Tag Archives: Vegetation

The light of a candle heath is a bit odd – it is simply its beauty.

• Candle heaths are a species of shrub, native to the states of Victoria and southern New South Wales, in Australia.
• The scientific name of a candle heath is Richea continentis and it is from the family Ericaceae, the family of heaths.
• Candle heaths are plants that can reach heights of 0.5 to 1.0 metre (1.6 to 3.3 feet), and they have a similar or slightly larger diameter.
• Candle heaths are typically found in marshy and moist habitats, in mountainous regions.
• Brian Burtt, an English botanist, was the first to scientifically classify the candle heath, doing so in 1942.

• The leaves of candle heaths are usually 1 to 4 centimetres (0.4 to 1.6 inches) in length, and they are often a triangular shape.
• The small, white, cream or greenish coloured flowers of candle heaths bloom in December to February.
• Candle heaths can be used to deter animals in gardens, due to their prickly leaves.
• Candle heath flowers emit a pleasant odour, and they grow in groups on long stalks, that sit above the plant.
• Candle heath plants grow best in partially shady or sunny areas, in cool climates, and as such they are not affected by snow or frost.

Bibliography:
Richea continentis, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richea_continentis

Richea continentis, n.d, Yarra Ranges Shire Council, http://fe.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Residents/Trees_Vegetation/Yarra_Ranges_Plant_Directory/Yarra_Ranges_Local_Plant_Directory/Lower_Storey/Shrubs_to_2m/Richea_continentis

Richea continentis B.L.Burtt, n.d, PlantNET, http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Richea~continentis

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Don’t miss out on a swamp club-rush membership – all you have to do is read on!

• Swamp club-rushes are a species of perennial, grass-like vegetation native to Australia, New Zealand, South America, Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia.
• The scientific name of swamp club-rush is Isolepis inundata, previously known as Scirpus inundatus, and it is from the family Cyperaceae, the family of sedges.
• Swamp club-rushes grow in thin blades with the plant reaching heights from 5 to 50 centimetres (2 to 20 inches) and about 40 centimetres (16 inches) in diameter.
• The ‘flowers’ of swamp club-rushes are small and spiky in appearance, and are clustered in three to twenty spikelets.
• Both swampy environments and gullies can house swamp club-rushes, and they prefer sunny or partly shady conditions.

• Swamp club-rushes bloom from September to February, the spring and summer months.
• The vegetation of swamp club-rushes is typically a vivid green colour, while the blooms are brown, to pale yellow or cream.
• The first scientific description of swamp club-rushes was in 1810, by Robert Brown, a botanist from Scotland, who observed the plant in Australia on an expedition there.
• Swamp club-rushes can be used for landscaping purposes, particularly those involving water, and they prefer moist soil conditions, though they are hardy and versatile.
• Swamp club-rush plants grow from rhizomes that tend to multiply, and the plant produces tiny, triangular shaped nuts that are pale red-brown to yellow in colour.

Bibliography:
APNI – Isolepis inundata, n.d, Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria, https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apniFormat/display/74358

Isolepis inundata, n.d, Prestige Plants, http://www.prestigeplants.com.au/www/content/default.aspx?cid=1860

Isolepis inundata R.Br., n.d, PlantNET, http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Isolepis~inundata

Swamp Club-Rush, 2015, Victoria Resources Online, http://vro.agriculture.vic.gov.au/dpi/vro/vrosite.nsf/pages/sip_swamp_club_rush

False bracken is truly not bracken… it is a fern.

• False bracken is a species of common fern, native to eastern forest areas of Australia.
• ‘False brackens’ are also known as ‘rainbow ferns’, ‘soft brackens’ and ‘common ground ferns’.
• The scientific name of false bracken is Calochlaena dubia, though it was previously listed as Culcita dubia, and it is from the family Dicksoniaceae, a family of various ferns.
• False bracken leaves, or ‘fronds’ as they are known, reach a length of 0.4 to 1.5 metres (1.3 to 4.9 feet), and they tend to droop at the ends.
• The false bracken scientific genus name ‘Calochlaena’ is said to come from Ancient Greek, meaning ‘beautiful cloak’, while ‘dubia’, or ‘dubious’ in English, is a Latin term and has the meaning ‘doubtful’.

• The leaves of false bracken are lacy and range from green to yellow-green in colour, and are hairy and quite soft to touch.
• False bracken plants do not produce flowers, and instead reproduce through the use of spores that grown on the underside of the leaves.
• The false bracken plant grows from a rhizome, that spreads underground and can be divided to produce more plants, and the rhizomes are covered in brown hairs.
• False brackens grow as understory plants that are easily cared for, and as such, are useful as a garden plant.
• False bracken plants grow to heights from 50 cm to 2 metres (1.6 to 6.6 feet) and prefer well-drained soils that are moist, and partly shady conditions.

