ISSN 1445-9493 NUMBER 16 SPRING-SUMMER 2011-12 Isopogons & Petrophiles
The Australian Native Plant Society’s Isopogon & Petrophile Study Group Newsletter
Isopogon sphaerocephalus, Mt Lesueur, WA September 2007. (See page 3 for more information about this species.)
Contents 2 EDITORIAL 3 ISOPOGON SPHAEROCEPHALUS LINDLEY 4-5 MEMBERS’ LETTERS & EMAILS 6 JOHN LINDLEY 7 ISOPOGONS PANDURATUS & PRUINOSUS, TWO NEWLY DESCRIBED SPECIES FROM WA 8 MEMBERSHIP & BALANCE SHEET 9 GLOSSARY & REFERENCES ISSN 1445-9493 NUMBER 16 SPRING-SUMMER 2011-12
EDITORIAL Hello and welcome to Newsletter 16! National Park is truly spectacular, and the I’m sure that some of you thought you’d never surrounding area boasts wineries, gourmet be reading those words, but yes, after a long food, native gardens & nurseries and other delay the latest version of your favourite study tourist attractions. It is an area I would group newsletter has finally been published. thoroughly recommend visiting. Due to the long absence, I have held over all The biannual ANPSA conference was held in subs until July 2012, and for those of you who October in Adelaide and I had the chance to pay for a number of years, have added another catch up with members from near and far. It year to your subscriptions. So please don’t send had a wonderful seminar program with some of any subs at the moment. Wait until after the the best speakers I have heard at ANPSA next newsletter. conferences. There were also outings both Its been a very mixed bag, weather-wise over north and south of Adelaide, with visits to the last 12 to 18 months. We had above average private gardens, botanical gardens, arboretums rain in South Australia and Victoria for the and natural bush areas. My favourite spot was twelve months leading up to Spring 2011. This Cox scrub conservation reserve on the Fleurieu broke a decade of drought and led to fabulous Peninsula, which had some amazing heathland conditions in the garden. Unfortunately in WA areas. The sandy soil boasted a myriad of small it remained dry, and of course in NSW and colourful plants in full flower. Everywhere one Queensland we had record rainfall with the looked there were swathes of pink, orange, red, devastating floods. Since then it has been dry yellow, cream and white. Amongst them was right across southern Australia, but continuing Isopogon ceratophyllus, the only Isopogon wet conditions up north. In Melbourne, we indigenous to South Australia. I’d like to thank seem to have had hardly any rain to speak of and congratulate the organising committee of since summer began and plants of all sizes are the conference for putting on a fantastic event. looking stressed as a succession of hot days hits. In general, my Isopogons and Petrophiles have fared well. I had my best flowering ever of Isopogon latifolius, which was absolutely spectacular. Most of the other Isopogons and Petrophiles flowered very well and growth rates have been amazing. On the other hand, I did lose a medium sized Isopogon cuneatus and Isopogon formosus in the wet, and then Petrophile longifolia in the hot and dry (I wonder if that was due to relative overwatering, as it comes from areas with long hot dry summers). But I Isopogon ceratophyllus at Cox Scrub, SA can’t complain and every plant that dies means This issue’s species is Isopogon sphaerocephalus an opportunity to try something new in its from WA that’s well worth growing. We also place. meet 2 newly described species of Isopogon and As study group leader I am sometimes asked to learn about one of the most influential botanists give talks to local groups about the genera. In of the 19th Century. Members reports and July, I was invited to the Grampians group in letters round out an issue I hope you enjoy. mid western Victoria. I really enjoyed myself Please keep your letters, emails and reports and was warmly welcomed by the enthusiastic coming in as they are what keeps the study members of the group there. I took the family group going. and we had a wonderful weekend exploring one All the best. of the floristic hotspots of the state. The David Lightfoot J
Isopogons & Petrophiles Number 16 Page 2 ISSN 1445-9493 NUMBER 16 SPRING-SUMMER 2011-12
