February 2021 Sutherland Group Newsletter

About Sutherland Group Coming up.. We meet at 8 pm every third Wednesday from February to Wed, 17 Feb Sutherland Group meeting – Wildflower November at Gymea Community Wonderland. See details in the diary on page 2. Centre, 39 Gymea Bay Rd, Gymea. Visitors welcome. Thurs, 4 Mar JB Reserve working bees are back on. Sun, 7 Mar Rules for Covid-19 are in place, more here We support awareness and conservation of Australian native Wed, 17 Mar The Science of Chemicals with speaker . Rhonda Daniels.

See our website & Facebook Look out for.. Eucalyptus erythrocorys (illyarrie) http://austplants.com.au/Sutherland

www.facebook.com/APS.Sutherland

President Leonie Hogue 75A Wattle St Jannali 2226 [email protected] Ph 0416 286 083

Secretary Rhonda Daniels [email protected] Ph: 0491 629 760

Treasurer Anne Webb 9 Connels Rd Cronulla 2230 E. erythrocorys (illyarrie, red capped gum) Ph 9523 6067 (Ph: Menai Wildflower Group facebook) This small tree is from Western , north of Perth, but can be Publicity Officer & grown in Sydney. It is noted to have a preference for alkaline soils. Speaker Convenor There are not that many to be seen in Sydney, but this photo is from Ralph Cartwright the Menai group’s garden at the Illawarra Fire Station. So look out [email protected] for it as you drive past. Flowering is from later summer to autumn Ph 9548 1074 and as can be seen it has red caps followed by bright yellow 0416 030 872 flowers.

Newsletter Editor Inside this issue Peter Shelton For your diary ...... 2 [email protected] At the November, 2020 Meeting ...... 2 Ph 0411 286 969 Activity Report – Week at Charlotte Pass ...... 5 Welcome Back ...... 7 Newsletter Deadline: News and more ...... 8 First Wednesday of the month

For your diary Contact John Arney ph 9525 0449, [email protected] Our diary is not very full at the moment as we wait on developments with Covid19 restrictions. Wed, 17 Feb Sutherland Group meeting Our plans are in From 7.45 pm place to cope with Covid restrictions, to re-start for 8:00 pm start our face-to-face meetings in our usual location at the Gymea Community Centre on February 17th. Complying with all current directives is a priority. We will show a 40min video produced for the Ravensthorpe Wildflower Society by well known local filmmaker, Jennene Riggs – Wildflower Wonderland. The video will highlight some of the iconic wildflowers of the Ravensthorpe shire in WA and the extraordinary features that produce them and that make the area around Albany a world- renowned biodiversity hotspot. The video will be followed by our plant table hosted by Phil Keane. Physical specimens can be showcased as well as any video submissions which can be included and sent to Dan prior to the meeting. For those that attended the September 2019 ANSPA conference, they may have some favourite plant shots to show off via video to Dan as mentioned above. He will need some ID help along with your submissions. Thurs, 4 Mar Joseph Banks Reserve working bees Sun, 7 Mar Covid 19 restrictions will be observed, but there is plenty of space to work in. Sat, 13 Mar Sutherland Council Nursery Open day. 345 The Boulevarde, Gymea. 9 am – 3 pm A fantastic range of Indigenous tubestock from $2.70 plus plenty more. Wed, 17 Mar Sutherland Group meeting: The Science of Plant Chemicals. From 7.45 pm for 8:00 pm start, at Gymea Community Hall. Covid19 regulations permitting. Sat, 20 Mar APS NSW Quarterly Meeting. This will be a zoom meeting with guest speaker will be Peter Olde on new Grevillea hybrids. Meeting details next month Wed, 7 Apr Sydney Royal Easter show preparation Drop flowers off at Leonie’s - 75a Wattle Rd Jannali 1,2,8,9 May (10 – 4) Illawarra Grevillea Garden open days. These are the first two weekends in May. 11 – 16 Sep, 2022 ANPSA Biennial Conference delayed until 2022 due to Covid-19 considerations. At the November Meeting At the AGM in November 2020 We had our AGM by Zoom at our meeting on Wednesday 18 November 2020. The agenda and previous minutes were emailed to members on the day of the meeting. The minutes of the previous AGM were accepted. Thanks to everyone who contributed to our group in 2020, whether an official bearer or not. Member Gwen Harden thanked everyone for keeping the group going in difficult times. The following people were elected for 2021, with no change from 2020: President Leonie Hogue, Secretary Rhonda Daniels, Treasurer Anne Webb, Speakers and Publicity Ralph Cartwright, Newsletter Editor Peter Shelton, Website Simon Bastin, Activities John Arney, Plant Stewards Phil Keane and Dan Clarke, Library Clare McColl, Conservation Dan Clarke, APS NSW delegate John Aitken. As well as the group highlights reported in our annual report for 2020 below (with a 300 word limit), former Sutherland Group president and life member Peter Olde was honoured as OAM in January 2020 and we made a $500 donation to support the Australian Flora Foundation. Rhonda Daniels

