KKMQEZASSOCIATION Of y%% We MW 54

ISSN 0811-5311 DATE— September 1991 6,-6.2}.

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LEADER: Peter Hind, 41 Miller Street, Mount Druitt, 2770

SECRETARY: Moreen Woollett, 3 Currawang Place, Como West, 2226

TREASURER: Joan Mbore, 2 Gannet Street, Gladesville, 2111

SPORE BANK:' Jenny Thompson, 2 Albion Place, Engadine, 2233

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Were Our Faces Redl

At our July meeting Peter drew attention to a letter received from Harry Franz of Goomeri. Harry had written about problems which he was experiencing with his fern collection and his letter was dated 24 June 1989. We don't know how the letter was overlooked, it just turned up! We have wrifiten an apology to Mr Franz and tried at this late stage to assess the cause of the problems raised. We have also asked Irene Cullen and her fellow members in South Eastern Queensland to provide any possible advice or assistance to Mr Franz from witlin their knowledge and resources. We only hope that the ferns are still alive and growing. An extract from Mr Franz's letter and the relevant parts from our delayed response follow, as these comments may be of general interest.

Mr Franz wrote as follows: I am wondering if you can give me any information on fungal diseases of ferns. Things have been going really well till this last year. I have two types of problem. (1) Pellaea paradoxa Leaves slowly turning brown from leaflet tips, almost completely defoliating some plants. I have repotted some plants to see if it might be a nutrition problem. Plants are still showing some new growth. Older leaves still browning and dropping off. This may not necessarily be a fungal problem. I have not treated with a fungice. (2) Birds Nest Fern and a similar ground growing Asplenium. Large black spreading patches on leaves. Has killed a very nice Birds Nest fern mainly from around the centre. Have had sililar problems with other plants such as Begonias to a lesser extent. Very severe on above plants. I have done some spraying with Mancozeb - Benomyl mix to no avail. (3) Asplenium bulbiferum, Davallia, and several others (I can't remember names at moment). Premature death of fronds — killed some small Asplenium bulbiferum. Have been spraying some plants with Mancozeb — Benomyl mix with good results. A couple of grown plants very sick — not insect attack. 2. In responding to Mr Franz, the fmllmwing paints were made" It is difticult to comment accurately 0n the particular problems withmut actually ?*iing" examining and knowing more ahmut the

ferns and .ions under which the ferns are grmwinq" It did em ”" problems mmntinnmd woull have been mxa '” . hOL : in humid canditmmnfi with lack of air civculatimn and lmts mt watevu

Peter! hmtihg the remavhm about lack of t—z-av :i. cl (zen (:c-z-r 01‘ :i. h 5556) c: 1:. damage, thmught that the problem witw E may even have been physiological" Th1; spw does have the habit mt

shedding its pinnulhs during 50mm winters" Peter stressed the impmrtance at l eping this spmcjym Felatively dry during the wintww months"

1541a cl»; ['1£:l'l‘.(‘l'1(-':.‘“5 m‘f'lzez-m (:1 c:czu l" (:m 15¢:i. V'cl r1; Hr.- “f‘t-z-H"I'1s2;. hut in " s c:cnm:)].a:i.nt ' not I" (- .z'tl"!ilt-I-HII ewe; I2) ' . a havtly 1mm 11:31:: dry c:cmcli

h "1:. Il.:i.l»:.c~:—: it crave.“ I" 1y I» ,. :i.h 'f‘a.c::‘|:. :i.t m-z :15; r -' wcl cl Ins. :i. h «311;; :9 .. III'f‘ tho}: 'i‘t-en'h had In 'l'l l- . :yt wet 11m JILy tl‘ may have}: brhugl‘rt cm the?! ‘f‘urm .21]. lzyrcahilezrnu £530“ch rntermlma-rr'ss; at 'lzl'n-a' r ting 56:1 icl ’lzl'1esrl'69 haul lumen

r'e—rczen'l‘. |"c¢|:3c.\|"'t.s§ 0‘1: .21 1.530 r'imm; 'fiungall. pl"¢:)|:).'l.c-3m :i.n ' ”y ' ‘ “' ‘H" in szszzymc-r par‘tszs crf" Glue; - A firm]. 'l'.l')(:u.lgl'1t:. we) N(ifl‘lde‘l’ .nc'l :i.'f‘ tht.. fern cmuld have t which is not cold tolerant gamcl czar] enaussily Inta-

