelitzia reginae being the most common.

Orange, Flower, Strelitzia, Pointy, Bird, Paradise, Plant, Australia, Ten Random Facts

  • Strelitzia is from the family of Strelitziaceae, which is the family of three genera of plants, Strelitzia, Ravenala and Phenakospermum.
  • The leaves on strelitzia can be quite large and are generally shaped like banana leaves or paddles.
  • Strelitzia flowers are pollinated by the feet of nectar feeding sunbirds that like to visit the flowers.
  • Strelitzia plants generally need to be 3-5 years old before they will flower, which happens mostly in late winter and spring, although they can be seen flowering at other times.
  • Strelitzia grow to a general height of 2 to 3.5 meters (6 to 11.5 feet), but some species can grow up to 10 meters (33 feet) in height.
Bibliography:
Strelitzia, 2013, Wikipedia, < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strelitzia>
VanZile J, Birds of Paradise – How to grow Strelitzia, 2013, About.com, < http://houseplants.about.com/od/foliageplants/p/BirdofParadise.htm>

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Magnolia

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Magnolia

Magnificent magnolia.

  • Magnolias are a group of  over 100 flowering plants that are from the family Magnoliaceae.
  • Magnolias are native to Asia and North, Central and South America.
  • Magnolias are evergreen and deciduous trees that bear large leaves and large, shapely flowers, and grow from 6 meters to 24 metres (20 ft – 80 ft) in height.
  • Beetles are the main pollinators of magnolias, and the fruits are usually cone shaped and are red or pink in colour and contain a number of seeds.
  • Many magnolia species flower in early spring, often before leaves appear, but some bloom in summer.

Magnolia, Pink, White, Black, Single, Flower, Focus, Vegetation, Petals, Australia, Ten Random Facts

  • Magnolia flowers are sometimes fragrant and can be purple, pink, white, cream, or yellow, in colour.
  • Magnolias are named after Pierre Magnol, who was a French botanist.
  • Magnolia bark and buds have been used in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine.
  • Magnolias are the main diet of the grubs of some moths or butterflies from the family Lepidoptera such as the Giant Leopard Moth.
  • Magnolias are the state flower of Louisiana and Mississippi in the United States.
Bibliography:
Magnolia, 2013, Wikipedia, < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia>
Plant Profile: Magnolia, 2011, Gardening Australia, < http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1866634.htm>

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Monstera Deliciosa

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Monstera Deliciosa

A unique flavour, the Monstera deliciosa.

  • Monstera deliciosa is a climbing, flowering plant that grows in tropical rainforests or other humid shady areas, and in the wild the grow up tall trees and send down aerial roots to the ground where they take root.
  • Monstera deliciosa are native to southern Mexico, central America and Columbia and are also known as the ‘Swiss cheese plant’, ‘cheese plant’, ‘fruit salad plant’, ‘monsterio delicio’, ‘monster fruit’, and ‘Mexican breadfruit’ among others.
  • Monstera deliciosa belongs to the genus Monstera, a genus of 40-60 species, and are from the family Araceae, which is the family of arums.
  • Monstera deliciosa can grow up to 20 meters (65 feet) in height, with large dark green leaves that have holes in them, which led to the name ‘Swiss cheese plant’, although young leaves have no holes in them and are small and heart shaped.
  • Monstera deliciosa does not tolerate frost unless sheltered, and will cease growing at temperatures of 10°C (50°F) and under.

Green plant, leaves, large, Monstera Deliciosa, Swiss cheese Plant, Fruit, Big, Australia, Vegetation, Ten Random Facts

  • Monstera deliciosa bear small flowers and a large bract that cloaks the fruit of the plant, and the fruit grow 25cm (9.8 inches) in length and is corn shaped with a green hexagonal tiled covering.
  • Monstera deliciosa fruits are edible but only when ripe, which can take a year, which is when the hexagonal tiles fall off, as an unripe fruit is poisonous with symptoms of throat irritation, swelling and pain.
  •  Monstera deliciosa fruit tastes a bit like a mix of pineapple, banana and mango, or jackfruit, among others, giving it a nickname of the fruit salad plant.
  • Monstera deliciosa grow towards the darkest spot first, until the find a tree to climb up, and then they head for the light.
  • In some native countries, Monstera deliciosa roots are used to make baskets and ropes, treating snakebites and along with the leaves, for treating arthritis, even though the plant is considered poisonous.
Bibliography:
Bruhl J, Monstera Deliciosa, 2002, NSW Department of Agriculture, <http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/119775/monsterosa-deliciosa.pdf>
Monstera Deliciosa, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monstera_deliciosa>

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Ground Asparagus

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Ground Asparagus

Ground asparagus… though not an asparagus bearer, though.

  • Ground asparagus is also known as basket asparagus, Sprenger’s asparagus and asparagus fern.
  • Ground asparagus is from the family Asparagaceae, which is the family of asparagus and flowering plants.
  • Ground asparagus have tiny bell like flowers that are white to palish pink in colour and bloom in spring and last until autumn.
  • Ground asparagus is a small perennial, low lying, scrambling shrub that has a number of  stems coming from the ground that have ferny looking cladodes (water storing leaf like segments) and small thorns attached.
  • Ground asparagus is easily grown from the rhizomes and through seeds that birds spread, making it an invasive weed in many areas.

