Newsletter SGAP Cairns August 2013 Society for Growing Australian , Cairns Branch

this issue A Cairns Fathers Day tradition: Carnival on P.1 Collins showcases the best Carnival on Collins 2013 of the Botanic Gardens precinct with an enormous July Excursion Report P.1 street fair. News from the ATH P.2 Carnival on Collins is a great family fun day featuring P.5 loads of free entertainment for people of all ages. Local art, craft, produce and heaps and heaps of interesting (and often exotic) plants are available at a diverse range of market stalls. No doubt the Friends of the Botanic Gardens will be holding their usual sale.

A featured event on the Cairns Festival program, Carnival on Collins is a sustainable community event. Walsh’s Pyramid, with a height of 922 metres is fruit. A rainforest vine Ichnocarpus reputed to be the world’s highest solitary frutescens looped through some lower COST: FREE granite upthrust. A defined track to the peak branches. This vine has become an invasive follows a prominent spur on the NNE face and TIME: 9AM – 3PM pest in our home garden, overgrowing all we set out along the track after a convivial lunch that it contacts with a maze of roots making VENUE: TANKS ARTS beside the nearby Mulgrave River. Stuart it difficult to eradicate. Another vine was CENTRE + BOTANIC printed Rob’s eight page Pyramid plant list in GARDENS + COLLINS Striped Cucumber Diplocyclos palmatus , an our newsletter, which was very handy and AVENUE attractive tendril climber with fruit that something to do for future trips if a list is mature from green/white to pinkish stripes. available. I was able to bone-up on what to This vine appeared en masse in our garden expect, and Rob was pleased to make extensive after Cyclone Winifred in 1986 then additions to the list on the day. disappeared. Perhaps Ichnocarpus will do the same one day? Vegetation on the Pyramid is generally dry sclerophyll forest type with pockets of rainforest Sportspersons participate in a race each plants, ferns and orchids in niche areas. The August from Gordonvale to the top of the

early part of the climb passed familiar trees – Pyramid and return .Our trip took place Pink Bloodwood Corymbia intermedia , Moreton before the entire mountain is burnt each Bay Ash Corymbia tessellaris , Red Ironbark Eucalyptus crebra , growing with an understorey of sparse Kangaroo Grass Themeda triandra

accompanied by Rattlepod Crotalaria goreensis, their inflorescences matured to the familiar pea NEWS FROM THE ATH

As you should know, the Australian Tropical Herbarium has taken over the development of the keys July Excursion report to the rainforest plants of northern Australia. In the year to facilitate the race Teacher he was! will become twisted black past few years, we’ve seen operation, and numerous stems apparently lifeless but the release of free online plants exhibited multi stems There are numerous Lo! The next shower will versions of the Rainforest Key’s 6 th Edition, and the as a result of repeated fire extensive soilless granite return them to life. shields where only Orchid Key (both of which damage. One such was a can be accessed through the delight to find – from the herbaceous plants can Some patches of shallow soil Herbarium’s website: Rubiaceae Family survive in accumulated leaf on the granite shields also www.ath.org.au/JCUPRD_0 Pogonolobus reticulatus was litter. Such places are the support strong colonies of 42124.html). However, there growth choice of the the fragrant-leafed herb remains a substantial gap to abundant, its tough leaves fill. To deliver to the public Resurrection Fern, Plectranthus gratis which can resistant to desiccation. This a comprehensive and free was a favourite plant of Tony Cheilanthes. Several species reach a height of seventy web-based set of keys for Irvine, one of our Tableland of this small plant grow as centimetres. Another Australia’s tropical rainforest SGAP Gurus who led us on clumps of greenery at abundant lithophyte was plants, the ferns need to be present, existing on Evolvulus alsinoides with wiry dealt with. And we have just many an expedition over the generated working version of occasional showers and stems supporting many tiny years. Tony would exult in this key for testing in the finding the “O” Tree, and heavy dewfall. Once the fire ice-blue flowers that blended herbarium. It’s far from would roll the long name off has gone through, or after perfectly with the dark rock finished; it’s full of holes; it in a sonorous chant. What a extended dry periods, they faces. needs a lot of testing. But a working version of the key We had by then reached the has been generated and it’s dizzy height of 120 metres only a matter of time and testing before it is released. and were puffing steadily so the little rock plants were a Over the past few months good excuse to pause. Our I’ve written about the Branch Hon Sec Boyd changes to our under- standing of plant appeared from the heights, classification that have been not even slightly out of wrought by DNA breath, to encourage us to sequencing. One group that continue but we declined and will see name changes over made our way back to ground the next few years is Phyllanthus and its relatives level, smoko at Greenpatch Breynia , Sauropus and and a memory of another Glochidion. DNA studies journey under Rob’s expert have shown the current Plants of Walsh’s Pyramid. Above: Melaleuca pyramidalis ,. Below left: guidance. classification of these groups Genoplesium ?morrisii . Below right: Pultenaea millarii . does not reflect their true There are many plants we evolutionary history. It didn’t see and more to add to seems the resolution of this problem will come from Rob’s list; the flora is so splitting Phyllanthus into extensive that I think that we several new genera. These should return to the Pyramid genera can be defined by in other seasons and try to clear features like flower characters, fruit shape and find an approach from a seed surface. Glochidion different part, perhaps remains unaffected by the accessing the courses of proposed changes, but some of the ephemeral Breynia (including good old creeks. fart bush) and Sauropus may 2 need some rearrangement.