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Bladderworts with guest speaker Richard Jobson At the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, Dr. Jobson is a Research Botanist, specialising in the study of the evolution within the family. [Dan’s note: for this talk, Richard has provided his own summary. I have interspersed comments in for the benefit of the reader and to add some further information. I hope you enjoy it. [The Lentibulariaceae family is referred to as the Bladderworts and contain three genera of carnivorous plants, namely Genlisea, Pinguicula and . Genlisea are referred to as Corkscrew Plants or Lobsterpots! Pinguicula are referred to as Butterworts. Utricularia retain the name of Bladderworts They are a family of plants with a worldwide distribution but with not that may species comparatively with only about 350 known species in the entire family. They typically grow in wet soils such as swamps, creeks and springs. As they grow in permanently wet soil, they have evolved to obtain nitrates and other nutrients by digesting insects, rather than taking it up in the soil water. Richard’s work has helped untangle relationships between the Butterworts, Lobsterpots and Bladderworts (Utricularia), with particular focus on the 250 species of Utricularia from across the world. Lately, his studies have involved the 60 Australian species, with 20 of these recently described by Dr. Jobson and a few more in the works. As an example of one of the several Australian complexes currently under study, the phylogeny of the Australian species Utricularia dichotoma (Fairy Aprons) uncovered five new species and seven new subspecies. One of these species is only known from two remote Artesian mound springs in far western Queensland highlighting the link between understanding biodiversity and conservation. The same study also provided the evidence for resurrection of two synonymised species [two species lumped under the same name] first realised by Robert Brown in 1804 from his collections in the Sydney basin.

Richard Collecting aquatic plants Endangered U. singeriana Top End in CapeYork, Queensland (Photos: from Richards’s article at ANBG website) [Richard found one such species in a tropical swamp, and upon his return there, found that the swamp had been drained by human activity and the plant was no longer there!] While fieldwork provides some of the material required for these studies and has taken Richard to many remote regions of Australia and the world, preserved herbarium material is an essential element for the research providing data on morphological characters and DNA markers for phylogenetic studies of evolutionary relationships. [Richard’s talk focused mainly on the phylogenetic issues in the genus Utricularia. Phylogenetics is the study of evolutionary relationships among biological entities or taxa. It is the opinion of many taxonomists (including botanists) that a classified group such as a genus or plant family contain all known extant and extinct species from the same common ancestor and only those species or genera. Problems arise when the previous classifications of taxa, undertaken by those such as Linnaeus, Robert Brown, Daniel Solander, George Bentham and many many others, do not reflect the true nature of the evolutionary relationships. The emergence of DNA has allowed scientists to verify, or

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not, which species are most closely related to which. This has resulted in groups of species at the genus level, as well as groups of genera at the family level, being reclassified. Sometimes, what we observe in a plant in terms of its morphology (physical features), does not necessarily reflect that two species are closely related. The best place to start thinking about this, at a very broad level, is to think of how similar a shark and a dolphin appear superficially. But we know they are not closely related at all. Such conundrums can take place at much finer scales in biology. Plants, as well as animals, fungi and bacteria, continue to be reclassified based on the best available DNA evidence. Yet, debate can take place over how such data are interpreted. It pays to consider with this process, for example, that if we know a plant with outstanding medicinal properties, we would likely want to know what its closest living relatives are, in order to determine if that or those species possess similar useful qualities. This is just one reason why phylogenetics is considered important.

