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E I SYDNEY R R OPERA HOUSE & THE DOMAIN E

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GOVERNMENT HOUSE Guided Walks DELIVERY GATE Join our guides to learn about the Garden’s rich history and diversity. All tours depart from the D

R DOMAIN Garden Shop Information Centre.

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Fleet Steps E Pollination Stories I R Must FARM COVE 6 December 11 am – 12.30 pm A U NORTHERN DEPOT Bookings essential. Q ROYAL C GATE YURONG A DOMAIN Free Guided Walks Palm Grove Centre M

Botanic Gardens Restaurant and Café S see C A H 10.30BOTANIC am – 12 pm daily. GATE D I L L E X R P W Y Garden Shop R

Except Christmas and Boxing Day. M Visitor Information S E GARDEN Toilets I

T R Aboriginal Heritage Tour A S Meet here for guided walks U Q 10 am – 11.30 am every Wed, C E SYDNEY A I Fri and Sat. Bookings essential. M R S R A M U Bookings and information:

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M AND GATE GOVERNMENT 6 HOUSE GATE T G E S B R I D 4 HENRY LAWSON GATE December CONSERVATORIUM Lion Gate GATE Lodge D R

PALACE S E Café I GARDEN 3 R 7 1 A U This month there will be a lot of GATE Q C A looking up and looking from afar as WOOLLOOMOOLOO BAY 2 M

S we get inspired by the natural beauty Sydney Fernery R M of . Not only do our more than B E N The Calyx 3000 magnificent trees provide shade T Maiden Theatre S T from the strengthening summer sun MORSHEAD but, if you look closely, you will notice FOUNTAIN Palm House GATE Foundation & Friends an extraordinary variety of foliage, , fruit and form amongst them. C A Rathborne H I PlantClinic L L Learning Centre There is no better place to enjoy a E Lodge State Library X P festive picnic with family and friends, R E S of NSW S W A National Herbarium of NSW H U N T E R Y f season’s greetings. S T r and Red Box Gallery a h

PARKING W & OFFICE r T WOOLLOOMOOLOO e S g RECEPTION n i E GATE F I Parliament R The Pavilion

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Sydney O Hospital H Art Gallery of NSW D R Y E R L L A The Mint G T R A Hyde Park LEGEND Barracks Wheelchair accessible D P R I R N C Land & Property S E E Entrance gates A Information S M E L R A B R

J E C O Toilets R St James T G T T R N U S D Café / Kiosk Station U B O I S Y R T T Restaurant M N A S R H I O Y D Palm Grove Centre

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R Limited public access 1. Castanospermum australe 4.  cerifera 6. Syzygium moorei (Black Bean ) (Paper Gardenia) (Coolamon, Watermelon Tree) A wonderful drawcard for Australian The Tabernaemontana, which Native to the border ranges of NE fauna, especially nectar loving birds commemorates the "father of NSW and SE QLD, this wonderful who noisily announce the flowering German botany," Jacobus Theodorus rainforest tree has become rare in of this tree that originates from the Tabernaemontanus, contains its natural environment due to land coastal rainforest of NSW & QLD. approximately 100 species; all from clearing. A rather funky feature to are followed by large boat tropical and subtropical areas of the note is the tree’s ability to grow shaped pods with three round seeds Pacific. The star shaped white flowers flowers directly from the trunk and which, like the foliage, are toxic. To find have a beautiful sweet fragrance but leafless branches. This phenomenon out more about exciting new research the plant has a poisonous milky sap. is termed cauliflory and is common conducted by Garden scientists on this A quirky feature is the little ‘boat’ like in tropical and subtropical rainforest important plant, visit: www.rbgsyd. fruit still present even during the new trees. Don’t just admire this tree for nsw.gov.au/stories/2017/black-bean season flowering. its wonderfully coloured flowers but come back in mid-autumn to see how it almost ‘drips’ with large white fruit. 5. Magnolia grandiflora 2. Barringtonia neocaledonica (Bull Bay Magnolia) 7. Punica granatum A shapely tree from These magnificent evergreen trees can (Pomegranate) that grows to 7-10 m. In December, reach 35 m however the cultivation we see the raceme of buds open of smaller forms allows the suburban The Pomegranate has been in revealing flowers with prominent house block to enjoy their beauty also. cultivation since ancient times and clusters of white stamens. Our Native to the south-eastern states appears to originate around northern Barringtonia also puts on a spectacular of the USA, M. grandiflora has an India and the region known today colour display of red in late exceptional history with fossil records as Iran. The genus name Punica winter before gradually losing those dating their existence in the Cretaceous refers to the Phoenicians, who were leaves in spring. period (66-145 million years ago). Not active in broadening its cultivation. only is the flower aesthetically pleasing In recent years this small tree has to the eye, it also has a wonderful gained greater recognition due to the lemon citronella scent. The fruit that culinary and health-giving properties follows flowering inspired the woven of the fruit and seeds. 3. Araucaria bidwillii copper sculpture by Bronwyn Oliver (Bunya Pine) near this tree. A stately and almost symmetrical tree, the Bunya Pine is native to the PLANT OF THE MONTH mountain areas of SE & Nth QLD. The outer canopy appears to have been Milletia grandis regularly pruned to keep its shape, but this is just one of its natural features. (Umzimbeet, Tree Wisteria) Another is the formidable size of its This beautiful tree from Southern Africa is in the same family female fruiting cones – comparable to as the common garden pea. You may notice the similarity if a football, but weighing up to 18 kg. you look closely at the purple flowers covering the tree and Standing under a fruiting Bunya Pine is the ground underneath. A wonderful and hardy tree for home not recommended! Each female cone gardens, where you will not have to worry about baboons can contain 50-100 large edible "nuts" stripping and eating the bark as happens to the trees in their which are very nutritious. natural habitat.