March 2021 Sutherland Group Newsletter

About Sutherland Group Coming up.. We meet at 8 pm every third Wednesday from February to Wed, 17 Mar Sutherland Group meeting – From flowers to fruits: November at Gymea Community a focus on the fruits of native , with Rhonda Centre, 39 Gymea Bay Rd, Gymea. Daniels Visitors welcome. Sat, 20 Mar APS NSW Quarterly meeting – see Diary, page 2 We support awareness and conservation of Australian native Sun, 4 Apr JB Reserve working bees are back on. plants. Thurs, 8 Apr Rules for Covid-19 are in place, more here

See our website & Facebook Wed, 21 Apr Sutherland group meeting. Pipeworts? Learn more http://austplants.com.au/Sutherland about the Eriocaulon genus with guest speaker Richard Jobson

Look out for.. Auranticarpa rhombifolia (hollywood) www.facebook.com/APS.Sutherland

President Leonie Hogue 75A Wattle St Jannali 2226 [email protected] Ph 0416 286 083

Secretary

Rhonda Daniels A. Rhombifolia rhombifolia (hollywood) [email protected] (Photos: R. Daniels B. Walters Ph: 0491 629 760 at JB Reserve http://anpsa.org.au/)

Treasurer This tree is one of 6 species in its genus, all endemic to northern Anne Webb Australia. Previously they were all in the genus Pittosporum and this 9 Connels Rd one (formerly Pittosporum rhombifolium) has some alternative Cronulla 2230 common names: diamond-leaf pittosporum, white holly and Ph 9523 6067 Queensland pittosporum. The photos show the large diamd-leaf feature. Publicity Officer & Speaker Convenor Although up to 25 m in its natural rainforest habitat it will be a more Ralph Cartwright manageable medium-sized tree in cultivation. It can be seen around [email protected] Sutherland at the town hall, in Kirrawee and at Joseph Banks Ph 9548 1074 reserve. It can adopt a compact ball on stick shape with a little 0416 030 872 pruning, or it can also grow tall and narrow in a narrow space as evidenced at Sutherland Town Hall.

Newsletter Editor It has strikingly orange-coloured, bountiful fruit. This is preceded by Peter Shelton sweet-smelling white flowers as is typical of other pittosporums. [email protected] Ph 0411 286 969 Inside this issue For your diary ...... 2 Newsletter Deadline: At the February Meeting ...... 2 First Wednesday of the month News and more ...... 6

For your diary Contact John Arney ph 9525 0449, [email protected] Our diary is not very full at the moment as we wait on developments with Covid19 restrictions. Sat, 13 Mar Sutherland Council Nursery Open day. 345 The Boulevarde, Gymea. 9 am – 3 pm A fantastic range of Indigenous tubestock from $2.70 plus plenty more. Wed, 17 Mar Sutherland Group meeting Our plans are in place to cope with Covid restrictions. From 7.45 pm We restarted 2021 with a face-to-face meeting in our usual location at the Gymea for 8:00 pm start Community Centre in February. Complying with all current directives is a priority. Rhonda Daniels will talk on “From flowers to fruits: a focus on the fruits of native plants from hard and woody to soft and edible” This will be followed by our table hosted by Phil Keane. Physical specimens can be brought in by anyone for learning or teaching. Sat, 20 Mar APS NSW Quarterly Meeting. Guest speaker will be Peter Olde OAM on new Grevillea From 3 pm hybrids. Peter, an excellent and entertaining speaker, will inform us of the many new hybrids of grevilleas that have been developed over the last few years. He is a world expert on grevilleas and leader of the ANPSA Grevillea Study Group. Peter co-authored the three volume Grevillea Book and, from 1993, has been an Honorary Research Associate at the National Herbarium of NSW. This will be a zoom meeting. Please register in advance for this meeting here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUuceqhpz0oGNZby3BXYZ-dzyOh7X-so5Zy You will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Sun, 28 Mar Kirrawee Garden Party. At 54 Flora St Kirrawee, more details on page 7. 11 am – 3 pm Note that Leonie Hogue will be a guest speaker at 1 pm. Sun, 4 Apr Joseph Banks Reserve working bees Thurs, 8 Apr Covid 19 restrictions will be observed, but there is plenty of space to work in. Wed, 7 Apr Sydney Royal Easter show preparation Drop flowers off at Leonie’s - 75a Wattle Rd Jannali W’end 10-11 Apr Collectors’ Plant Fair, Clarendon. Phil Keane from Ausplants Nursery will be there as usual, selling grafted grevillea, Eremophila (Emu bush), grafted gums, bush foods and other natives. Details, full list of stallholders and ticket sales: https://www.collectorsplantfair.com.au/ Wed, 21 Apr Sutherland Group meeting: Guest speaker Richard Jobson will talk about Pipeworts, the Eriocaulon genus. From 7.45 pm for 8:00 pm start, at Gymea Community Hall. Covid19 regulations permitting. 1,2,8,9 May (10 – 4) Illawarra Grevillea Garden open days. These are the first two weekends in May. Sat, 15 May APS quarterly gathering at Kurnell, hosted by Sutherland Group. 11 – 16 Sep, 2022 ANPSA Biennial Conference delayed until 2022 due to Covid-19 considerations.

