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On the viewing platform of the bridge, spot the fine specimen At the ‘Commemoration Seat’ think about this: of a Cabbage Tree Palm (Livistona australis). Palms like this are one of the distinctive Rainforests possibly contain the earth’s richest gene pool features of rainforests in for future medicinal . They are a huge source of EDITION NO. 2 warmer areas. biodiversity, containing an estimated four million species of How could you make the HEAD ED (that’s you!) ...... roof for a cubby house plants, animals and micro-organisms. Who knows the value � using the from this ? of these plants! Yet we are still clearing rainforests in South America — and even Australia. AUSSIEAUSSIE PLANTSPLANTS

117.3 ANDAND PEOPLEPEOPLE The Brush Cypress Pine (Callitris macleayana) CANBERRA Today — You are going to see lots contains substances that resist termite attack. of different ways different Australian plants have been used by different people. Suggest what early settlers might have used this timber for. What did Indigenous Australians use plants for? What about the early settlers? HOW DO WE USE PLANTS TODAY? How do we help plants? BREAK OUT OF THE SQUARE! 116 THINK BEYOND FOOD AND TIMBER! The Bracket Fungus (Trametes 29 HOW ARE PLANTS IMPORTANT TO PEOPLE versicolor) can be observed on the — AND PEOPLE TO PLANTS? dead tree stump, part way down 123.5 the gully. These and many other fungi help decompose dead Welcome to the Australian National Botanic Gardens plants and animals. The bright red berries of the Brush Cherry or in the national capital. What would the earth be like lilly pilly ( australe) are edible and relished without them? by many birds and people. 1. 3. Ed Lilly pillies made great snack food for Centre Indigenous Australians. Have you tried lilly pilly jelly? Cafe

2. 4. Car Park START Visitor Centre 8 1 100.8 102.3 the Visitor Centre, go down the steps FROM Casuarina cunninghamiana is on the southern side to find Acacia pycnantha, the Golden Wattle. In 1988 the Golden Wattle was proclaimed as Australia’s national named after Alan Cunningham, WHERE’S ‘WOLLI’? floral emblem. This specimen was planted by Hazel Hawke, the an early botanist who explored FANCY HAVING A LIVING FOSSIL NAMED AFTER YOU! wife of Prime Minister Bob Hawke. Our national colours are much of northern Australia. DID HE OR DIDN’T HE? based on the green and gold of this wattle. How do you think you could get a David Noble is a modern-day explorer who came across this rare Can you think of other plants that have been species in the Blue Mountains just west of Sydney. Scientists knew used as signs, symbols or emblems? plant named after you? from the fossil records that a close relative of the Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis) had existed two million years ago. Write a limerick about how Noble felt about his discovery.

THERE WAS A YOUNG MAN WITH A FOSSIL... �

Busted! Further along the Main Path a variety of decorative Go back up the steps to the Australian plants is Visitor Centre then along the displayed. They are often Main Path towards the 107.5 used in home gardens Rainforest Gully. You’ll see a around Canberra and ‘bust’ (a sculpture of someone’s elsewhere. The Australian Red Cedar head and shoulders) of one of (Toona ciliata) is now totally the earliest known botanists of � WHICH ONES WOULD protected. This is a very young YOU CHOOSE TO GROW Australian plants, Joseph Banks. specimen, but in another 200 IN YOUR OWN GARDEN? What group of plants now years might be big enough to commemorates his work? use for the wonderful timber for which it is famous. Your � great-grandchildren would have to move the path though, because it will grow so big. Would you rather your 1 4 2.2 � great-grandchildren built At the bridge over the (What does .2 mean?) furniture or stood and admired the tree? Rainforest Gully, spot the While on the bridge, look on the down-side for the small How far back can you trace your relatives? Two million years? Blackwood (Acacia Huon Pine (Lagarostrobus franklinii). It is the small tree with melanoxylon). This tree the big label. This tree may live for thousands of years but provides shade for grows very slowly. This one is less than 30 years old. Huon 108 the understorey of the Tree Pines are found only in Tasmania and were harvested by A BURNING ISSUE! Ferns (Dicksonia antarctica). convicts in the early days of settlement for their timber. Blackwood timber was used The timber is soft, durable and resistant to rot Hedycarya angustifolia grows branches that are straight and of an even thickness. by Indigenous Australians to and marine organisms. Indigenous Australians prized them for trade as fire-sticks. make tools but is now prized Suggest why they would be ideal for starting fires. for making quality furniture. Suggest what the early convicts might have made from Huon Pine timber.

Suggest other tools or weapons that could be made from this wood.