'I'hc}: rwvr-ma'l'.l.u'(-:-.' ye>2|..'l.c)w:i.m;j and dying o'f‘ theta “Fronds; cm {-3, r11 \rliurnwamrl 1;; ’1 pet: wmuld ¢::¢-:-n"tnihily he exagg(-:-H".'.-1t(-: : wary hum: cl 2)!“|Cliifitli.c’n"lfi‘a.. It w‘ €55l.l(_3]g(~'.-.“.E§'t(-‘.-.‘(ZI tl'lat the sht:n.l.'l.t:l L763 r'emwvecl (M‘ICI chasalzroyt-mj, which in any temanms.‘ |:n".2u:'t.:i. .. ..

flvWWwyfl/W’ffikm . 23rd AnnanEghibtion of AustraHa’s Native Flowers

/ M ’1' ‘ “'111-A7M M07242??? QM to be staged at ”"cré' ' Redeemer ufheran College 7'45 Rochedale Road. Rochedaw Wmmv Mm 52~D1o or UamAnp cm.” “Q Saturday 14th September1991 — 93m ~ 5pm 3%; M Sunday 15th.September 1991 - 10.30am - 4pm

F caturing ' Disolays 0! Nanvp Ficw-ars grew: in Sn'sbanc gardens 8, intent??? ' Nazive Ferns. Orchids. Paims ' Sa/e of Name Pianrs including rare rainforesr specms ' Book Safes - wide choice ‘ Audio Visua/Shows ' Propagation - Demonstration & Advice ' PIanIMinc/ing Service ' Other Orgam’zarlons inferesled in Australian Flora & Fauna ’ ' Arrs :2 Crafts ,- _ / Help presefve our heritage Plant Australian Native Piants

*"fw. f ,1 ./‘ <. v .1 ADMISSION: Adults 5200 Children Free 1/ \ “\ j-I’ t . Refreshments Available at 37mg your own Picnic {0 the COUrzge Gramd:

59$, Foniuc's Vaney. 0 :03; , . ' ; Edam“ PO. Bax i 0mm P‘x \omda 7905 1/ l / i \ 562%: Chew Ph. (07mm 1916 Publchy I 1‘ x {/1 ' l ‘ I '/ ‘? Soc1ety . for Growmg y Australlan . Plants Queensland Region Inc.

" 7" Eumlwtuz, tI-‘whnml’b/t

3.

(Our thanks to the Western Australian Fern Society Inc for the use of the articles on this and the following page)

HO S .LK (PLATYCERIUH)

These are epiphytic ferns (meaning the plant is growing on or is attached to another plant but NOT a parasite) which is remarkably specialised in as much that they are self contained. The nest leaves are spreading and act as a very efficient litter collecting device. As the new leaves grow the old nest leaves curl inwards and die, trapping all the debris to compost it. The roots grow into this rich humus and are protected from hot and drying winds. The old nest leaves make up the bulk of the plant, the true leaves are thinner, often pendulous and spectacular with the spore carried in a brown patch on the underside of the frond. These fall off when they are old. The genus consists of twelve species mainly found in the tropics of South America, Africa, Malaya and Australia. In Australia the four main species available in Nurseries are:— Supezbum, Bifurcatum, Hillii and Veitchii.

PLATYCERIUM SUPERBUM (Pronounced Superb—um) Superb. An easily grown fern and common in cultivation it is one of the most spectacular of the species in the world. They grow on trees, logs and rocks in the rain forests from northern N.S.W. to northern Queensland. The plant entirely lacks the ability to produce plantlets and so the single plant just gets larger and larger in the bush until they are so large that they fall from their host and crash to their death. Spore is borne on the underside of the true fronds in a large brown patch. Small plants produce only nest leaves that press tightly against the host, covering the plants roots. Eventually they produce an antler (true frond) that can grow up to 2 metres long and dangle from the centre of the nest leaves. Mounted on trees in the garden where they get filtered light the plant makes a spectacular show, or grown on slabs of wood or tree fern in the shadehouse. ‘They respond well to applications of fertilizers sUch as "Garden Party", aged animal manures, slow release fertilizer, pure blood and bone are all suitable. Often incorrectly sold as Platycerium grande, however this species (grande) has two spore patches on each of the true fronds.