APS groups nearby Have you considered visiting another local APS group? Each group welcomes APS members and visitors, so check your diary. East Hills Group Menai Wildflower Group Wednesday 4 April from 2 pm Saturday 10 April, 1 pm (1st Wednesday of every month except January) Illawong Rural Fire Brigade Lugarno-Peakhurst Uniting Church Old Illawarra Rd, Illawong 909 Forest Road, Lugarno (opposite the Lugarno shops) https://austplants.com.au/Menai-Wildflower https://austplants.com.au/East-Hills APS Sutherland – March 2021 2

At the February Meeting Members celebrated a return to face-to-face meetings in February with a presentation video from The Ravensthorpe Wildflower Show committee. The show began in 1982 to celebrate and showcase the abundance of floral diversity in the region. A tribute to the rugged and natural beauty of the region, the show continues to inspire amateurs and enthusiasts alike with its depth, breadth and quality of flowers on display. Run by dedicated volunteers, the annual Ravensthorpe flower show is held each year in September. The video highlights the fact that the Ravensthorpe shire is host to a very wide range of landforms and around 20% of the plant species found in WA. The show usually has around 700 specimens on display which is held in the Town Hall.

The Ravensthorpe Show (Photo: Ralph Cartwright) Each year, dedicated, qualified and licensed pickers head out to their allotted destinations to gather flowers and deliver them to the herbarium in town. The specimens are then sorted, classified and placed on display. 3000 million years ago, volcanic activity around Ravensthorpe caused lava to flow across the surface to form black basalt. This has weathered to develop the mineral-rich greenstones and fertile, magnesium-rich, red soils around Ravensthorpe. Not too much happened in this area, geologically speaking until around 10 million years ago, when Myrtaceae became dominant in rainforest and remained dominant as Australia became increasingly arid 2-5 million years ago forest cover the dwindled and herbaceous plants increased. Dryandras, confined to WA by intervening desert from the rest of Australia, emerged. Because the SW of WA has been geologically stable for so long, it is now a world-renowned biodiversity hot spot. 18,000 years ago, the sea level was about 100 m lower than present, temperatures were cooler and ocean water locked in ice caps <10,000 years ago the ice caps melted and seas rose rapidly. Plant species have been stable for the last 10,000 years due to the climate in the SW being relatively stable 6,000 years ago – sea rose to 2 m above its present level The Fitzgerald River National Park is the jewel in the crown of the shire . It contains approximately 1,660 plant taxa, containing over one quarter (29%) of the south-west’s flora, of which 130 are on the Department of Environment and Conservations’s threatened flora list.

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Some of the factors contributing to the park’s biological diversity are: • a complex system of geological and landform types, including the – southern edge of Yilgarn granite craton – chain of low quartzite mountain ranges – a former marine plain – upland plains, breakaways, incised river valleys, swamps, lakes, creeks, estuaries and coastal dune systems • low nutrient levels in the soil • the park being situated between an arid area to the north and east and the wetter area to the west. The Ravensthorpe Range The Ravensthorpe Range and FRNP have been recognized as being two of the four areas of highest species richness and having a high degree of local endemics (62 in FRNP and 40 in the Ravenshorpe System) in the State. The other two are the Stirling Range and Mt Lesueur areas — the flora of the Stirling Range has already been largely compromised by Phytophthora dieback. Today, the Ravensthorpe Range has 1,300 plant species in 1,000 sq km, making it one of Australia’s most species-rich small areas, notably 62 eucalypts and 50 melaleucas. Ralph Cartwright (Ralph visited the show whilst joining the formerly Biennial ANPSA conference in the South-West, late 2019. There is now a copy of the DVD in the library, especially for anyone who may have missed the meeting.)