2 7 79 � 86 9.6 11.5 HOW LONG IS A PIECE But Indigenous Australians used plants for many other Wattles, with their distinctive fluffy yellow and pea- OF STRING? like pods, belong to the largest and most widely purposes. For example, they gathered nectar from flowers, distributed Australian genus Acacia. Indigenous Indigenous Australians used particularly from Banksia and Callistemon (bottlebrush). the fibre from the leaves of Australians used Suggest how and why they did this. Dianella revoluta to make the of some wattles to make a form of flour. string. Suggest what they would have used to grind the seeds. Suggest what they could have

made with the string. � 13 21

� � Nature’s Pharmacy wattle seed How long do you think it would have taken to collect and The path now enters an area displaying a group of plants of prepare enough of these seeds to make a damper corn kernel the family . This family includes gum trees 18.5 for one person? (size comparison) (Eucalyptus species), bottlebrushes (Callistemon species), tea THE BUSH HARDWARE trees (Leptospermum species) and paperbarks (Melaleuca SHOP! species). Myrtaceae dominate Australian vegetation. The layers of soft, papery bark on the Melaleucas give them their Letters to the editor 87 92 97.7 common name, paperbark. Nowadays we use steam cookers, Dear Head Ed, The strong, hard wood from TIME OUT! many inland plants wrapping paper, mattresses, toilet How long have you spent on At the Rock Garden Pool, When I tread on gum leaves, why do they (including some hakeas) was look for the Nardoo paper and roof tiles but this walk so far? Check out the Indigenous Australians had the smell of cough mixture? used by Indigenous time on the sundial up the hill. (Marsilea drummondii). Australians to make tools Nardoo is a low-growing paperbark to do the same things! Signed, and weapons. What happens to a sundial aquatic plant with a that Con Fused when daylight saving is looks like a large four-leafed 24 Can you suggest some tools introduced and can you clover. Nardoo was used by But, wait! and weapons that could be suggest how you could made? some Indigenous Australians There’s more! modify a sundial for it? as a food — but requires the (Versatility, that is...) ON THE BUS... correct preparation or you Another multi-purpose plant is Write your reply to Con. might suffer the same the grass tree (Xanthorrhoea consequences species) which provided Dear Con, as the Burke and Wills Indigenous Australians with edible expedition! starch in the base of the young leaves. Also, the long stalk ��������������� What happened to them? made a lightweight spear shaft when dried. The trunk produces a resin which when melted made a Signed, very strong glue used to attach Head Ed stone heads to axes and points to spears.

25 The Gymea Lily (Doryanthes excelsa) Suggest why they are so expensive. can have flower spikes up to 5 m high, topped by clusters of large Nardoo (Marsilea drummondii) crimson flowers during summer. You can buy these from the florist � for up to $300 each. 63 ����������������������� 36 29 � 44 53 NATURE’S 54 � 66 GRAFFITI! The Scribbly Gum (Eucalyptus The botany of rossii) displays the feeding BACK AT SCHOOL... Botany Bay paths of small insect larvae It seems that the people who but the decorative effect has provided inspiration for named all these plants were The wide variety of decorative, writers. The family Proteaceae is found only in the southern preoccupied with the ancient low garden shrubs of this area hemisphere and is prominent in the Australian bush. It includes European world. reflect the diversity of soil and Can you think of some such well known groups as Grevillea, Banksia, Hakea and Telopea. climatic conditions in the Australian stories that are Proteaceae are named after the Greek god Proteus, who could Sydney region. Joseph Banks based on plants? change his shape and form at will. As you walk along, note the was amazed at the diversity different leaf shapes, sizes and textures as well as a of plants on the shores of similarity of flower forms. Botany Bay, which is why Why do all these plants it got its name! have Latin or Greek Hey, Con! Did you get that? ������������ names? Check them out.

33 66 WARNING! Mallee eucalypts generally live in 66.5 Don’t try this on your goldfish! areas of irregular and low rainfall. Check out The deep purple flowers of Australian Indigo the swollen stem base (‘lignotuber’) of (Indigofera australis) were used by some early settlers as Eucalyptus approximans. Early settlers used a fabric dye. Some Indigenous Australians also used the l these lignotubers for fuel as they burn PLANTS FOR PEOPLE? eaves of Indigofera as an aid to catch fish. slowly and with great heat. Investigate this naming NO! PEOPLE FOR Suggest how they did this. system further. PLANTS! Sit for a moment and reflect. ������ This seating was placed by the Friends of the Australian 47 National Botanical Gardens so 69 79 that you are able to do this. � At the Eucalypt Lawn you can observe some fine examples of The Tumut Grevillea 50 51 Australia’s most widely distributed large tree species. (Grevillea wilkinsonii) is a rare plant. � A ‘cultivar’ is a cultivated ‘GIVE ME A HOME Notice the variety of leaf colours and shapes and the distinctive It is named after a local naturalist, Tom Wilkinson, variety of plant. It may be a barks. who discovered it in the early 1980s. It occurs along the ‘hybrid’ (a mix of two plants) AMONG THE GUM Eucalypts have inspired countless Australian artists, such as Goobarragandra River, near Tumut. Lots of or may be a selected form of TREES...’ Albert Namatjira, Arthur Streeton and Hans Heysen. different groups are working together to make sure a naturally occurring species. Which tree inspires you the most? Why? Gum trees have provided people this plant survives, including government agencies and Why not sketch it here? local communities. We are propagating this Can you find Jack McGuire’s Red with lots of commodities over plant here at the Gardens. thousands of years. and Marian’s Marvel? near 50.9 What do you have in your � Why do we bother? home that might have come � from gum trees? CLUE: We use more than just the timber!

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