Category Archives: Vegetation

Broadleaf Carpet Grass

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Broadleaf Carpet Grass

Broadleaf carpet grass is your friendly neighbourhood carpet!

  • Broadleaf carpet grass is a perennial species of grass, native to Central and South America, and southern North America.
  • ‘Broadleaf carpet grass’ is also known as ‘carpet grass’, ‘tropical carpet grass’, ‘blanket grass’, ‘Louisiana grass’, ‘lawn grass’, ‘cow grass’, and ‘savannah grass’.
  • The scientific name of broadleaf carpet grass is Axonopus compressus, from the family Poaceae, the family of grasses, and it is similar in appearance to the closely related Axonopus fissifolius (sometimes known as Axonopus affinis).
  • Broadleaf carpet grass is typically used as a form of groundcover, often as a lawn or for pasture, as it can form a dense covering over the ground and can help reduce erosion.
  • The height of broadleaf carpet grass can reach up to 15 centimetres (6 inches), and the plant produces stems up to 45 cm (18 inches) high, where the seeds are formed.

Broadleaf Carpet Grass, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Vegetation, Plant, Growing, America, Australia,

  • Broadleaf carpet grass can grow well in moist soil that is of poor quality, and it is best grown in shade.
  • Countries with warm moist climates, such as areas of Australia and South East Asia, have seen the introduction of broadleaf carpet grass, where the plant is often considered an invasive weed.
  • Broadleaf carpet grass leaf blades range from 2 to 16 cm (0.8 to 6.3 inches) in length and they are between 0.2 to 1.8 centimetres (0.1 to 0.7 inches) wide, and they feature fine hairs on the outer edges and around the nodes.
  • Broadleaf carpet grass plants spread easily, as roots can form at each node, creating a connected root system, and the plant can also be grown from seed.
  • When healthy, broadleaf carpet grass is a vivid green colour, blending into purple/red colours at the base of the leaves.
Bibliography:
Axonopus compressus, n.d, Tropical Forages, http://www.tropicalforages.info/key/Forages/Media/Html/Axonopus_compressus.htm
Axonopus compressus (carpet grass), 2016, CABI, http://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/8094
Axonopus compressus (Swartz) Beauv., n.d, FAO, http://www.fao.org/ag/agp/AGPC/doc/gbase/data/Pf000180.HTM
Broad-leaved Carpet Grass, 2011, Queensland Government, http://keyserver.lucidcentral.org/weeds/data/03030800-0b07-490a-8d04-0605030c0f01/media/Html/Axonopus_compressus.htm

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Tropical Pitcher Plant

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Tropical Pitcher Plant

You certainly do not want to drink from a tropical pitcher plant.

  • Tropical pitcher plants are a group of at least 160 species of carnivorous plant, that are native mostly to Southeast Asia, while some can be found in Madagascar, northern Australia, and on a few smaller tropical islands around these areas.
  • ‘Tropical pitcher plants’ are also known as ‘pitfall traps’ and ‘monkey cups’, and they produce vessels known as ‘pitchers’, that hold fluid, hence their common name, though the plant typically needs humidity for pitchers to develop.
  • The scientific name of the tropical pitcher plant genus is Nepenthes, and this genus is the sole member of the Nepenthaceae family, and they were first described in 1658 by Étienne de Flacourt, a French governor who discovered them in Madagascar, and he referred to the plant as Amramatico.
  • The pitchers of a tropical pitcher plant generally grow and hang on tendrils that form on the leaf tips of the vine-like plant.
  • Tropical pitcher plants are well known for their carnivorous nature, catching food such as insects, but some species also catch larger specimens, such as lizards, frogs, rodents and even small birds.
Tropical Pitcher Plant, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Vegetation, Plant, Flora, Carnivorous, Red, Green, Swollen
Tropical Pitcher Plants
Image courtesy of Graeme Scott/Flickr
  • Bright colours, nectar, sweet aroma and even hairs attract prey to tropical pitcher plants, and the slippery nature of the pitcher’s rim, along with moist climates, assist in causing prey to fall into the plant’s pitchers.
  • A tropical pitcher plant waits for prey to slip into the pitcher, which holds a fluid that the prey gets trapped in which causes it to drown, and the plant then absorbs the animal’s nutrients.
  • Some fauna depends on tropical pitcher plants for caught food scraps and even shelter, some even depending exclusively on the flora while other animals use the pitcher as a toilet facility.
  • The pitchers of tropical pitcher plants vary in size, depending on the species, and can be 4 to 50 centimetres (1.6 to 20 inches) in height, and they vary in diameter, while some have a capacity of 3.5 litres (0.9 gallons).
  • A tropical pitcher plant produces clusters of flowers that are pollinated through certain flying insect species, though there is only one gender of flower on each plant; after which capsules of seeds are produced that each hold hundreds of light seeds, that are dispersed through wind movement.
Bibliography:
About Carnivorous Pitcher Plants, n.d, Learn About Nature, http://www.carnivorous–plants.com/pitcher-plant.html
Caring for Nepenthes, Tropical Pitcher Plants or Monkey Cups, n.d, Pitcher Plant, http://www.pitcherplant.com/care_sheets/nepenthes_care.html
Nepenthes, 2016, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepenthes

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Giant Moss

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Giant Moss

Giant moss appears to be a typical plant, but it bears no flowers or seeds.

