A.S.G.A.P. CYCAD, WMIAD AND PALM STUDY GROUP PEWSLH'I"1ZR NO.. 58 - DECBMBBR, 1993 - JANUARY , 1994 Leader : Len P, Butt - Phone No, 07 8483515 Asst : Brian Runnegar - Phone No. 07 2861164 Jottings- taken around the Northern Territory in July. 1990 Various, to me serious factors made me miss one of my ambitions, the Cycad 90 conference held at Townsville, Pbwever it was not to be so that period became oce of pure joy for me, visiting Darwin, lodging at the Barracks, and with the P.A.C.S.O.A. branch there we traver-eed a wide area from west Darwin down Cox Peninsular to Fogg Bay to see the huge cycas there, a really interesting and tall one, first that I know of named for a Mr. Burns a local gardener come botanist, the name was never made valid and even now the plants carry about three common names, Cox Peninsular, Fogg Bay and Finnis Ricer sppOoo I have even heard it said it could be a cross of Armstrongii and Angulata. Suffice to say Dendrobium affine (Syn. dicughum) grows well on its caudex. Sometimes just a litle higher than the man made wild fires go. Same week we came to the biggest cycas on the road down from Drrrwin towards Katherine, This was the very tall multi-trunked armstroagii type, about at least 10 metres high badly burned low down but just getting its new fronds, At this point it is as well to mention others in our little expedition like Honty Anderson, that very capable cycos stalwart, George Brown then curator of Darwin Gardens, Professor Robert Ornduff, Libby Debbie, Bijan Dehgan, Wrty and Bluey Bishop, these being those I actually was introduced to and I apologise if some were not mentioned as there were abeut twenty of us, Cycas armstrongii grew a11 along the roadside between Darwin and Katherine, many had new fronds after fires, it is generally the only species along that road except the very silver colony of cycas calcicola just outside Utherine, Remembering that trip out to the Fogg Bay area one could not easily forget the impressive stand of Cycas Calcicola. We wandered through skirting the edge of Litchfield Park, Silver fawn is the best described colour of their new foliage, each also with a skirt of light brown from old frmds. That day we also examined the magnetic and cathederal type termite mounds in a11 their grandeuro The following day we set out to go right to Katherine and made a side-turn into a road near Pine Creek heading up a back road toward Kakadua It was along that road we found three rather small colonies of the new pine creek species, which the botanist Sharon Chirgwin has named cycas conferta. A rather beautiful addition to our world of the cycads, wcll worth its name, previously it had been pine creek species. Dr. Deghan was very impressed and examined it wcll. Arriving at Katherine we a11 went out to Joe ?erner9s home where we saw the very impressive collection tbt literally fills his property, hardly room to walk among them. At that pint I selected from a showing of prints the photo of Joe and the Cycas furfuraceae that was used on the cover of the 1990 booklet IntroducSng Cycas. Among the places of significance seen in that week of activities apart from that garden, was the Darwin Gardens, krty Bishop's cycad/palm property and Monty Anderson ' s cycad collection, Host of my fellow enthusiasts headed then across country to Townsville for that conference, but I went back to Darwin. Before actually leaving the territory, I took a mini bus trip into the Litchfield Park itself* Others on that journey were excited about the grand waterfalls, the very panoramic scenery of which there is plenty, the spectacular climb dawn into gorges etc. etc. For me my impressions stay with the great hillsides of Cycas Calcicola we found at the upper side of the first falls, Yes, and also the gaze down to one falls over the tops of Carpentaria acuminata, maybe over thirty metres high, some seemed much more, I must not leave out the grand stands of Livistona humilis that was everywhere. These jottings would not be complete if I failed to say that back again in Brisbane on a special night, I did meet o.ther dignitaries of that cycad conference. Professor Divya Pant of India, Professor Nat Grobeelar, and Knut J, Norsogg, Professor Dehgan was also there, L.P. Butt h .L Please remember this year your subscription kecomes due June 1st. 1994. Happiest of New Year - Len Page 3. The 10 metre C4 armstrongii CLIMBING PI~~LMS by Joonn~ii'lyars I L~wyarpalms (Calamus spgl rc 2 common componank of ! many northzrn rainforests. 