PLATYCERIUM BIFURCATUM (Elkhorn) The most common of the elkhorns, it grows over a wide area of eastern Australia from southern N.S.W. where it is found in large clumps on boulders and rock faces. Further north in Queensland it is found on a variety of trees, from giant rainforest specimens to Casuarinas in the swamps, often in open bushland and even on old cycad trunks. Other epiphytes frequently grow on the clumps. Bifurcatum is very hardy and will withstand frosts. The nest leaves are deeply lobed; true leaves are semi erect or nodding, forking two or three times and the spore is carried on the underside tips of the leaves. Plantlets grow from buds on the outer lower margins of the nest leaves and once the plant is established it can produce large numbers of pups each year, thus the plant will grow into a large specimen. Grown on tree trunks (any sort) in a filtered light area, or shaded from the afternoon sun they respond well to fertilizers. We have planted several eyes in wire baskets and in time they form a complete ball and hung on‘a patio or in the shade house it can make a good conversation piece.

PLATYCERIUM HILLI (Elkhorn) A tropical elk from northern Queensland, the nest leaves are shallowly lobed, true fronds are erect and lime green in colour. Given a sheltered position it is hardy in temperate Australia.

PLATYCERIUM VEITCHII (Silver elkhorni A fairly rare and beautiful species that grows in central and northern Queensland mainly in rock crevices in low rainfall areas. It has a thick, fleshy texture with a dense silver hair covering which acts as a water—conserving device, making it drought tolerant and frost resistant. Easily grown on trees, slabs of wood or hanging baskets, it prefers more light than other elkhorns. A very pretty elk.

IN GENERAL:- . Diseases — Few pests attack Platyceriums. Slaters can be a problem in the plant if bananas are used as a source of food. Fertilizer ~ Use sparingly during the growing summer months. Small amounts about every two months. gate; - In the hot summer months water every second day, twice a week during the warm months and less in the winter. gggwth - Both superbum and bifurcatum once established are good growers and will tolerate most weather conditions in W.A. Hillii and veitchii are slow growers and require a little more attention in colder areas. You will find that if you keep them drier in winter the plant will grow better in the warmer months.

References: D.L. Jones & S.C.C. Clemesha — Australian Ferns & Fern Allies. D.L. Jones — Encyclopedia of Ferns.

Written by Colin & Margaret Mace, Mace's Nursery, Bunbury, W.A.

PLANT A GARDEN FOR YOQR SQQIEIX

First plant four rows of "peas", Presence, Promptness, Preparation and Preservation. Next plant three rows of "squash". Squash gossip, squash unfair criticism and squash indifference. Then plant five rows of "lettuce". Let us be faithful to duty, be loyal and unselfish, be true to our obligations, obey rules and regulations and love one another. No garden is complete without "turnips", turn up for meetings with a smile, new ideas and with determination to make everything count for something good and worthwhile.

Fig. 28.6. A. Platycerium :uperbum. Aa. habit 1 Via. Ab. fertile frond from below x ”as. B. Pfalycm'um HAW. Ba. habit x Um. Db. ncsl frond x I/u. Bc. Icnilc frond from below x V12. C. Plalycerium bifurcamm. Ca. habit x "u. Cb., Cc. & Cd. nest frond: from various pianls showing varialion in lobing. Ch. 3!. Cc. x "1:. Cd. x "15. Cc. & Cf. fertile fronds from below from two different ianls x Viz. D. Plat cerium witch”. Da. habit Jr. Vin. Db. nest frond x V11. Dc. & Dd. I'crlilc fronds from be ow from different p anla x Viz. by 5.3. Andrews) (This page copied from "Ferns of Queensland" N.B. Scale has been increased by 40%. Chm" vi W (31 155 I‘ll <11 ‘ thrn .: {'1 Tru

whieh incidentally“ . chaired by er" F m_ arve Lumwnmt d ' ahmut 10 km §L.”‘ Nerth Riehmehd" H heavy ‘ tie hueh .n and i w a he tie

t u' 'y t‘AVe alt ; w wevth l a Vi"i Terne) wee iteep" and thmugh hot 1 in the party le eure tented than

eeutiously"