  • Giant moss is a species of tall moss native to eastern areas of Australia, and also New Zealand and New Guinea.
  • ‘Giant moss’ is also known as ‘tall Dawsonia’, and as a moss plant, it is ‘non-vascular’, in that it does not have ducts that hold or transport fluid.
  • The scientific name of giant moss is Dawsonia superba and it is from the family Polytrichaceae, the family of Aloe moss.
  • Each erect spike or stem of giant moss is an individual plant, and the leaves are small and a green to grey-green colour.
  • Giant moss is found in clay soils of humid forest habitats, including rainforests.

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  • Reaching up to 60 centimetres (2 feet) in height, giant moss is the tallest known extant moss on earth.
  • Full shade, in dry to moist soils, is the best condition for growing giant moss, and it is able to be grown in pots.
  • Extremely small spores that are six to ten micrometres (each micrometre measuring 0.001 of a millimetre) in diameter, making them some of the smallest spores of any moss plants, are produced by giant moss.
  • Giant moss produce capsules, that have hairs on the exterior, that sit above the leaves; and the capsule contains spores that are used by the plant to reproduce.
  • Raindrops falling onto giant moss collect the plant’s spores and disperses them for reproduction, on the forest floor.

 

Bibliography:
Dawson superba (Giant Moss), 2016, T.E.R.R.A.I.N, http://www.terrain.net.nz/friends-of-te-henui-group/local-mosses/giant-moss-dawson-superba.html
Dawsonia superba, 2010, Welcome to Yarra Ranges, http://fe.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Residents/Trees_Vegetation/Yarra_Ranges_Plant_Directory/Yarra_Ranges_Local_Plant_Directory/Lower_Storey/Ferns_and_Fern_Allies/Dawsonia_superba
Dawsonia superba, n.d, Biota, http://bio113.weebly.com/dawsonia-superba.html

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Bidgee Widgee

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Bidgee Widgee

Bidgee widgees certainly like to stick to you.

  • Bidgee widgees are a species of perennial, flowering plant, native to regions of Australia and New Zealand.
  • ‘Bidgee widgees’ are also known as ‘biddy-biddy’, ‘bidi-bidi’, ‘piri-piri-bur’ or, in the native New Zealand language, Maori, ‘piripiri’.
  • The scientific name of a bidgee widgee is Acaena novae-zelandiae and it is from the family Rosaceae, the family of roses.
  • Bidgee widgees have been introduced into the United States and the United Kingdom, where they are now established and considered a weed in some areas.
  • The bidgee widgee plant grows to approximately 10 centimetres (4 inches) in height, with a one metre (39 inches) diameter, and is notable for spreading across the ground.

Bidgee Widgee, Ten Random Facts, Trivia, Green, Vegetation, Plant, Australia, New Zealand, piripiri

  • Full sun or partial shade is the best growing conditions for bidgee widgees, and they prefer moist soil conditions.
  • The tiny, white to green coloured flowers of bidgee widgees, typically form in the spring and summer months in ball shape clusters, that grow above the leaves of the plant on thin stalks.
  • Bidgee widgees are commonly utilised in landscaping as a ground cover, for decorative purposes.
  • Bidgee widgee flowers develop into spherical burrs that begin with protruding pink to red spikes that change to a brown colour once mature, that are in fact individual seeds that are grouped together to make the spherical shape.
  • If brushed against, bidgee widgee seeds or burrs can cling onto substances, such as animal fur or clothing, due to the spiny hooks they possess, which aids their dispersal.
Bibliography:
Acaena novae-zelandiae, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acaena_novae-zelandiae
Acaena novae-zelandiae, n.d, Prestige Plants, http://www.prestigeplants.com.au/www/content/default.aspx?cid=1748
Acaena novae zelandiae, 2016, Bushland Flora, http://www.bushlandflora.com.au/individual_plant.php?p=Acaena%20novae%20zelandiae&uid=1034
Acaena novae-zelandiae Kirk, n.d, PlantNET, http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Acaena~novae-zelandiae

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Sea-Lavender

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Sea-Lavender

Sea-lavenders are just full of variety and colour.