ISOPOGON SPHAEROCEPHALUS LINDLEY Isopogon sphaerocephalus is one of the more widely distributed of the western Isopogons, being found throughout the jarrah woodlands of the south west of WA, from Perth to Denmark. There is an isolated variant population found near Mt Lesueur, where it is found growing in the Kwongan heath vegetation community. The species was first described by the English botanist John Lindley (see page 6) in 1840. Its specific name, “sphaerocephalus”, comes from the Greek meaning spherical head, and well describes the shape of the inflorescences and the fruit. (Mind you this also describes most of the Isopogon sphaerocephalus was chosen as the Isopogons but Lindley got in fairly early with this cover species for Flora of Australia Vol. 16 taxon). It is a small to the bright yellow styles forming a skirt below the medium shrub which rest of the flowerhead. can get to 1.5-2m When finished, the inflorescence develops into high and up to a globbose 2-3cm diameter fruiting cone, which 1-1.5m wide. This breaks up scattering seed once mature or when the Isopogon is one of plant/branch dies. those that has very I. sphaerocephalus grows on a variety of soil a t t r a c t i v e r e d types from deep sand to gravel and laterite. This coloured new would seem to imply a tolerance of different soil growth. In addition, types in cultivation. It can be grown from seed or the young branches cuttings, which tend to strike fairly readily. It has are quite hairy, but been successfully grafted onto eastern rootstocks. become glabrous as In my garden I have had variable success. My they mature. The Mt current specimen has lasted about 3-4 years with L e s u e u r f o r m two flowerings. Its attractive foliage, new growth, remains hirsute throughout. flowers and habit make it a plant well worth trying. Its leaves are simple and narrow, being about 0.5-1cm wide and 5 to 10cm long, ending in a blunt point. They attach directly to the stem without a petiole, and stand somewhat erectly. Their edges are often recurved. The Lesueur form tends to have wider leaves than the southern form. The flowers appear over a long period from July through to January, but most flowering occurs in August to November. They are cream to yellow coloured and about 12-15mm long, leading to a 4cm diameter round inflorescence. The flowers are particularly hairy leading to a pompom like (Map and drawing reproduced from Flora of Aus- effect in bud. When open they hang down with tralia Vol. 16 with permission of ABRS.)
Isopogons & Petrophiles Number 16 Page 3 ISSN 1445-9493 NUMBER 16 SPRING-SUMMER 2011-12
MEMBERS’ LETTERS AND EMAILS From Margaret Pieroni, Denmark, WA Sept 2011 This letter follows on from Margaret’s correspondence in Issue 15.
In April this year, I returned to the location of the plant we think is Isopogon divergens, about 20 km east of Frankland. The plant I photographed previ- ously, in flower, in spring, was right on the edge of the gravel road and has since been all but de- stroyed by the grader. However, there are quite a few plants, in good condition, growing further back from the road that I hadn’t noticed before. Isopogon divergens white form Mogumber Sept 2011 I collected about 8-10 seed heads and proceeded to clean them, scraping off the fluffy bracts and scales and separating the tiny, hairy seeds. Think- Thanks for the update, Margaret. I still don’t have a defi- ing that I might have missed a few seeds, I spread nite ID for your Frankland Isopogon. According to Flora- the left-over, fluffy material on the top of three base (http://florabase.dec.wa.gov.au/) there have been iso- pots of seed-raising mix. To my surprise, in about lated collections of Isopogon dvergens in the area you de- three weeks, seedlings began to appear. In August, scribe, but these are separate from the main area of the with help from a friend, I potted up 60 seedlings. I taxon. Ed also got excellent germination from seeds that I’d sown which I still have to pot up.
Isopogon divergens seedlings, July 2011
Isopogon divergens is not recorded from this region in any books that I have. In Wildflowers of Southern Western Australia (Corrick and Fuhrer), the photo shows flowers that are a deeper pink than usual - Isopogon divergens distribution like our Frankland plant. I have just returned from map from Florabase a trip north of Perth where I observed this species at Badgingarra, Eneabba and Mogumber, with paler flowers. At Mogumber, I photographed a pure white one with pale, pinky fawn hairs on the limb.