Further reading and photos: https://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/Stories/2019/Carnivorous-bladderworts-reveal-secrets-of-genome Dan Clarke (and Richard Jobson)

On the plant table see a replay on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Eu1Q4XQnRg The plant table is a great way to see what grows Elaeocarpus reticulatus (Blueberry Ash) well in Sutherland Shire and what flowers when. (Family: Elaeocarpaceae) While Zoom meetings have replaced face to face Locally common large shrub on sandstone soils, it meetings, please email some photos instead as has laurel-type leaves with a leathery texture. plant specimens. You can email by reply to the Flowers are white and finely fringed and hang newsletter or to Dan Clarke at: downwards. An attractive and hardy plant which [email protected] can be pruned to create a denser habit. There is pink-flowering form “Prima Donna” which is now Plant steward Phil Keane’s nursery, Ausplants R very popular. Makes a nice street tree. Us, is in Sutherland. Visits by appointment or check out sale days (often Saturday 12 – 4:30) on Banksia serrata (Old Man Banksia) (Family: https://www.facebook.com/ausplants/` Proteaceae) Ph: 0435 410 857 or [email protected] A locally common and very iconic tree to about 5 On our Zoom plant Table, Dan Clarke presents a metres tall of slightly more. It has lanceolate to collection of photos sent in by members. You can oblong leaves with serrated margins which are watch the full zoom showing of the plant table on produced in false whorls and large inflorescences the link in the heading. – spikes – which can be grandiose and up to 40 cm long! A slow growing banksia and often found Here are just some of the plants featured at our in Sydney sandstone bushland. Great cut flower. last meeting.

Elaeocarpus reticulatus (Blueberry Ash) Banksia serrata (Old Man Banksia) (Photo S. Bastin) (Photo: Jason Salmon)

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Also has gnarled bark when mature. Grows from A Sydney epiphytic orchid which is commonly to norther NSW, mainly along the coast. seen in tree branches like Angophora costata. Is being used more and more and as street tree in Looks like a Lomandra longifolia but it is obvious it Sutherland. is something different when it produces racemes of orchid-flowers which are dark yellow to yellow. Needs good drainage to thrive. Very nice plant – worth trying as an epiphyte in a Ptilotus exaltatus (Mulla Mulla) (Family: pot or on a board or tree trunk. Amaranthaceae) Actinotus forsythii (Flannel Flower) (Family: A herbaceous perennial common in inland NSW, it Apiaceae) is a short-lived but very showy plant with feathery This is the Pink Flannel Flower which Lloyd flower heads and dark green foliage. Great plant Hedges has brought into cultivation. It is native to for sunny rockeries and borders or in a pot. Likes the Blue Mountains and south coast areas. It is a good drainage and does not need much water. more or less prostrate herb with stems to about 50 Plant in groups for a really good effect. Prune dead cm long and is an annual. It has inflorescences flower heads. There is a cultivar called ‘Joey’. with pink flowers surrounded by white bracts which is the main attraction. Grows well in a pot with good drainage and will grow in rockeries and sandy beds.

Ptilotus exaltatus (Mulla Mulla) (Ph: Tony Porritt) Cymbidium suave (Snake Orchid) (Family: Orchidaceae)