9hn surflca of n~erlyall I af thcsc plznts zrz libcrnlly castzd with 3pr~zding apinas, thcrns 2nd rzcurvod honks. ~pin?s~n? tharns zre produced in whurls nraund tha lcnf shcnths. Hczks ura found on the laeflotv and tho undorsidce ,pf lcavcs, md in somn sp~cias,avon on the inflor~scencns. II I Lang, slender procasszs ere also produccd frcw tha-la& ! axils zr flzgclln frcm thz cnds of tho fronds. Thcse zppz.nr!,-az3 Szar numarzuo recurvccl hcoks ond clanglo ;3r blow ab~l~i;in tha wind, which onnolcs it to cntch onto n~ighboyringplznts, Colonus zust.ra1is Forms 13r~~im~anetrnblcthickctsrJn thr7 msruins- of rainfcrast an; in gaps within th~roinforsst itsi:lT. It is an effective hooked climbar, thc 1,eaf sh~athsarc armad with numerous spinos up to 8cm long, but:.thase -em shod from the ~ldstem. Thn Fronds arc arching 2nd bear ' betwzcn thirty and fiFty laaflsts. Long whip-liko flagalla srmcd with numerous recurved hooks ai:j in climbing. .Inflorcsccnces bc3r rnasscs ~f small flawzrs which arc followad by numerous hard round ,i fruits. Thz thin lsycr of flesh around the seed Is ! odibla. Glowars in June to Fiugust. Calamus caryotoides This slender loss offensive lawyer cane is usualfy-.. .. €bun$. , . in rainfarasts. It3 fronds bcsr six to *welvo braad leoflato with blunt apicnfi nnd thc terminal lceflsts ara divided like fish-teils. Tha lczf shaatho are armed with scattarad nsadle-like spines up tn 9mm long. Vary thir, whip-like flagella armed with numerous curvad hooks from the laaf exils. 5mall flowers are borne in dense clustara on lang inflorescances. These nra fcllowed -. by round fruits which bzkomc ycllow-orange when ripe. Flowars in ~ctobzrtc Dec~mber. - - -- - +-- Cslamus mctti The lathal, beVdnot-likc yallow thorns on the laof sheqths arc an irnmadiatc guide to th~identification of this vary vigorous lawyer canc which clambors about in bath coastal and highland rninfzrcst. A11 parts of the plant arc yellowish ss if sun-blaachad. Tho fronds zra semi-zrect, often twisted 2nd bear from eighty to a hundrod : nzrrow lazflcts. Flagalla are vary long and tenacious. Inflcresc~n- ces bazr mosses of small flowars as in 3thcr spacias and are fnllowcd by hcrd ro~~ndfruits which have o layer r~fedible flash. Flowars in Uctobar to January. Calzinus muallsri Is the only indigenous speci~sof lawyar canc to oxtend b~yondQueen- elsnd. Lilia thc! othar spzcios it is found in rafnfbrcsts'and is still cpmmon in some areas closa to largc citics. The lanf shcaths snd patinlzs baar nzedlc-like spines Sbnut .lDmm long. The fzonds have fcurtesn to twenty wid~lyspjccd leaflets and flagalln in the axils. Slsnder spiny inf1:~rascencsshang for up to 50cm and boar _clustars of flcwars nzor tho tip. Thz fruits arE-iibi.jr'-h+rd and virtunlly lack a layar of adiblc fLash, Flowers 'in OacembLr to Fzbruarv. Cdamus sp. A tnll SF~~SEgp'j38ci~a which dous nct 73rm thickets but atr~gglcs through rsinfzrcot svun$ually tg omerga high in tha cnnripy. It climb with tha ;id of hgok-buaring cirri which tarminote the fronds. Tha front!;-- - ?re 3183 sgarser than in other spacics (sxcapt C. corytoidos) basring up t~ farty widaly spocsd, G~rk-grasn lcoflats. Tho long, brznching inflorsscance is wingsd :in2 bcars masses zf minute, pals Tluwzrs. Those ors, followad by round fruits nbout,.lcm acrGss that arc whits when ripe. Tha fruits or2 coten by birds. Flnwcrs in Nzv-mber to February. ' Calemus radicalis Cosstsl and hiahland- rainforests cre the home of this rocently rsdiscovared spucias which had bezn lost to science fcr many It .is now known to be quitz common and in fsct is tho dcmin nn(tOars. fcoturz of soma rninforasts on the Etherton Tableland. DISEASES AND DSECTS OF PALMACAEA by Steve Flood (B.App; Sc. Ho~rt.) The fol10wL1~:informatian is based on 'Diseases and .Pests of O~xSamental-Plants by Phone, -Pascal and .Pompey.(1970) plus my own expedience in growing palms and cmunications Yith 'officers of the*Queqsland-Department of -Primary - Industries. Bacterial wilte (~anthommas), a wilt and ~;roi,of :' coconuts and Cuban Royal palms is caused by a acter-,:*a, at first thi hwer' leave$ wilt. This is followed by. -gmiimsis .of the-zrmk,. .dis.coloraTi..cn: pq-the -v%c+ar -tissues and finaly ccmplete collapse of tha mown. No %tmiA- measws.-axlo. Mown. .for this .d+seasl;_-excepT- the isolation ' of Infected plants in order to prevent ..spread. , false Smut of Leaf Scab, (Gra~hioolaphoenics) attacks pahs b~lagingto the genera, Armga, _LHoya, Phoanh, ,Roystmsa and.+-. ~a&l;ingtmia. caushg a yell&,',spo~thg:of .the-leaves :- y&;the 'fo*a!$on- of,nur?G+&,,i~I. b+ck scabs or. warts. - In Texas 'this is&r:t tbbblesaae in -areas with-consistently high humidities.