the r . "W the ' h'” Peter drew at and at th

fit a peint whieh ihvmived home eetemhl ihgy tmuv et the party ided te have lune and tin‘ h ” W » 'milar d 'sieh had

by and hie eenm and Huhnwn” we to tit the

f V113?!" . . . tern“ humev ehts h l'l (L'Ii'l II-I-f' with trende ” than V many fertile trends examined all here a late humher et we crmun i save r121 ' ' huefl dewh t

eluded 5 1 d net . mid 0 ti; piiring thing the

erwund the corms wh re the eut“" But we erri i at that premiw a qui mn r V t - june .3“ e and ::-r‘:l.h(;1 !"|(- 1» er' ‘f'cmrrci 1 t0 edd t0 huh l' L 'mre we cemmenc ueual ch cmmwfi e a much tee pa u evertehe at leett eeme i the ether memhere eur eri

It w' until we rwacied the Ft p chmh eut that the sun day euddehly warmed end we eur Jack ten Been t0 ill tni time an " l" SE; .irwci tai‘ P at rn(nss t iueu'lc:(mrner tut why heme +0 a ll end a whei Ivy" Thank ywu fer ti. me me tm tr. attwa . a walk ‘ thoruughly reuwmmfivded to at l 2.fl 2'; are fit and

en Neetihq Mt Drui

A fired 3 ghtihg mt P' eV'? gardeny the front by a Few ef huge |:1u':ifl.m<;-5,I t"1]T ene that it is I:' tut it a garden that r 'iy meri ' er etudy t the vmwi eellectimh crf‘ Ii.l"|‘l'.(-2-.‘|" l'.:i.h(;J .,. many e'f‘ wl in anM

7O maries. Of particular interest are the pelme, cycedey orchids and 0+ court: fevnen

Our meeting attended by 15 membere wee held out at deere at the - rear of Pet" \ I" e prenerty on a pnrfecx winter" day. During the [mrcac edinqss; we were en‘lzhr'a.‘ led by a 'f‘mnily 01“ 9pc“: ted i‘trclair3t(m.. a few fe ' away hueily hememah‘nq in ene of a hanging hash ts" fit the cmnclusion of the hrirf me" conduc w memhere through hie 1 "ti hot heuee. very 'l.arqe shade house and the garden» The many ierne admived during our visit included: Mi t P hot heua" Dinlazium mun ”h" and; um" later ethehe of thie epeci s were s~ 1 in the shade hou and in the garden" some with a pvemi.nent trunk.El ' ' with trends pale yel].ew rallu H’ then the normal gr'- ' (elem :Uw the 3‘::

epr: ading acrose the f].eer and

. (Inn,l Cu” ' Dov then het"‘ the laet twe e in meat at nur

. quumfl B, _ U the eti.i e and tip 0+

rhiznme i.l.]i.ed 1t'tifi.|() " 11(Ji u :.1 N/(Zil')/ i’tilill‘)1 ‘fce|"iw l()|1|1<1<| with brilliant p:i.nlt new "c: .

3 err . ‘ a 10" pet in whieh a palm (.JwintiEl it new cmmpietely iiiie the F tn

In the ntwclt—z-an,l s pe (r. 1 men ,. en

and twc: and

ter ettered thiw tipEl when dealing with thht up 0V ntherwi 3 mevedu P e. tern in large Ui- end a . u the that the are no he in ton of it fill with watehn leave e level mnnti 'thi .'"h=I then 0"' ‘ fer a further f’h it may he heh'" tn invert the hen bottom"

Ink yen ‘JZ'UU. r h itaiity and few ehewihg me your ierkahl' :f terne“

x Neunt Irvine Read them ‘ipin is new file ac] ta) V(Sfl lliU41V traffic and em it 1" new a plendid wai“ng trarh thrmugh attracw tiwe huehianclu Traver 'I,l as 14 of me did an a eunny winter dew with del1nu ht the Hewene CPL h uh" it iw all down '1 ' THF ini .1 fine tuning ht the

ON the way to iiic:)ule;rl'1$z; (jive: “ in orcz‘ ihtinq u

‘lum_u mitvunhylldq Igvuenedium - all by no n

T tn mun cuvieeity

nicnexri't. view tiziti : a local ti= diiettmnte to check identiiie which pruved to he

8.