On the plant table see a replay on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Eu1Q4XQnRg The plant table is a great way to see what grows tablelands. Fragrant white flowers produced in well in Sutherland Shire and what flowers when. small heads followed by conspicuous orange fruit. While Zoom meetings have replaced face to face Not sure how well it does in cultivation but likely meetings, please email some photos instead as grows well. Give some shade and reliable plant specimens. You can email by reply to the moisture. It could fill a corner where other plants newsletter or to Dan Clarke at: may not grow [email protected] Plant steward Phil Keane’s nursery, Ausplants R Us, is in Sutherland. Visits by appointment or check out sale days (often Saturday 12 – 4:30) on https://www.facebook.com/ausplants/` Ph: 0435 410 857 or [email protected] Here are just some of the plants featured at our last meeting. Crinum pedunculatum (Swamp Lily) (Family: Amaryllidaceae) A lily-monocot with leaves somewhat resembling Gymea Lily – sword-shaped and wide. It is typically found in coastal environments on sand dunes and swamps. It produced umbels of white 6-tepaled flowers at G. jasminoides about 1 m or so high. Very hardy in the garden, (Ph: M Fagg, https://www.canbr.gov.au/) likes a sandy well-drained soil. Watch out for Eucalyptus pulverulenta ‘Baby Blue’ (Family: caterpillars that eat through the trunks and Myrtaceae) severely damage plants. This species is small tree native to NSW, with a jasminoides (syn. very restricted distribution and is considered jasminoides) (Sweet Morinda) threatened in the wild. It grows from around (Family: ) Bathurst, south to Bombala. It has distinctive blue- A common scrambling vine found in Sydney in grey orbiculate (circular) to heart-shaped leaves moist sheltered bushland near creeklines – you with makes it attractive to grow. A cultivar called can find it in Koolangarra Reserve at Bonnet Bay. Baby Blue is on the market which is likely just a Dark green opposite, ovate leaves to 8 cm long by form of the species. Flowers well and produces 3 cm wide. It can reach up into the canopy in some nice fruit. Tolerates heavy soils and frost. cases but usually ground dwelling forming Likely hardy. Can be pruned into all sorts of patches. Grows up and down the NSW coast and shapes and appearances.

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Grevillea ‘Kimberly Gold’ (Family: Proteaceae) in a lightly sun-filtered position. Thought to be a hybrid between G. wickhammii They can also be grown successfully indoors. In and G. 5icrant, this one is a stunner! Golden the wild, they are found in boggy conditions and so yellow inflorescences with grey green hard and may need at least a moist soil to do well. jagged leaves, it originates from the Kimberly region of Australia. Grows to about 2 x 2 metres. Open plant but very attractive. Likely needs full sun and good drainage to thrive.

Pitcher plant in Northern Queensland (Ph: Wollastonia uniflora (Family: Asteraceae) G. ‘Goliath’ flower picked very early A plant brought in by John Arney which he found in (Ph: P Shelton) the Royal NP. It was a species collected by Banks Grevillea ‘Goliath’ (Family: Proteaceae) and Solander in 1770! A scrambling ground daisy A cultivar with not a lot of online information which would look very nice in a garden with yellow available. It appears similar to cultivars like daisy heads about 2 cm across and ovate leaves Grevillea ‘Moonlight’ in the leaf size and shape, as to over 10 cm long. Grows naturally along coastal well as inflorescence size. However, the attraction NSW in sandy soils near the beach. is bright to deep red flowers which are very vibrant. Likely needs a well-drained soil to do well. It is a grafted cultivar and so likely quite hardy. Grows to about 5 m tall. Keep pruned to encourage more inflorescences. This is a very showy plant! Epacris longiflora (Native Fushcia) (Family: Ericaceae subfam. Ericoideae) One of the few ‘epacrids’ that has taken to cultivation and found locally in sandstone outcrops and along watercourses. Stunning red-white tubular flowers for most of the year. Likely needs very good drainage and sandy soils to thrive. Grows to about 1 m tall. Nepenthes mirabilis (Pitcher Plant) (Family: Nepenthaceae)

A pitcher plant may an appearance at the February W. uniflora (Ph: plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/) meeting brought in by John Aitken. This species is the most widespread of Nepenthes, More information can be found at these websites: growing in Northern Queensland and overseas. www.anspa.org.au www.anbg.gov.au It is a shrub to scrambling vine to about 4 m tall. plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au www.wikipedia.org The pitchers are swollen modified tendrils which www.austplants.com.au/plant-database catch insects to obtain nutrients. In Sydney, it would need to be grown in a PLUS: Dan Clarke has all the monthly plant table glasshouse for best results but may do well in the information compiled in his Plant Table Master list open in a moist humid condition. John Aitken has it document available from our web site. growing in orchid mix in a hanging basket, outside Dan Clarke Plant Table Masterlist APS Sutherland – March 2021 5

News and More Membership Royal Easter Show If you are not receiving the monthly APS NSW The Easter Show is back this year and Sutherland enewsletter from enewsletter editor Rhonda Group will be putting in some arrangements. Daniels, please email [email protected] The arrangements will be benched on Friday 9 so we can sort out whether we have your correct April. This means the all the flowers need to be email address in our records. The September 2020 picked and dropped off at Leonie’s on Wednesday issue was emailed to members on 30 August. 7 April. Leonie lives at 75a Wattle Rd, Jannali. Go Membership renewal down the right of way. Our clever team will be doing arrangements on Thursday 8 April from Members receive an email from APS NSW when 8am. Hope you can help with some flowers. their membership is due through the year and can renew online on the APS website. Check your Leonie 0416286083 membership status with our treasurer Anne Webb at the March meeting or by phone. Book Review Snow gums are under threat Snow gums (Eucalyptus pauciflora) in the Australian alps are being decimated by native beetles.

