Anniversary Adventure April 2015
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n 9 Pear-fruited Mallee, Eucalyptus pyriformis. A Tour of Trees. 10 Mottlecah, Eucalyptus macrocarpa. Dive into the Western Australian Botanic Garden on an Anniversary Adventure and 11 Rose Mallee, discover its best kept secrets. Eucalyptus rhodantha. 1 Silver Princess, 12 Marri, Explore a special area of the Western Eucalyptus caesia. Australian Botanic Garden with us each Corymbia calophylla. month as we celebrate its 50th anniversary 2 Kingsmill’s Mallee, 13 Western Australian Christmas Tree, in 2015. Eucalyptus kingsmillii. Nuytsia floribunda. In April, we take a winding tour through the 3 Large-fruited Mallee, 14 Dwellingup Mallee, botanic garden to see the most distinctive, Eucalyptus youngiana. Eucalyptus drummondii x rudis rare and special trees scattered throughout its 4 Boab – Gija Jumulu*, (formerly Eucalyptus graniticola). 17 hectares. Adansonia gregorii. 15 Scar Tree – Tuart, 5 Variegated Peppermint, Eucalyptus gomphocephala. Agonis flexuosa. 16 Ramel’s Mallee, 6 Tuart, Eucalyptus rameliana. Eucalyptus gomphocephala. 17 Salmon White Gum, 7 Karri, Eucalyptus lane-poolei. Eucalyptus diversicolor. 18 Red-capped Gum or Illyarrie, 8 Queensland Bottle Tree, Eucalyptus erythrocorys. Brachychiton rupestris. * This Boab, now a permanent resident in Kings Park, was a gift to Western Australia from the Gija people of the East Kimberley. Jumulu is the Gija term for Boab. A Tour of Trees. This month, we take a winding tour through Descend the Acacia Steps to reach the Water Garden the Western Australian Botanic Garden to see where you will find a grove of Dwellingup Mallee the most distinctive, rare and special trees (Eucalyptus drummondii x rudis – formerly Eucalyptus granticola). After discovering a single tree in the wild, scattered throughout its 17 hectares. this hybrid mallee was rescued by the BGPA using DNA fingerprinting and tissue culture to produce new specimens. Tall treasures Walk up through the WA Banksia Garden and loop Our journey begins at the WA Botanic Garden entry, around to find the Ramel’s Mallee (Eucalyptus rameliana). framed by a cluster of Silver Princess trees (Eucalyptus Presumed extinct for more than a century, it was caesia). Known for their metallic, powdery branches rediscovered in 1991. and vibrant pink blooms, the Silver Princess is pollinated by birds and hails from granite outcrops in WA’s harsh Your journey ends at the aptly named Eucalyptus Carpark, Wheatbelt. It is rarely found in the wild. which showcases a variety of eucalypts including Salmon White Gums (Eucalyptus lane-poolei) and Illyarrie Moving along, you’ll be instantly taken with the Giant Boab (Eucalyptus erythrocorys). near the Forrest Carpark (Adansonia gregorii) – a bulb- shaped beauty painstakingly transported from the alluvial plains of the East Kimberley in 2008. A generous gift from Things to do and find the area’s Gija people, the tree is more than 750 years • Along the pathway to Tuart Lawn, stop to see the old and would have been traditionally used as a source Variegated Peppermint Tree (Agonis flexuosa). Its pale of food and medicine. Nearby, you’ll spot the Kingsmill’s leaves command attention and are thought to be a Mallee (Eucalyptus kingsmillii) and Large-fruited Mallee (Eucalyptus youngiana). genetic mutation – it’s actually the same species as the common Peppermint Tree. The Tuarts, found at Tuart Lawn, are the tallest trees on the Swan Coastal Plain. Venturing onto the Lotterywest • Pause in Roe Gardens to take in the city views from the Federation Walkway, spot the majestic Karri trees rolling lawn. (Eucalyptus diversicolor) – some of the tallest flowering Find the Queensland Bottle Tree (Brachychiton trees on earth. Native to WA’s South West region, Karri • trees commonly grow 60 metres tall and can stretch up to rupestris) in the Eastern States display at Roe Gardens. 90 metres high. • Look closely to see the red gum oozing from the Marri Turn left to Roe Gardens, where you’ll find Rose Mallee trees. In Nyoongar language, Marri means blood. (Eucalyptus rhodantha), Pear-fruited Mallee Divert through the Banksia Garden and find the (Eucalyptus pyriformis) and the striking Mottlecah • (Eucalyptus macrocarpa). Boasting the biggest blooms of ancient Scar Tree, a Tuart (Eucalyptus gomphocephala). any eucalypt, the Mottlecah is native to the State’s sandplains Scar Trees were traditionally ‘scarred’ by Nyoongar and is loved for its large waxy leaves and silvery fruits. people to mark special places and obtain bark for shelter, tools and food. Make your way back toward the WA Botanic Garden entry, through the shady Marri grove and admire these The Western Australian Botanic Garden is one of the most majestic gums with their large fruits known as honkey nuts. visited and unique of its kind in the world. It belongs to a Marri trees (Corymbia calophylla) are traditionally known worldwide network of botanic gardens which are devoted as medicine trees for the healing and antiseptic qualities of to the scientific research, conservation and display of flora. their gum and leaves. It is part of Kings Park, which is the most visited place in Western Australia. The Acacia Steps is your next stop, where nearby you will see some unusual semi-parasitic trees. The WA Christmas Explore this and other special areas of the Western Tree (Nuytsia floribunda), so named because it flowers in Australian Botanic Garden with us as we celebrate early summer, has clusters of vibrant orange blooms and its 50th anniversary in 2015. Look out for a new gets some of its nourishment from the roots of other plants. Anniversary Adventure each month. Kings Park and Botanic Garden Fraser Avenue, Kings Park WA 6005 Phone (0 8) 9 4 8 0 3 6 0 0 • Fax (0 8) 9 3 2 2 5 0 6 4 • w w w.b g p a.w a.g o v.a u Kings Park and Botanic Garden.