easily the most frequently seen fern on the day, EAQQQELQQ‘MQSxm 15151519195330“, flsplenium flabelli'f‘olium, Lindsmgga microphylla, La

§|..1'.n6::‘:31£.i.§ (thanks; Roam 'for' spotting thius one), h i z age."..r.t.s.pg.§.'.t.t:_. _ iechnwn ambiquum. B. wettsii. Stichgpnm 'f‘]_._;b Pyrroeia

l...um:h was» eaten beneath pgmmfloLa_ng\5§aj~gg§_ covered in showy white flowers. and Peter showed n+3 the less epectacular but quite mare shrub Cyprianthegimscrabella which was, growing nearby. Near our lunch spot grew l..a'3trc:30peis fntl'.(:l"(:)f5(3l"a,. l-.. acuminata and Hynolepie cilandul i'fer'a ..

Fartified by lunch we followed Peter along the Creek marvelling at his keen sight a5 he showed us three tiny filmy ferns, !ix1t1.en.czr;_t1x ..... t. €9.19... 1+0me t-I- pumilum - this» one is; rare and hen only h 1 re armed in a few loca1.mn$y and Hmmmarqinalgm which 1% not me rare but 15 neverthtleee seldom by all except the mafit observant. . ______. _ was also prominent among the same mogsy Foch». this p int a few of mg were reminded of the cardinal bushwalking rule "Don't lose sight of the leader” a5 Only part of the party proceeded further upstream along a wallahy track. fidditimnal ferng recorded were Hlechnum pmtereonii, Lep— tomterim frameri, Pellaea falcata var nana, Cyathem lfijgflflfiflflfiiflflfl'flnd microeorum granflenfi. Nogt remarkable though ‘QEVe the hundreds of _ thriving on huge mounds of silt and decomposing .zaves and debris.

filtuge-lzher a clay m“ many pleasant memoriess not the least being crf‘ the nutnel'mm tunneyeaterfiu grey thrush and bold little scrub wrenm

1 H. pumilum C. Moore Delicate epiphyte. Rhizome long—creeping, branched, dark brown to black, young parts sparsely covered with redwbrown hairs. Fronds to 3.5 cm long; stipe not winged, wiry, 4—] 7 mm long; rachis usually winged; lamina 1-pinnatifid, glabrous. to 2 cm long and 0.5—1.5 cm wide, margins toothed. Sari 1 or 2 per frond, at the apex; involucre t circular to oblong, apex rounded, toothed; receptacle included. Epiphytic in cooler rainforest of the Blue Mtns and adjacent ranges; uncommon. CC CT

3 H. cupressr'forme Labill. Common Filmy Fern Rhizome Iong-creeping, much-branched, dark and m'ry, young parts sparsely cov- ered wilh red-brown hairs. Fronds 2~9 crfi long; stipe not winged, 0.5—3.5 cm long; rachis with a narrow, entire or toothed wing; lamina 1—3-pinnate, mostly I-pinnale with primary pinnae pinnatifid, glabrous, 1.5—6 cm long and 1.5—2.5 cm wide, margins toothed. Sori borne on the upper side of lhe secondary rachises, temfinai on short lateral segments; involucre obovare, apex rounded; receptacle club-shaped, included or slightly exserted. Usually found growing in mats on rocks in Iainforesh also in protected sites in drier areas. NC CC SC NT CT ST CW5; Old, Vic, Tas.

4 H. marginatum Hook. 5: Grev. Bnrdered Fi!my Fern Rhizome long-crceping, filiform, black or dark brown. Fronds to 3.5 cm high and 2.5 cm wide; stipe dark. not winged, with a tuft of reddish brown hairs at the base: lamina simple or once forked (rarely forked 2 or 3 times), glabrous. light green. ”19 margins with a black band 1 or 2 celis deep, not toothed. Sori marginal, solitary al apex of frond or of each lobe; involucre : circular or ovate, 1-2 mm long the marginal black band 2 or 3 cells deep; receptacle cylindrical, included within the involucre. Grows on rocks in rainforest, usually near creeks or waterfalls. CC NT CT; Qld, Tas. [Craspedophyllum marginatum (Hook. & Grev.) Copel.] Drawings & descriptions taken from "FLORA OF N.S.W." - Volume 1

9.

