Must see Hernandia bivalvis - Grease Nut Australian Rainforest Garden March

All living things depend on other organisms for their survival. This month's have relationships with animals, insects and fungi. Scan the QR code below to use our Garden Explorer finder to follow the tour.

#RBGSydney #MustSeeRBG 2. reflexa var. linearifolia 5. Monstera adansonii - Swiss Cheese Plant 7. Dillenia alata - Red Beech

Commonly known as the Song of India, This climbing plant from the Aroid Found in the coastal rainforests there are many and forms of family (Araceae) is widespread in of the Northern Territory and this species popular in gardens and as the West Indies, Central and South Queensland, this small tree grows indoor plants. This rarely seen variety America. Fenestrate holes in the to 6-10 metres. The genus is named originates in and the give the plant its common for John James Dillenius, a German Mascarene Islands. In late summer it is name and endear it to indoor plant botanist who became a botanical covered in small white rich in lovers. Visit the historic and lower professor at Oxford. Bright yellow nectar that attract bees to our Yellow garden Palm Groves to see plants flowers with papery petals and red Wood Garden. Plants grow 3 – 5 climbing palm trunks and exhibiting fleshy stamens are stunning but only metres tall and are easily propagated both flowers and fruit. Flowers last one day. Fruit begins green but by cuttings. Fruit of the species is are indicative of the family, with a turns bright red as it opens to reveal important to the diet of the Malagasy Black and White Ruffed Lemur. white hooded spathe surrounding black seeds. As trees mature, they collections of flowers arranged on a columnar spadix. develop attractive pink-red flaking bark on the trunk, hence the 3. Medinilla cummingii - Chandelier Tree common name Red Beech.

This is one of 190 species in the genus 6. Quercus ilex - Holm Oak 8. Breynia cernua 'Ironstone Range' Medinilla and comes from moist, high Burgundy foliage and a weeping habit These broad domed evergreen altitude forests in the Philippines. It make this a stunning feature plant in trees from Mediterranean Europe has pink flowers clustered on pendant our Australian Rainforest Garden. Small and Turkey are common in our stalks giving the plants its common brown flowers appear in the axils Garden, many planted in the late name. The base of each cluster of and are followed by small, round, fleshy nineteenth century. Look closely flowers has a large pink bract that red fruit. Like other members of the at the end of branches and you will covers the flowers like a hood. Flowers genus they are thought to be dependent see acorns forming. The Holm Oak are followed by small, round black on Leaf Moths (Epicephala spp.) is a host species for Black Truffles. fruit. The large leaves have prominent for pollination. As with the genus Yucca Truffles grow in an ectomycorrhizal veins and new growth is burgundy these moths lay eggs near the ovules association with the tree's roots, red. The central midrib helps channel of the flowers and the larvae feed on helping the tree access nutrients and water from the leaves, important in areas of very high rainfall where developing seeds. The species occurs the fungus access sugars. Holm Oaks the plants occurs naturally. naturally in the Northern Territory. are often inoculated with the fungus to cultivate truffles commercially. 4. Yucca gigantea - Spineless Yucca

Yucca gigantea is the tallest of all Yucca species growing to ten 1. PLANT OF THE MONTH metres with a large swollen trunk. It is native to Mexico and Central Melicope elleryana - Pink America and like other species of Yucca has fragrant flowers Doughwood or Pink Euodia that open at night. Flowers are This fast-growing rainforest tree from NSW, Queensland pollinated by moths who lay their and New Guinea can grow to 25 metres tall. In late summer eggs in the ovules of the flower trees are covered in clusters of small pink flowers along their before transferring pollen to branches. The flowers attract a range of nectar feeding birds the flower’s stigma. The moth’s including our noisy Rainbow Lorikeets. In tropical North larvae hatch and feed on a small Queensland, leaves of the tree are the favoured food for the proportion of the developing larvae of the Ulysses Butterfly, Papilio ulysses. seeds, so that both moth and plant benefit in a mutualistic relationship.