Plants of Walsh’s Pyramid. Rubiaceae – Pogonolobus reticulatus

Plants of Walsh’s Pyramid. Cheilanthes ferns and grasses toughing it out amongst the rocks

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Plants of Walsh’s Pyramid. Convolvulaceae – Evolvulus alsinoides (Tropical Speedwell)

Plants of Walsh’s Pyramid. Fabaceae – Kennedia rubicunda (Running Postman)

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By far my favourite tree in our with four shallow furrows running garden, surpassing even the their length. In Casuarina, these long suffering Idiospermum furrows are deep and offer down on the lower terrace, is protection from drying for the the Daintree Pine. This neat, microscopic breathing holes attractive small tree is to all (stomata) contained within. appearances a conifer – it has Gymnostoma ’s natural habitat is the same reduced leaves, the moist tropical rainforest, so it’s same neat conical shape, and not so concerned about drying even bears cone-like structures. out. Its stomata are virtually However, the Daintree Pine naked on the branch surface, carries a misleading name – it is hence the name, which translates actually a , as naked stomata. related to Casuarinas , and the only member of its in Like Casuarina , it has winged Australia. seeds borne in cones. Pollen is probably windborne. Daintree Pine or Gymnostoma australianum , is an exceptionally restricted species, confined to the upper catchments of creeks around Thorntons Peak and the upper reaches of the Roaring Meg Creek. A few trees occur almost at sea level on Noah Creek, just a couple of hundred metres up from the Cape Tribulation Road bridge. There are however other members of the genus overseas, including , , and Papua . Fossils of the distinctive branches have been found in the mountains of Gymnostoma australianum Gymnostoma papuana in Gymnostoma sumatranum Victoria, New Zealand, and in Cairns Tabubil, Papua New Guinea (photo by Scott Zona) even in Argentina.

The tree is modest in size, usually 4-7 m tall, with fissured bark. In the wild, it occurs on rocky creek banks, where I guess it can take advantage of abundant water and light. However, they seem to thrive in Cairns without supplementary watering. Trees may be male or female, or bear flowers of both sexes. I have heard rumours that female trees have a better form, and this would seem to be borne out by the almost perfect conical tree in our garden, although its likely to get more bushy as it ages.

The leaves of the tree are reduced to tiny green scales at joints in the green branches. The branches are four angled, Immature female cones and the distinctive, coni fer -like branches of Gymnostoma australianum.

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CAIRNS SGAP TABLELANDS SGAP TOWNSVILLE SGAP OTHER EVENTS OF INTEREST

th nd 17 August 2013 – Bramston Beach. Meetings on the 4 Wednesday of Meets on the 2 Wednesday of 1 September 2013 Meet at grassed park 11.00 am the month . the month , February to Carnival on Collins (see map below). November, in Annandale Excursion the following Sunday. Community Centre at 8pm, and See www.sgapqld.org.au/anpsa20 21 September 2013 - Stoney holds excursions the following Any queries, please contact Chris 13.html for more information. Creek. Meet at Car Park 10 am. Sunday. Jaminon on 4091 4565 or email 19 October - Fitzroy Island – When [email protected] See www.sgaptownsville.org.au/ booking, don’t forget to ask for a for more information. locals discount.

Book for the Fitzroy island fast cat on 40446700. Boats leave at 8.00, and 11.00am. We will meet at the Jetty at 8.50 and at 11.50am. Options to stay overnight at resort or book a camp site with council, or on the number above.

Meet at the grassy area near the caravan park, 11 am.

See inset map above

www.sgapcairns.com.au SGAP CAIRNS 2013 COMMITTEE Chairperson Rob Jago Vice-chairperson Mary Gandini Treasurer Stuart Worboys Secretary Boyd Lenne Newsletter Stuart Worboys Webmaster Tony Roberts

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