Hemert en Mid Nerth Cmaet Outinq en 4 & 5 May 199;

Uur eut'nq veally get unc ” way on the Friday with Whyllie and John avvivinq at Charlie'u place in wauchepe fer lunch” then Re"e end Patey arriving from fiydney" After lunch we piled inte the 1 wheel dvive tor a quick jaunt t0 Blue Creek Dem (the 01d Wauchepe wat V eupply)u the at..vneen qui ering"

0n fiaturday morning we pi< up e tram fiydney" and head'i fer Cemerene Camp w but a detouv teund ue at $itting Bull and the Bluttfl twe picnic mveae dewnetreem them the Nileen River " Unlil the Reeerve only a few 'erne were found at each Lunch ime found me at Cmmerene Camp where Jean Hepe and . them Cet- E; Harbour Joined ue" fitter lunch and a ecramhle fer reeme we headed tow funda Handa Etate tore W what leek d 11k ing a gene trip wee eudd'ily etept3d by a large tvee the tract fitter inveetiqetihq thie epet we returned to the 3xecriment.. pine p1ant.. en wt re we t. . J in the after ----- noon. I rn wi the day wee dieaepeinting but evevyene had enw jeyed the day"

all up with the ervival ef Phil flunday eaw every and party from

F'..e1'l ml. with t he mama]. rty .~ ' en the reund trip" We found the ; yearp tum net’ veral large 1 "r" had etu'v a late lunch h "ded fer heme whilelhu _ Phyllie and John etmy tev anether day“ Uverall "ether wee had a ehjeyer a ' 0t |"' I'] 553

[um epfl file “he“ Chri ‘1enium auetrelaaiv PyVVC"' cmntit' , ‘Hay fitichurue .atuey Cuicita duhimy

tumy Cyatt "a auetwelim

thieeicumy Deedia a Iium . . m” ”5| "VV“ ‘a nt.. nudumfl Buuavt“ ‘etuedtia devellieid' hitureatum"

‘.c3<:tirilirn vuie't I ' f.!. Ii..|n;a tr 'enium f] Jnfluene” Micro HUHE

aruninetay Diplezium Lia ‘ hnum c. munudumu i‘ hie antAVC‘ . Hypel ' y L ‘> 'g . herhmray Pyrhe" ‘ “riey t'Lfia" ifiwitm var helymdenfl mullah'.iiweliumy finhulhiV' eutlac .(zmmEl auetralisy finleichhavdtimha" Deedia :tevie Hymenenhy tum T it..iatumu Hucupr flu Tm ‘ L2 trunc 2a” Dictymie hvewniifl Mlcro wrum e diver 'Telium"

en Hid HHPth Ceaet Qytinq an 15 & 16 June JQWi"

fitter a let 0? mix upe with datee the June muting wee finally held on the w rk end wt 1% & 16 June" fit V an 6 ”fly lunch we all aeeemhled at Jean Hmpeen Jeany Reee Bach" thllie I-Jlr'ewnEl

10.

JohnEl Judy and Charlie eet eff fer Nomlgeelge Creek picking up Steve en the way" At Neelgeelga we turnyd in].mnd t0 the Nature Heeerve where we eet oft alenq the uree erinuwnu it about eix timee hetere we arrived at the F 1 f. a . ' ful area with an ehundenee et 1 ”n% w we found 31 verietiee during the atw ”erneen" After a ehert break and a cuppa we all heedcd hack to

I an'e plat _ where we had a leveiy dinner and an intere .i? zine diecueeien en ferne and teuring muttralie" the evening tiniehing up about 10 pm"

Dn Ez3unduy we met for the 40 km drive tm Glenht gh Fallen Norm coming along with Jc'w fer the clay:I end Teny Nintev and $teve meeting me at the Gl1hhfiflqh Fe11e parking area having come by m ehert V roux” It wetid have tnuw a eheht weuh t0 the Falle it the 'l'.|";;u::I-.: had |:.i(-:-3t-3)n geecl hut we heuzl te ecr'ernh' e ever rec eleng a very Feugh path and aura the creyk" It wae well the effort te ‘ ' view of ferne and orchide hanging on v11 trickling dawnu we were amazed at ‘tvem the . between the rec . very p 3n1 ” It wee a very emceeeetll . terne heine identified" fitter lunch by the eve'a a 2;; ":1: tev hemeEl with everybody having enjeyed a very '