Actinotus forsythii (Pink Flannel-flower) (Ph: Lisa Godden) Many other plant table specimens were also covered in the youtube recording. More information can be found at these websites: www.anspa.org.au www.anbg.gov.au plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au www.wikipedia.org www.austplants.com.au/plant-database Don’t forget: Dan Clarke has all the monthly plant table information compiled in his Plant Table Master list document available from our web site. Cymbidium suave (Snake Orchid) Dan Clarke Plant Table Masterlist (Ph: Jason Salmon) replay of the plant table Activity Report – Week at Charlotte Pass The biennial visit to Charlotte Pass has been organised by John Arney for a number of years now and is always greatly enjoyed by the attendees. [Editor] Our biennial visit to Charlotte Pass was on this occasion attended by 26 members of APS Sutherland and Menai Wildflower Group, along with a short stay by 2 grandchildren, from Sun. 24 to Sun.31 January. Covid19 preparations. The Lodge management put in place a set of rules for the operation of the Lodge during our stay. We were able to work with these rules and no case of sickness of any kind was reported for the week. The fact that there had been an absence of reported new Covid19 cases in NSW in the lead up and during our stay was also welcomed by all, and a relief to the designated lodge captains, Lloyd and John. APS Sutherland – February 2021 5

The weather was kind to us in the early part of our stay. Overall we only had 1 ½ days what were not suitable for walking. Most people met their personal targets for the trip and whilst the conditions were not ideal, we made the best of what we were dealt. Monday, 25th, 6km, Porcupine Rocks. Starting on the Wheatley track from Perisher Gap (1800m) to The Porcupine (1900m), this walk covered a range of mountain vegetation communities including the crossing of a large Alpine Bog with lots of opportunities to view and photograph plants that are only found in the high country. On this walk several of the group make their first contact with the plant that had been allocated as their challenge for the week. A car shuffle had been arranged and we completed the walk via the well-defined track down to Perisher village (1740m).

Microceris lanceolata (Murnong) Group gathered at Charlotte Pass (Photos: J. Arney) Tuesday, 6km Loop, Sawpit Creek, Waterfall Track (1200m elevation). Here we broke with convention and completed the walk in an anti-clockwise direction. This Track is set in a Montane environment with a good cross section of herbs, shrubs and tree species. The day was overcast, ideal for our photographers, and many quality snaps were on view that evening. Wednesday, 4km (return) Mount Stilwell (2040m) and optionally the Old Chair Lift, 8km (total return). The weather fluctuated on this day between brilliant sunshine and overcast with a light damp mist. This was our first day above the treeline with a good range of alpine plant species to be seen and photographed. On this day it became obvious that the massed flowering season had passed, however, we were not disappointed with the plants on offer.

Euphrasia collina (Purple Eye-Bright) Botanising at Mount Stilwell (Ph: J. Arney) Thursday, Thredbo Top Station to Kosciusko (13km return). No panoramas to be viewed on this day as persistent low cloud and very cool conditions focused the group on reaching the summit. The walk was completed in full wet gear with a stiff wind and plenty of a heavy mist that was not quite rain. If nothing else, the weather kept the crowds away and there was some personal satisfaction to be had from reaching the top of Oz under the trying conditions. One of our group, Ian Hill completed the Main Range on his return trip to the lodge Charlotte Pass.

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Friday, Rain. However, with talk of brumbies in the news, Greg and Pam arranged a booking for lunch at the Wild Brumby Restaurant and Distillery that in located about 9km along the Alpine Way and a hearty meal, plus samples of schnapps were enjoyed by the group. Saturday, Rain in the morning. In the afternoon we took a leisurely stroll down to the Snowy River to stretch the legs and to continue our botanical explorations. The river was up and looking seemingly impassable when a couple of long-legged Main Range walkers came down to the western bank, undeterred they stripped to shorts and proceeded across the moderately flowing water without incident. During the week lodge activities included Pool, Table Tennis, a Trivia night, (thanks Pam) a talk on fossicking at Agate Creek in Queensland (thanks Allan) the board game Rummikin (or Rummikub) Sunday, Time to return home. The final drive down the mountain road, as you leave Charlotte Pass, brings about a mix of interesting feelings, leaving the mountain, with its unique vegetation and fauna, leaving friends, old and new, knowing that it will probably be two years before you return to repeat the experience, yet tempered in the knowledge that you have just had a wonderful holiday with some amazing people in one of Australia’s truly great destinations. Yes, this was a good week. John Arney For more photos see these facebook pages: Menai WfG and Sutherland APS