Isopogons & Petrophiles Number 16 Page 4 ISSN 1445-9493 NUMBER 16 SPRING-SUMMER 2011-12
Oct 2011 rains have been good, another year like 2010/ My P. longifolia just keeps getting better and bet- 2011 would just be great. ter! Photo taken 13/10/11. Margaret Hi Paul, After a mild spring, the summer heat looks like its here with a vengeance, and even more so in Northern Victo- ria and South Australia. Hope you and your plants are not suffering too much. Ed
From Cas Liber, St Pauls, NSW Jan 2012 I was recently at Mt Annan Botanic Gardens and noted the Isopogon fletcheri [that] had been there awhile - it had many buds developing into
Petrophile longifolia, In cultivation Denmark, WA. All I can say is WOW! What a fantastic plant. I have managed to keep this species alive in my garden for a few years a time, but never long term. It seems to grow well and then die during a dry hot spell. I have flowered it a few times, but not as well as your specimen. Well done. Ed Isopogon fletcheri, From Paul Kennedy Strathmerton, Vic Mt Annan Botanical Gardens, NSW Dec 2011 flowers along its stems, which I had not seen before. Hi Cas, Thanks for the photos. I have seen this happen on the plants at the ANBG. My plant so far has only flowered terminally, but it is relatively young so this may occur on older plants. Having never managed to find it in the Blue Mountains, I can't comment on wild plants. Ed
Petrophile shuttleworthiana
Hi David. My collection of Isopogons and Petro- philes are still going strong. I added Petrophile shut- tleworthiana to the collection about 9 months ago and it is looking healthy. So far the summer Isopogon fletcheri, ANBG, Canberra, ACT
Isopogons & Petrophiles Number 16 Page 5 ISSN 1445-9493 NUMBER 16 SPRING-SUMMER 2011-12
JOHN LINDLEY- ENGLISH BOTANIST. 1799-1865
John Lindley was born near Norwich in proposed its demolition, but Lindley’s report England and was educated at Norwich Grammar recommending the gardens be taken over as the school. Despite his impressive botanical work and national botanical headquarters, and his personal later career, he never attended university (although appeal to the government and public led to their he did receive an honorary doctorate from the retention and scientific focus. University of Munich). In scientific terms he was convinced that the “natural system” of plant classification proposed by Jussieu, which used the entire plant’s characteristics and where it fitted into “nature’s plans”, was superior to the “artificial” system of Linnaeus, which ordered genera by their numbers of stamens and styles. It was Lindley’s adoption of this system, along with other prominent botanists of the time which led to its general acceptance. He was an accomplished botanical artist, as well as botanist, with his main interest being in orchids. He is acknowledged as the foremost authority on orchids of his time, establishing over 120 genera. He was also a journalist, editing the “Gardener’s Chronicle” for almost 25 years, helping to bridge the gap between the scientific and practical aspects of horticulture. Lindley’s main Australian connections are the description of many new taxa collected from WA by James Drummond and Georgiana Molloy, as well as Thomas Mitchell’s expeditions in eastern Australia. A florabase search reveals that over 400 Western Australian taxa alone were described by him. His father was a nurseryman and his interest in botany began at an early age. He held a number of The British botanist Frederick Keeble, once botanical positions during his life including being wrote of him “...Lindley's indomitable activity, assistant to Sir Joseph banks in his herbarium, both in administration and in investigation, assistant secretary of the Royal Horticultural becomes indeed impressive and inspiring. society (RHS) and foundation Professor of Botany Lecturing, drawing and describing new genera and at the University of London (University College), species, revising the vegetable kingdom, writing where he sat from 1829-1860. memoirs, text-books, articles, directing the gardens at Chiswick, fighting officialdom and obstruction, During his time at the RHS he started the building up a great herbarium and discharging a society’s spring flower shows which continue to dozen other duties would seem to have made up this day. The most famous of these is the Chelsea the daily life of this man of amazing vigour.” flower show, which remembers Lindley with eponymous awards for exhibits of special John Lindley has had the genus Lindleya, as educational or scientific interest. well as a number of species of plants from around the globe, named for him. He was an amazing He was instrumental in the saving of Kew figure in the history of botany. Botanical gardens, London, which in the late 1830s was in severe decline. The government of the time