  • Sea-lavenders are a genus of at least 150 flowering plants that are either perennial or annual, depending on the species, that are commonly found in salt marshes, and rocky, desert, or coastal habitats.
  • ‘Sea-lavender’ is also known as ‘marsh-rosemary’, ‘caspia’, and ‘statice’, although these names may only refer to certain species of the plant.
  • The scientific name of sea lavender is Limonium and it is from the family Plumbaginaceae, the family of plumbagos or leadworts.
  • Sea-lavenders have native species in all continents except South America and Antarctica, with a high concentration of species in the Mediterranean and west to central Asian regions.
  • The sea-lavender genus has an extensive height range of 0.1 to 2 metres (0.3 to 6.6 feet) according to species, however, they are more commonly 0.1 to 0.7 metres (0.3 to 2.3 feet) high.

Sea-Lavender, Plant, Vegetation, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Purple, Australia, Genus

  • The showy calyx surrounding a sea-lavender flower is often considered the ‘flower’, even though technically it isn’t, and it can be coloured purple, pink and violet, as well as the occasional yellow or white; while the actual flower is generally small and often white in colour.
  • The leaves of sea-lavenders usually grow at the base of the plant and are generally of a leathery texture, and depending on the species, range from 1 to 30 centimetres (0.4 to 11.8 inches) in length.
  • Sea-lavender flowers usually sit in clusters on tall stems above the leaves, and typically bloom in summer, however some early bloomers can be found in spring, while others can be found flowering in autumn.
  • Some species of sea-lavender are used decoratively in gardens or for other landscaping purposes, and they are often used as cut flowers or dried flowers, due to the long lasting and colourful papery calyx.
  • The scientific name of sea-lavenders, ‘Limonium’, comes from Latin, which originally came from the Ancient Greek word for ‘meadow’, ‘leimōn’.
Bibliography:
Genus Limonium, n.d, PlantNET, http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=gn&name=Limonium
Limonium, 2016, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limonium
McKinley B & Wright B, Limonium, statice, caspia, 2007, My Teleflora, https://www.myteleflora.com/uploadedFiles/Contents/Design_Education/Floral_Publication_Collection/Flowers-And_Article_Archive/Limonium-June%2007.pdf
Plant Profile: Limonium, 2014, Gardening Australia, http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1866714.htm

 

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Hairy Portulaca

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Hairy Portulaca

The hairy portulaca’s way of growing is truly dependent on the climate.

  • A hairy portulaca is a flowering species of annual succulent plant, that originated in the Americas, though it is sometimes grown as a perennial.
  • ‘Hairy portulacas’ are also known as ‘hairy pigweeds’, ‘kiss-me-quicks’ and ‘akulikulis’, and they may also be called ‘moss roses’, although this title is also often used to refer to other species in the same genus.
  • The scientific name of a hairy portulaca is Portulaca pilosa and it is from the family Portulacaceae, the family of purslanes.
  • Hairy portulacas grow to be 5 to 20 centimetres (2 to 8 inches) in height and have a tendency to spread across the ground.
  • Hairy portulacas mostly bloom in the summer months, and the flowers range from 0.5 to 1.5 centimetres (0.2 to 0.6 inches) in diameter and are coloured pink, purple or red.

Hairy Portulaca, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Pink, Flower, Vegetation, Trivia, Garden, Bright

  • The growing habit of hairy portulacas depends on the climate, as warm and moist climates cause the plant to spread, while it tends to grow upwards in cooler and less moist climates.
  • Numerous white hairs sprout from the branches of hairy portulacas, and the hairs tend to be more plentiful on plants in habitats with less water.
  • Hairy portulacas are commonly used ornamentally, particularly to cover rocks or other surfaces like a mat, however in some parts of the world, including parts of Asia and Australia, the plant is considered a weed.
  • Historically, hairy portulaca plants have been used to treat fevers or used for pain relief in traditional medicine in Brazil.
  • Extract of the hairy portulaca plant is often used in some cosmetic products, and in particular, skin conditioning.
Bibliography:
Portulaca pilosa, 2013, Australian Portulaca, http://australianportulaca.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/portulaca-pilosa.html
Portulaca pilosa, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portulaca_pilosa
Portulaca pilosa, n.d, Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants, http://keys.trin.org.au/key-server/data/0e0f0504-0103-430d-8004-060d07080d04/media/Html/taxon/Portulaca_pilosa.htm
Portulaca pilosa  L. 1753, 2010, Some Magnetic Island Plants, http://www.somemagneticislandplants.com.au/index.php/plants/841-portulaca-pilosa

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