Welcome Back This will be our first face to face meeting for 2021 and we hope there will be many more. The committee has been working hard to have a Covid safe meeting. There will be plenty of hand sanitiser available. Please sign in when you arrive and you’ll get a lucky door ticket for prizes instead of buying raffle tickets. There will be a ‘donations’ box for those feeling generous. Bring your own mug for a tea or coffee (there will be paper cups available). Only 2 people will be allowed in the kitchen for the hot water but you might like to volunteer to do this for part of the meeting. Although we want you to leave a chair between yourself and another bubble group when seated please take this opportunity to say hello or introduce yourself to someone new. Take this chance to catch up. We want a friendly, happy meeting. Has anyone got anything flowering in their garden for the plant table? At the end of the meeting everyone will get a disinfectant wipe for their chair. Don’t forget your and enjoy some supper and more socialising. See you at the meeting. Leonie Hogue

2020 End of year get- together at Joseph Banks Reserve (Ph: Ian Hill)

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News and More Joseph Banks Native Plants Reserve Membership renewal Members receive an email from APS NSW when their membership is due through the year and can renew online on the APS website. Check your membership status with our treasurer Anne Webb at the March meeting or by phone. New Members Welcome to recent new members Penny McMullin and Todd Stark. Royal Easter Show The Easter Show is back this year and Sutherland Group will be putting in some arrangements. The arrangements will be benched on Friday 9

April. This means the all the flowers need to be Joseph Banks Reserve picked and dropped off at Leonie’s on Wednesday Rhonda and Bruce spruced up the display 7 April. Leonie lives at 75a Wattle Rd, Jannali. Go cabinets at Joseph Banks Reserve in January by down the right of way. Our clever team will be removing all material, cleaning the inside and doing arrangements on Thursday 8 April from outside of the cabinets, repainting all the white and 8am. Hope you can help with some flowers. black paint, and replacing and updating display Leonie 0416286083 material. We have already received inquiries from visitors to the reserve. Pink flannel flowers PR It is a big year for Pink Flannel flower in the wild. Conditions are obviously just right and there are photos up on social media sites. The NSW Native Plant ID facebook group is one place. The Blue Mountains, in particular the Narrow Neck Walk, is a noted hot spot.

New plants and paper daisy seeds sown on to a sandy mound (Ph: R. Daniels) Rhonda Daniels Pot recycling Sutherland Council nursery at 345 The

Boulevarde, Gymea is now collecting plastic pots (Ph: P. Sykes , NSW Native Plant ID Facebook) for recycling. Drop your clean, empty black pots off when buying some full ones. Sutherland member Lisa Godden was in the blue Mountains and sent in this photo. And there are a Membership few more of Lisa’s photos on our Facebook page. If you are not receiving the monthly APS NSW Of course, that doesn’t mean they are easy to enewsletter from enewsletter editor Rhonda propagate! Lloyd Hedges from Menai Wildflower Daniels, please email [email protected] Group has worked to perfect their propagation so we can sort out whether we have your correct over the last few years. Recently he was donating email address in our records. The September 2020 supplies to the Botanic Gardens in Sydney and issue was emailed to members on 30 August. Mount Annan.