Isopogons & Petrophiles Number 16 Page 6 ISSN 1445-9493 NUMBER 16 SPRING-SUMMER 2011-12
TWO NEW SPECIES OF ISOPOGON FROM SOUTH-WESTERN AUSTRALIA DESCRIBED In volume 20 of Nuytsia, Western Australia's source of the specific name. Pandura is the Latin journal of systematic botany, Mike Hyslop and term for a fiddle like instrument. It is found in Barbara Rye have described 2 species and 2 heath over laterite or in deep sand. subspecies of Isopogon. They are Isopogon I. panduratus subsp. palustris has narrower leaves panduratus Hislop & Rye, I. and less hairy bracts that panduratus subsp. palustris subsp. panduratus. Hislop & Rye, Isopogon pruinosus Hislop & Rye and I. The species is similar to pruinosus subsp. glabellus Hislop Isopogon pruinosus but has larger & Rye. All four are related to inflorescences, containing and grouped with Isopogon greater quantities of longer axillaris, polycephalus and flowers. In addition, the buxifolius. perianth of this species has some hairs at least 1/3 down The authors note that when its length (whereas in I. Donald Foreman revised the pruinosus the hairs are only at genus of Isopogon for the Flora the apex). Finally this species Of Australia in 1995, he was tends to loose the “greyness” unsure of how to deal with of its leaves when dead, the glaucous leaved specimens Distribution of Isopogon panduratus subsp. pandura- tus (¡), I. panduratus subsp. palustris (l), I. pruino- whereas I. pruinosus does not. of these 2 species. Sometimes sus subsp. pruinosus () and I. pruinosus subsp. he named them as variants of glabellus () in south-west Western Australia. (From It can be differentiated from I. the Nuytsia article) other species or used informal axillaris in distribution (I. names. One of these, Isopogon axillaris is only found in the wet sp. Watheroo had come to signify the plants from south west), and that I. axillaris is not glaucous, the northern sandplains near Badgingarra and and has fewer flowers per inflorescence (20 cw up Eneabba (now I. panduratus) and had even been to 100). added to the Census of Western Australian plants. This name had later expanded to include Isopogon pruinosus morphologically similar taxa from the wheatbelt The type specimen was collected at Bruce Rock in (now I. pruinosus). the Boolanelling Nature Reserve. It is a compact Isopogon panduratus shrub to 2m X 2m, found The type specimen was growing in heath and collected in the Tathra mallee woodland in sand National Park. It is a shrub over gravelly soil. Its to 2m high by 1.5m wide. It distribution is through the does not have a lignotuber. central wheatbelt to Frank The glaucous leaves are Hann National Park. Like I. simple ending in a point panduratus, it has fire and are 3.5-12.5cm long by sensitive rootstock. The up to 2cm wide. leaves are up to 8.5cm long The inflorescence is up to by 2cm wide, and do not 3cm in diameter, can be loose their glaucous shade terminal or axillary and is when dried. This sessile. An unusual feature, Isopogon panduratus in cultivation, characteristic has led to the for Isopogons, is that the October 2002, Melbourne Vic specific name from the Latin flowerheads can be solitary or pruinosus, meaning frosted. The grouped together as clusters. 15-25mm diameter inflorescences containing The pale pink flowers with yellow to orange 16-32 pink, glabrous, 20mm long flowers, appear pollen presenters are seen in spring. The cone from winter to spring. The flowerheads are scales of this species are fiddle shaped and are the terminal or axillary and, although usually solitary,
