SEPTEMBER 2017 SGAP CAIRNS NEWSLETTER 174 NEWSLETTER Society for Growing Australian Plants, Cairns Branch www.sgapcairns.qld.gov.au President: Tony Roberts Vice President: Pauline Lawie Secretary: Sandy Perkins ([email protected]) Treasurer: Val Carnie Newsletter: Stuart Worboys ([email protected]) Webmaster: Tony Roberts Inside this Issue September excursion report: A stroll along Cairns Esplanade 1 Cairns Esplanade Species List................................3 Thornton Peak Expedition...........................................5 Cairns Show, 2018....................................................7 What's happening in SGAP north Queensland....................7 Tablelands Branch..............................................7 Townsville Branch..............................................7 Cairns Branch....................................................7 "What tree is that?" Cairns SGAP tree-spotting on Cairns Esplanade. Photo by Rick Wong. Cairns Esplanade consists of reclaimed coastal September excursion swamp built up by harbour dredge spoil – at least that is how it was being built when I was a boy in report: A stroll along the 40’s and 50’s. It became a pretty run-down area, but in the last decade Cairns Regional Cairns Esplanade Council has effected a renaissance and it is now a wide boulevard with walking and cycling tracks Don Lawie among the trees and a view far out to sea. Sunday in September – the cool weather is gone, the trade wind is blowing a gale and the sunshine The trees were our target for the day. Tony had is hot. But we are cool and snug, sitting around arranged with Council for us to do a critical one of the many picnic tables in welcome tree survey of Esplanade trees and report on siting shade. Our luncheon discussions range from suitability, tree health and any other relevant suitable street trees, support for the Cairns Show information that may assist Council in their next year, crocodile hazards in the Russell River management of these tree assets. We set off with down which we plan to travel next month, Stuart accessing asset numbers from his magic support for the Cooktown Botanic Gardens and telephone, Secretary Sandy making copious notes, species of food plants eaten by survivors of the Rob rattling off reams of information and the rest wreck of the Brig Maria in 1872. of us putting in what ancillary info we may have PAGE 2 NEWSLETTER 174, SEPTEMBER 2017 thought useful. Plus a lot of incidental chatter to Mimusops elengi, also called Red Coondoo, Medlar confuse the issue! or Bulletwood, is native to Northern Australia and the Indo-Malesian area. Several species caught Many of the Esplanade trees are native to our part the eye by virtue of the shape and size and general of the Queensland Wet Tropics, but there is a impression of a tree that invites one to sit and mingling of exotic tropical trees which are rest. Medlars have showy flowers that are made entirely apt for this recreation area. They mix well into garlands in India, and edible fruit. I’ll be and produce an overall effect of shade and restful looking out for them next year. shape, contrasted at various times by bursts of wonderful tropical tree flowers. An example is the Baby Ben is a pot plant sold by supermarkets for Golden Bouquet Tree Deplanchea tetraphylla which growing as an indoor decoration. Unsuspecting have just finished their flowering period. Stuart householders have been known to plant Baby Ben put a beautiful photo of the tree in flower on in the front yard and are quite amazed when he Cairns SGAP Facebook page a few weeks ago. becomes Ficus benjamina, a giant Banyan-type fig with roots that are capable of uplifting their Another spectacular flowering tree was home. Ben is entirely suitable for the Esplanade Brachytiton velutinosus, used by Council here and as and is present in numbers, providing shade and a street tree to showcase the vivid scarlet flowers fruit for many birds and promising great growth which burst after the trees have dropped their yet to come. leaves in the cool weather. Brachychtiton acerifolius, the Flame Tree which stands out like We had walked about 2 kilometres when we red beacons in the mountains around Cairns in started thinking of returning, but Rob had two January, is a close cousin to velutinosus which is a special trees he wanted us to meet. The first, in drier- country tree not suited to our wet climate. front of Cairns Hospital – a place of memories of The solution? Velutinosus stems are