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Committee report We had our first committee meeting of the year on Wednesday 20 January by Zoom due to the restrictions on number of visitors to households. Our main focus was discussing a return to face-to- face physical meetings at Gymea hall and what the COVID-safe requirements would be. We also discussed publicising our group email contact as [email protected] rather than individual emails. Most of our other usual items were deferred. At our follow-up meeting on Wednesday 10 February to finalise arrangements for our Gymea Last [November] Menai WfG donated a tray of meeting, we agreed to make our annual donation Pink flannel flowers (Actinotus forsythii) to the of $500 to the Australian Flora Foundation which ANBG. Curator David Taylor accepted them with funds research into the cultivation and biology of enthusiasm. (Photo from MWG Facebook) Australian flora. This is a huge compliment to his skills and Rhonda Daniels generosity. Nice work Lloyd. If you don’t know already, the best way to maintain your own flannel Annual report 2020 flowers (pink or white) is to keep buying seedlings The following annual report for Sutherland Group from Menai Wildflower Group whenever they are will appear in the APS NSW annual report. selling them and follow their advice. In 2020, Sutherland Group held 9 of our 10 scheduled monthly meetings. After cancelling our March meeting due to COVID, we organised a committee meeting by Zoom to test the technology. We then scheduled our April monthly meeting by Zoom, which was well attended by members. As one of the first groups to trial Zoom for meetings, we shared our experience with other groups. In general, we had about the same number of members attending online as our face- to-face meetings. Many members commented that they could hear our speakers more clearly and see the presentations more easily. We also continued our plant table feature with photos and videos of plants in members’ gardens instead of physical A. forsythii (Pink flannel flowers) in Blue Mountains plants. Another benefit of online meetings was (ph: Lisa Godden) adding recordings of speakers’ talks (with permission) to the APS NSW YouTube channel. Lord Howe Island is Rat-free We continued our monthly working bees at Joseph If you were thinking of the Lord Howe Island Banks Native Plants Reserve but did not hold our excursion ahead of the (postponed) ANPSA planned public activities to recognise the 250th Biennial Conference, you might find this news of anniversary of Joseph Banks (1770–2020) or the interest. 50th anniversary of the reserve (1970–2020). The Sydney Morning Herald, 31 January, reports Articles on Joseph Banks and the reserve were that: included on the APS NSW website and in the enewsletter. “The last rat seen on Lord Howe Island was sniffed out by a detector dog about 15 months ago not Towards the end of the year, we held two face-to- long after a sometimes controversial program to rid face events at members’ gardens which both the island of an estimated 200,000 of the vermin included propagation opportunities, and our end- began.” of-year Christmas gathering at Joseph Banks Reserve which was a welcome chance to catch up It goes on to tell of the dramatically recovering face-to-face. A member bushwalking in the Royal wildlife. Read the full story here: National Park found a new population of the https://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/endang ered-animals-bounce-back-on-rat-free-lord-howe-island- endangered Prostanthera densa, recognised 20210130-p56y1t.html because it was in flower, adding to our group’s APS Sutherland – February 2021 9

previous work on this species. Sutherland Council Nursery Open Day Sutherland Group members continue to strongly If you can’t get to Sutherland Council’s nursery on support APS NSW with John Aitken as president, weekdays, don’t miss this opportunity to visit and Rhonda Daniels as enewsletter editor, Dan Clarke buy plants on a Saturday 9 am to 3 pm, on 13 as conservation officer and Ralph Cartwright on March. Several Sutherland Group members the ANPSA biennial conference organising volunteer to help propagate the plants for sale. committee. John is also co-editor of the Australian Indigenous tubestock from $2.70. Plants journal, producing particularly well-received issues on the 250th anniversary and bush fires in Details here including a plant availability list: 2020, with contributions from several Sutherland www.sutherlandshire.nsw.gov.au/outdoors/environ members. ment/plants-and-bushland/plant-nursery. Location: 345 The Boulevarde, Gymea, but Update your first aid for free parking can be limited if it is busy. In 2020, we applied for and received a $1,200 federal government volunteer grant to fund first aid More from Charlotte Pass training. This will allow 10 members to complete the one day first aid course offered by the St George and Sutherland Community College at Jannali for $120. The course is held regularly through the year on the first Saturday of the month, with the next courses on Saturday 6 March and Saturday 3 April, approx. 9 am to 3.30 pm. If you would like to attend, please contact and pay the college directly at www.workskills.sgscc.edu.au or phone 8543 7412. Let me know at [email protected] so we can keep track of numbers and organise to reimburse you on course completion. As it is a grant to support volunteers, the initial priority is those members who volunteer (Alpine sundew) (Ph: J. Arney) at Joseph Banks Reserve and/or other APS activities. We all benefit from up-to-date first aid Catch up at our youtube channel knowledge. Watch archived zoom meetings at our youtube Rhonda Daniels channel. For example, watch last meeting’s Plant Table with Dan Clarke.

If undeliverable, return to: Australian Plants Society, Sutherland Group 169 Peninsular Road Grays Point NSW 2232

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