Bibliography:
Calochlaena dubia, 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/Calochlaena_dubia

Calochlaena dubia, 2014, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calochlaena_dubia

Calochlaena dubia, 2016, Noosa’s Native Plants, http://www.noosanativeplants.com.au/plants/107/calochlaena-dubia-(was-culcita-dubia)

Calochlaena dubia (DICKSONIACEAE) False Bracken, n.d, Save Our Waterways Now, http://www.saveourwaterwaysnow.com.au/01_cms/details_pop.asp?ID=116

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Even Australia gets their very own Australian native violets.

• Australian native violets are small, perennial flowering plants, native to mostly eastern areas of Australia.
• ‘Australian native violets’ are also known as ‘native violets’, ‘ivy-leaved violets’ and ‘Australian tufted violets’.
• The scientific name of an Australian native violet is Viola hederacea, from the Violaceae family, the family of pansies and violets.
• The flower of Australian native violets is a combination of purple and white in colour, and it generally sits above the plant on a thin stalk.
• Australian native violet plants reach a height of 10 to 15 centimetres (4 to 6 inches) and grow approximately 30 cm (12 inches) in diameter.

• The blooms of Australian native violets are roughly 1 to 2 centimetres (0.4 to 0.8 inches) in diameter, while the leaves are 0.5 to 3 centimetres (0.2 to 1.2 inches) across, and are shaped as a semi-circle or like a kidney.
• Australian native violets bloom mostly during summer and spring months, and the flowers are edible and are sometimes used in salads.
• Australian native violets can be grown in gardens or in pots, and they grow in shade, partial shade or sunny areas, and prefer moist soil.
• Australian native violets are commonly used ornamentally, in hanging baskets, as a ground cover, and can also be used as an alternative lawn, although it is less popular plant than some other violet species, as the flowers are somewhat pale in colour compared to others.
• Australian native violets grow in clumps that can be readily divided, and they tend to spread via runners, that new plants are formed from.

Bibliography:
Australian Native Violet – Plant of the Week, n.d, Burke’s Backyard, http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/fact-sheets/in-the-garden/flowering-plants-shrubs/australian-native-violet-plant-of-the-week

Viola Hederacea, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viola_hederacea

Viola Hederacea, 2016, Gardens Online, http://www.gardensonline.com.au/GardenShed/PlantFinder/Show_1052.aspx

Viola Hederacea, n.d, Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants, http://keys.trin.org.au/key-server/data/0e0f0504-0103-430d-8004-060d07080d04/media/Html/taxon/Viola_hederacea.htm

Viola hederacea Labill., n.d, PlantNET, http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Viola~hederacea

The flying duck orchid is a bit of an impersonator.

• Flying duck orchids are perennial plants of small size, native to areas in the south and east of Australia.
• The scientific name of flying duck orchids is Caleana major and it is from the family Orchidaceae, the family of orchids.
• Flying duck orchids typically bloom between September and January and the flowers range in length from 1.5 to 2.5 centimetres (0.6 to 1 inch).
• The flowers of flying duck orchids are usually coloured a deep red to purple, with some parts green, and have the appearance of a duck in flight, and compared to most other orchid flowers, sit on the plant upside down.
• One of the first specimens of a flying duck orchid obtained by Europeans was from where the Sydney Opera House of Australia sits, located at Bennelong Point in Sydney, retrieved in 1803.

Flying Duck Orchid
Image courtesy of Doug Ford/Flickr

• Flying duck orchids are pollinated by insects such as sawflies, that are attracted to the flower and are temporarily trapped to collect and transfer pollen.
• Flying duck orchids are extremely difficult to grow or propagate, thus they are virtually exclusive to woody forests or shrubby habitats.
• The height of flying duck orchid plants can reach 50 centimetres (20 inches), and they grow from a tuber and have long narrow leaves.
• The flying duck orchid was pictured on a 90 cent Australian postage stamp, released in 1986, as one of a set of four stamps featuring Australian orchids.
• Due to what seems to be a lack of pollinating insects, as well as habitat destruction, the flying duck orchid plant is listed as vulnerable in the state of South Australia.

Bibliography:
Australia’s Most Popular Orchid, n.d, NOSSA, http://nossa.org.au/tag/flying-duck-orchid/

Caleana major, 2014, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caleana_major

Flying Duck Orchid, 2015, AuseMade, http://www.ausemade.com.au/fauna-flora/flora/magnoliophyta/liliopsida/asparagales/orchidaceae/caleana-major/caleana-major.htm

Large Duck Orchid, 2008, Adelaide Department of Environment and Heritage, pa-fact-pafactcaleanamajor.pdf