The tellewine 0t tevne weve vexerdedn

, funtum diaphenurnEl m. '1va itimEl fireehniei e ariuw teta.I firthrepteri.e tenellall eeplénium ettehuatumfl “a .1 msi ("um .. t9: .. pm .I. yczlnn .. 1-31.t-:.3(::l'1m.l.m czt21|"‘l'.:i.ll. '~ ' " ‘ . 1m" 1-1.. |x)a'l‘.1-..l"ss:~(:m:i. :i. J10 .1Ln1:an = auetrelien ' zitardtiana” Devalluu ‘ .a hrewniin Diple um euetral _ Deedie a end anethev Deedia s

Peeemhling Unequevr'"' Hypelfi15 qlendulitr“ Laetrtep"i” mmuminete" Lumereinaneu Lumiehc,ereu Niureeerum ecmnd neg ~' curd” 11a a peredexa” Put icete vav nena“ h: ‘ [-:~3I"|:3l.l.m:l l tum nuclurml fiticherue

fidiantum uinum amhieuum

uaq." lmu Chen” . Odie re" Hramm: FHHMn ntnm, Wtew vittmteEl edee hewhert

have heard meme - heme aft; in Duh around and J evan t; . tn the warden . e1 leved Burrenden] mvhm" “Mm“ pray that thie ereew

and wieh . ' ,el r (envery and leek ermrd j.HtWFL ‘ in Tevne“ We err eure that all memt tudy Ureuh weu.l.d went to jtin ih W§HL fig eur e eve eeed 1:0 hel.h 5 ' id Hazel” me leek terwmrd te having ymu me en the Dec eien of our next Hurwendene WUVHIHQ bee"

ll.

Pteridophytes of Eungella National Park

Peter D. Bostock, Botany Branch, Dept of Primary Industries, Meiers Road, INDOOROOPILLY 4068

Eungella National Park, of more than 50,000 hectares, is situated on the Clarke Range about 80 km west of Mackay in Central Queensland. Much of the park is above an altitude of 700 metres, and the third highest mountain in Queensland, Mt William (1259 metres) is within the park boundary. The park’s geographic position between the ‘wet tropics’ of north Queensland and the subtropics to the south, coupled with the wide variation in land-forms, makes the area truly a ‘mixing bowl’ for ferns and ferns allies (this is also true of other plants, of course!).

While the top of the plateau at Eungella is mostly cleared for dairy farming, there is still an extensive area of complex vine-forest or rainforest along the rim of the escarpment and extending north along the Clarke Range, and east through the foothills. Finch Hatton Gorge is also included in the national park. The area is very wet! During the flood-rains of Cyclone Joy early in 1991, more than 2 metres of rain was recorded, and this resulted in large land-slips along the eastern escarpment. Such occurrences are not uncommon during any wet season.

But enough of the geography! The ‘official’ records of the Queensland Herbariurn were consulted late last year, and produced a figure of some 70 species of pterido- phytes for the area. If this seems a little low, read on... (Some new records for filmy ferns were recorded by John Croxall and Barbara Farris in the early 1970’s but they didn’t give duplicate specimens of all of their collections to the Queensland Herbar- iurn).

Subsequently, Steve Pearson, a ranger with the National Parks and Wildlife service, began to take an interest in the ferns, and he sent quite a few specimens to the Herbarium for identification. I asked him to look for a few that should have been there, but weren’t present in the Queensland Herbarium collections, and eventually the list of known ferns topped about 85 species. Included among Steve’s recent finds (all are new ‘official’ Queensland Herbarium records) are Adiantum silvaticum (common in the area), Diplopterygium longissimum (uncommon), Angiopten's evecta (quite rare, only about 8 or so individual plants found), Bottychz'um australe (one small colony near Eungella township), Blechnum whelaniz' (common in some areas) and an Asplenium which has been tentatively identified as A. panmm (found near the top of Mt William).

In April/May this year, I was fortunate to be asked to survey ferns in the Central Queensland area, from Rockhampton north to Proserpine, and of course this included the Eungella area. My total time at Eungella was limited to 3 days, but I hoped this could be offset by the knowledge of the area which Steve and Alison Pearson could impart. I was constrained to spend one day along the rim to' the south of Eungella township, one day in the Mt William area and one day in Finch Hatton Gorge.