Snow gums at Charlotte Pass (Ph: J. Arney) What could this potentially reveal about the area? This was published in 2020 through CSIRO publishing and a review is timely given this The incident has raised questions around the month’s speaker. Seeds are interesting because destruction and has people speculating about that can be an easy way to propagate your own climate change. plants. This books details how to collect, process Dr Matthew Brookhouse is a forestry expert from and propagate seeds for about 300 species of the Australian National University and spoke to rainforest plants. ABC NewsRadio's Chris Mitchell for more. My only criticism would be that a line about how Listen to the interview at this link: edible the fruit is would be a nice addition. The https://www.abc.net.au/radio/newsradio/snowgum- photography does make some of the fruit look trees-in-australian-alps-decimated-by/13235810 appealing. The stated aim of this book is to document tools to aid in the propagation of these From abc.net.au plants to help restore and conserve the much- reduced subtropical rainforest of Eastern Australia. Some information on productive uses might encourage cultivation in home gardens. Peter Shelton

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Update your first aid for free Garden Party In 2020, we applied for and received a $1,200 Nola Watt is opening her traditional garden federal government volunteer grant to fund first aid to visitors. It is a pretty, level garden with training. This will allow 10 members to complete some Australian plants in the mix. Nola has the one day first aid course offered by the St George and Sutherland Community College at a full agenda and has the support of the Jannali for $120. The course is held regularly Caringbah Garden Society and the local through the year on the first Saturday of the Historical Society. month, approx. 9 am to 3.30 pm. 54 Flora St Kirrawee If you would like to attend, please contact and pay Sunday 28 March the college directly at www.workskills.sgscc.edu.au 11am - 3pm or phone 8543 7412. Let me know at [email protected] so we can keep track of 12 noon - Flower arranging demonstration numbers and organise to reimburse you on course 12.30 Garden hat parade completion. We all benefit from up-to-date first aid 1 pm - speaker APS Leonie Hogue knowledge. 2 pm guessing competition with prizes. I completed the course on 6 March with trainer Nola has a display of historical pictures of Scott. It is very COVID-safe, with lots of disinfectant wipes and no touching of anyone else. Sutherland Shire and some sketches. I practised CPR compressions and using a Coffee and tea available. defibrillator, and had a refresher on DRS-ABCD. Contact me to find out more. I hope APS members can support this local Rhonda Daniels activity. Leonie Hogue 0416286083 New neighbours moving in

A brush turkey (Ph: Joan Zande’s neighbour) Joan Zande reports this new neighbour has been spotted in her back yard in Kareela Catch up at our youtube channel recently. Look out for your very own Watch archived zoom meetings at our youtube neighbourhood brush turkeys coming soon. channel. For example, watch any of last year’s They can’t be as bad as half a dozen deer can meetings including Plant Tables with Dan Clarke. they?

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Fungi x Botanica Exhibition

Two exhibitions together FUNGI Evoking wonder, awe and a curiosity in nature. The world of Fungi and mycelium is full of scientific wonder. Mycelium is the earth’s underground natural internet, mushrooms being the resulting fruiting bodies of this exciting nearly invisible world. This exhibition will include many genres including, photography, graphite, watercolour and acrylic art works, ceramics, glass, paper art and sculpture all focusing on the intriguing world of FUNGI. BOTANICA This will be the 21st exhibition of Botanica to be held in our Sydney Gardens. Over the years Botanica has set a high benchmark in the botanical art world with many of the artists having enviable worldwide reputations. All items in the exhibition are for sale with proceeds going to the artists who keep our culture rich and vibrant and to assisting Foundation and Friends of the Botanic Gardens support horticulture, conservation, scientific research and education programs within your Botanic Gardens. Saturday 24 April - Sunday 9 May 10AM - 4PM Lion Gate Lodge Garden The Royal Botanic Garden Mrs Macquaries Road, Sydney From https://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/

If undeliverable, return to: Australian Plants Society, Sutherland Group 169 Peninsular Road Grays Point NSW 2232

Print Post Approved PP2453h58/00027

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