Ground Asparagus, Red, Berry, Fern, Green, Basket, Weed, Invasive, Australia, Ten RandoM Facts, Aethiopicus, Long ways, Green, Evergreen, Vegetation, Plant

  • South Africa is the native home of ground asparagus, where it is found in coastal areas.
  • The scientific classification for ground asparagus is Asparagus aethiopicus, although it is often confused with Asparagus densiflorus, which it is often called, and is similar in appearance.
  • Ground asparagus have berries that start off green and ripen to a red colour, and grow to 5 to 8mm (0.2 to 0.3 inches) in diameter.
  • Although ground asparagus is known as an invasive weed in a number of countries in the world, especially Australia, New Zealand, and parts of the United States, it is still used for decoration in shady areas or rocky gardens.
  • The berries of ground asparagus are poisonous, causing symptoms such as stomach pain, diarrhoea and vomiting. 
Bibliography:
Ground (Basket) Asparagus, n.d, Weeds Australia, <http://www.weeds.org.au/WoNS/asparagusweeds/docs/Asparagus_Weeds_BPMM-5.pdf>
Ground Asparagus, n.d, Weeds Australia, <http://www.weeds.org.au/cgi-bin/weedident.cgi?tpl=plant.tpl&state=&s=&ibra=all&card=H03>

 

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Cypress Vine

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Cypress Vine

A dainty vine.

  • Cypress vines are also known as ‘morning glories’, ‘star glories’, ‘cupid flower’s’  ‘cardinal creepers’, ‘cardinal vines’, and ‘hummingbird vines’.
  • Cypress vines are from the family Convolvulaceae, the family of morning glories, and the scientific name of Cypress vine is ‘Ipomoea quamoclit’.
  • Cypress vines are native to Central America, the northern tropics of South America and Mexico.
  • Cypress vines are perennial vines, though they are usually grown as annuals as they do not generally survive cold winters since the vine does not tolerate the cold very well.
  • Cypress vines grow from 1 to 9 meters (3 to 30 feet) high, and usually need a vertical support to grown on.

Cypress Vine, Morning Glory, red Trumpet Shaped Flower, Spikey Leaves, buds, droop, pretty, fern, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • Cypress vines have a trumpet like flower, which can be red, pink or white in colour, which grows to 3 to 4 cm (1 to 1.5 inches) long.
  • Cypress vines can be an invasive pest and are an environmental weed in some parts of Australia and other warm temperature areas in the world.
  • Cypress vines have green ferny leaves that grow to become 2 to 9 cm (0.8 to 3.5 inches) in length, and all parts of the plant are poisonous.
  • Cypress vines attract butterflies, bees and birds, most notably hummingbirds.
  • Cypress vine flowers usually bloom from late spring, through summer and autumn, and are easily grown from seed.
Bibliography:
Ipomoea Quamoclit, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipomoea_quamoclit>
PlantFiles: Cypress Vine, Star Glory, Hummingbird Vine, Ipomoea Quamoclit, 2013, Dave’s Garden, <http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/93/>

Camellia

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Camellia

Beautiful flowers.

  • Camellias are flowering small trees or shrubs that are evergreen and are from the family Theaceae, the tea family.
  • Camellias are native to Eastern and Southern Asia, most notably China, Japan, Korea, India and Indonesia, and China’s native name for camellias means ‘tea flower’.
  • Camellia sinensis is usually called ‘tea plant’, as it is the most common plant in the world to be used to make tea, usually from young leaves that can be made into green tea, black tea, white tea, oolong tea and other types of tea.
  • Depending on the species, camellias generally grow no more than 6 metres (20 feet) in height and some species, especially sasanqua, can be grown as hedges, topiaries and espaliers.
  • Camellia flowers can be white, cream, pink, red, purple, yellow or variegated, and come in a variety of forms like single, double, rose, peony and so on.

Red Pink, Camellia, Two, Bloom, Bud, Lots, Leaves, Bush, Australia, Flower, Ten Random Facts, Tea Flower

  • The most popular type of camellias are sasanqua, japonica and reticulata, although their are approximately 300 species, as well as 3,000 cultivars and hybrids.
  • Rain and winter frost can often damage camellia flowers, and sometimes bud drop occurs, often due to the bush producing too many buds, and this is usually nothing to be concerned about.
  • Camellia flowers range in size from 1 – 13 cm (0.4 – 5 inches) and they bloom in autumn, winter and spring.
  • Camellia bushes can live up to 100 to 200 years, although the oldest living camellia, planted in 1347, can be found in China’s Panlong Monastry.
  • Camellias have dark, glossy leaves that can be attacked by red spider mites, which are nearly invisible to the naked eye.
Bibliography:
Camellia, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camellia>
Camellia Care & Culture Notes, 2013, Camellia Glen, <4rewwww
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