On the first day (in fact, the first hour) at Broken River on the Rainforest Discovery walking track, I confirmed John Croxall’s records of Microtrichomanes vitiense and Gonocormus saxtfragoides on tree trunks beside the walking track. I also realised quite quickly that not only was Lastreopsis microsora present, but that L. tenera was also. 12.

The latter, although quite common, more so than the former, was apparently unre- corded. While these two look quite similar in the field, they can be separated by comparing the short-creeping rhizome of L. tenera with the long-creeping one of L. microsora. Lastreopsis smithiana (otherwise more or less confined to the Lamington Plateau area in southern Old) and L. rufescens are also in this axea. I still have not satisfactorily worked out the exact number of species of Diplazium in the park - certainly D. queenslandicum is present, but probably also D. assimile and maybe also D. australe! Depan'a petexseniz' (Iunathyn'um japonicum) is also recorded.

Day 2, in the Mt William area, was altogether too short to do the area justice. On the walk into Cattle Creek, well below the summit of Mt William, one can see Qathea cooperi, C. robertsiana, C. rebeccae, Blechnum whelam'i and B. cartilagineum, while in the creek, Marattia salicina, Qathea leichhardtiana, Bleclmum nudum, B. patersonii, Todea barbara, and Dicksom'a herbem'i are to be found. Two species of Grammitis, G. wunmuran and G. ’stenophylla are present on rocks in the creek. Filmy ferns are abundant, and include Hymenophyllum baileyanum, H. samoense (previously known only as far south as Mt Spec) H. walleri, Crepidomanes bipunctatum and C. wallerz', plus Selenodesmium elongatum. Other species of note in this area are Tmesipten's truncata and both species of Vittaria. Elaphoglossum callz'folium is also recorded from further up the creek, under the lee of Mt William.

Day 3 - Doolamai Falls in Finch Hatton Gorge - was notable for the steep climb up a long series of switchbacks, followed by a mad scramble around and over giant boulders which form the bed of the creek above the falls; 'This area produced two surprises - Vaginularia acrocarpa, which according to Old Herbarium records was previously known to occur only as far south as Ravenshoe, and Microgonium bimargin- atum, which occurs both north and south of the region, but was not recorded from Central Queensland itself. Humata repens, Ctenopten's contigua and both Vittan'a species were common on boulders or tree trunks in the gorge In the carpark, Steve Pearson pointed out a colony of a terrestrial Ophioglossum, probably 0. petiolatum. Doryopten's concolor, Microlepia speluncae and Cheilanthes tenuzfolia are also present in the car park area. On the road into the gorge, a lone plant of Bleclznum orientale stands in swampy ground near a creek crossing. We saw no others of this species in the area.

In summary, the pteridophyte flora of Eungella National Park currently stands at about 100 species (plus some varieties) in 29 families. I can recommend a visit, but don’t forget the ‘Rid’ - scrub ticks and leaches are a feature of the landscape and not to be easily avoided!

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On Sunday 4th August 1991, the South Eastern Queensland Group of "Fern1es" met at the gate to the Herbarium at 9.30 a.m. There was a good roll—up of about 35 members and visitors, andhtheydwere escorted to the annex where the fern collection is ouse .

Paul Forster kindly gave his time to assist Peter Bostock to show us some of the work being done in the Herbarium in relation to ferns. Firstly Peter explained the methods used for the preservation and storage of specimens, and the extent of the collection. Ferns comprise only a small percentage of the Herbarium collection, but there is a large number of fern specimens from Queensland and New Guinea.

Then we had an opportunity, in small groups, to inspect the sections holding the fern specimens, while at the same time others members were able to examine more closely certain specimens which were taken to the meeting room.

Finally before the meeting ended we were shown slides taken by Peter on the recent trip by the 2 botanists Peter and Paul to parts of Cape York Peninsula. The Maleny Springs area and Glennie Tableland are so remote that these places are inaccessible to most of us, so it was most interesting to see such very good slides of these places, and of the large range of ferns occurring there.

The group expressed their appreciation to Petef Bostock and Paul Forster for having made this visit to the Herbarium possible.

(Our thehhe t0 Lerna Hurray for the above avticle)

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