Isopogons & Petrophiles Number 16 Page 7 ISSN 1445-9493 NUMBER 16 SPRING-SUMMER 2011-12 are sometimes grouped in small clusters. to a “striking difference in appearance” from The more easterly subspecies (subsp. glabellus) is subspecies pruinosus. differentiated by its glabrous bracts, which leads
Membership Current Members of the study group are: APS Melton and Bacchus Marsh Inc
Individual Herbaria/Libraries Lynne Bilston, Ashfield, NSW National Herbarium of Victoria Library Barbara Buchanan, Myrrhee, Vic Western Australian Herbarium Library Murray Fagg, Canberra, ACT Australian National Botanic Gardens Library Cas Liber, St Pauls, NSW Paddy Lightfoot, New Lambton, NSW Bob O'Neill, Wandin North, Vic Margaret Pieroni, Denmark, WA Balance Sheet, Financial Year 2009-2010 John Wrigley, Coffs Harbour, NSW Tony Cavanagh, Ocean Grove, Vic Balance brought forward $774.39 Marina Tyndale-Biscoe, Braidwood, NSW Deposits Lloyd Carman, Eden Hills, SA Membership subscriptions $250.00 Peter Olde, Illawong, NSW Donation $10.00 Graeme Downe, Endeavour Hills, Vic $260.00 Patricia Lightfoot, Taringa, Qld Withdrawals Don & Joy Williams, Badgingarra, WA Stationery & stamps $66.00 Paul and Barbara Kennedy, Strathmerton, Vic Printing costs $50.00 Betty Denton, Eltham, Vic $116.00 Phil Trickett & Catriona Bate, Belconnen, ACT Balance at June 30th 2010 Jan & Julie Aamodt, Clare, SA $918.39 John Nevin, Armidale, NSW Rodger Elliot, Heathmont, Vic Ross & Elaine Sutherland, Shepparton, Vic Balance Bendigo Bank account $808.99 Ken Arthur & Gwen Bakker, Tower Hill, Vic Cash at hand $109.40 Kevin Sparrow, Warrnambool, Vic Ian Cox, Kenthurst, NSW $918.39 Marlee Petrie, Glen Waverley, Vic John Mahoney, Mt Duneed, Vic Ray Purches, Wangaratta, Vic Fiona McCallum, Greta West, Vic Balance Sheet, Financial Year 2010-2011 Phillip & Julia Rose, Armidale, NSW David & Linda Handscombe, Pomonal, Vic Balance brought forward $918.39 Deposits Membership subscriptions $125.00 Regional/Federal Groups Donation $10.00 ANPS Federal $135.00 ANPS Canberra Region Withdrawals APS NSW Region Stationery & stamps $5.00 SGAP QLD Region $116.00 APS SA Region Balance at June 30th 2011 APS Tasmania Inc $1048.39 APS Vic WSWA Balance Bendigo Bank account $923.99 District Groups Cash at hand $124.40 Warrnambool & District SGAP APS Maroondah Inc $1048.39 APS Blue Mountains Group APS La Trobe Group
Isopogons & Petrophiles Number 16 Page 8 ISSN 1445-9493 NUMBER 16 SPRING-SUMMER 2011-12
GLOSSARY REFERENCES Axil- the upper angle between a leaf stalk or Banksias, Waratahs & Grevilleas and all branch and the stem or trunk from which it is other plants in the Australian Proteaceae growing Family by John W. Wrigley and Murray Fagg Glabrous- without hairs, smooth Glaucous- dull greyish green or blue colour Flora of Australia Volume 16 Elaegnaceae, Proteaceae 1. Melbourne: CSIRO Australia Hirsute- covered in hairs Inflorescence- a group of flowers arranged as Encyclopaedia of Australian Plants suitable a distinct entity for cultivation by W. Rodger Elliot and Kwongan- a type of heathland found on the David L. Jones coastal plains of Western Australia. The word is thought to come from the language of the local An Introduction to The Proteaceae of West- Noongar people. ern Australia by A.S. George Laterite- a reddish clay like mixture of iron and aluminium oxides and hydroxides formed from Two new, glaucous-leaved species of Isopo- the weathering of basalt. Ironstone. gon (Proteaceae: Proteoideae: Leucaden- dreae) from south-western Australia. Hyslop, Lobe- a leaf segment, usually rounded, that is not divided all the way to the midrib. M and Rye, BL. Nuytsia 20:169-181 (2010) Perianth- a non-fertile part of the flower con- sisting of petals and sepals Petiole- the stalk by which a leaf is attached to the rest of the plant Recurve- bending downwards or backwards Sessile- borne without a supporting part e.g. directly from a branch without a stem Simple (leaves)- entire without teeth or lobes Study Group Leader & Newsletter Editor Taxa- (plural of taxon) comes from taxonomy, David Lightfoot which is the science of classifying organisms 36 Arundel Cres into groups. A taxon is a group of plants shar- Surrey Hills ing a relationship and so are categorised to- Vic 3127 gether. It is a unit of taxonomy. Terminal- at the end of a shoot. Email [email protected]
Isopogons & Petrophiles Number 16 Page 9