grafted onto healing and dedicated care for Pauline and I – was acerifolius stock to produce a thriving and a Calabash Tree (Crescentia cujete), growing with attractive tree. massive multi-trunks and weird purplish flowers growing from trunks and base. The fruit are large A number of Queensland Maple trees (Flindersia and gourd-like and it will be an interesting tree to brayleana), are planted close to the seafront where keep an eye on in the future. they are exposed to salt wind and do not look as well as they do in nature. Native to the Atherton The last of many trees for the day was a Java Tablelands, Queensland Maple is a handsome tree Cedar, Bischofia javanica, a majestic timber tree which is covered with white flowers from from Indonesia as it name implies. The bark is November. They are doing a brave job of shielding used as a dyestuff and also has medicinal the other species planted a bit further from the properties. The Esplanade specimen was in bud. sea, amongst which is their close cousin and Cairns native Flindersia ifflana, Cairns Hickory Council’s make-over has made the Esplanade a named for its tough and durable timber. As Stuart magnet for visitors. Shade, seating and open spelled out the species name I thought that, for spaces were all being utilised by a throng of the first time ever, he had made a mistake: I had people of all ages. The mix of native and tropical learned the name “ifflaiana” long ago. Before I exotic trees works very well. My day was made could have my moment of glory and point out his complete by a busking bagpiper skirling the sound error Stuart continued that “ifflana” was the of the misty Highlands over the torrid tropical original naming but it had been corrupted and seafront of Cairns – which name originated in the had just recently been restored. Stuart: 1 Don : nil. Argyll area of Scotland. [Editor's note: At the Australian Tropical Herbarium, we had to go through our entire collection of the We returned to base for smoko and chats as usual species, removing the offending "i" from ifflaiana on 78 and Stuart departed for his Ice Cream reward. The separate labels.] PAGE 3 NEWSLETTER 174, SEPTEMBER 2017 above is, of course, only a few of the trees that we Monocots examined – Sandy’s list will reveal all. ARECACEAE *Adonidia merilli Cairns Esplanade Species List Archontophoenix alexandrae Compiled by Rob Jago, Stuart Worboys and Sandy Carpentaria acuminata *Cocos nucifera Perkins. A full list of trees recorded during the *Cyrtostachys renda outing has been forwarded to the Cairns City *Livistona chinensis Council, and includes a small number of corrections Wodyetia bifurcata (foxtail palm) to the Council's asset register. Exotic trees are Eudicots marked with an asterisk (*). ANACARDIACEAE *Mangifera indica Ferns and allies APOCYNACEAE POLYPODIACEAE Allamanda cathartica Drynaria rigidula (basket fern) *Plumeria Platycerium hillii (elkhorn fern) Pyrrosia longifolia (felt fern) ARALIACEAE Schefflera actinophylla PSILOTACEAE Psilotum nudum BIGNONIACEAE *Crescentia cujete (calabash tree) Deplanchea tetraphylla (golden bouqute) Xanthostemon chrysanthus (golden BORAGINACEAE LECYTHIDIACEAE penda) Cordia dichotoma (glue berry) Barringtonia asiatica Barringtonia calyptrata PHYLLANTHACEAE CASUARINACEAE Bischofia javanica (Java cedar) Casuarina equisetifolia LYTHRACEAE Lagerstroemia speciosa (crepe POLYGONACEAE CLUSIACEAE myrtle) *Coccoloba uvifera Calophyllum inophyllum Calophyllum sil MALVACEAE PROTEACEAE Brachychiton australis Buckinghamia celsissima COMBRETACEAE Brachychiton velutinosus (flame Terminalia cattapa RHIZOPHORACEAE tree) Terminalia muelleri Carallia brachiata Hibiscus tiliaceus (cottonwood) CONVOLVULACEAE RUBIACEAE MORACEAE Ipomoea pes-caprae subsp. *Ixora Ficus brasiliensis Ficus benjamina (Big Ben) RUTACEAE DILLENIACEAE *Ficus deltoidea Flindersia brayleana (Queenland Dillenia alata *Ficus lyrata maple) Ficus microcarpa Flindersia ifflana (Cairns hickory) EUPHORBIACEAE *Ficus microcarpa var. hillii Excoecaria agallocha Ficus virens SALICACEAE Scolopia braunii (flintwood) FABACEAE MYRTACEAE *Cassia fistula Melaleuca leucadendra SAPINDACEAE *Cassia javanica Syzygium alliiligneum Cupaniopsis anacardioides Castanospermum australe Syzygium angophoroides (tuckeroo) *Delonix regia (poinciana) Syzygium forte subsp. forte SAPOTACEAE Peltophorum pterocarpum Syzygium hemilamprum subsp. Mimusops elengi (red coondoo) *Tamarindus indica hemliamprum GOODENIACEAE *Syzygium jambos (rose apple) Scaveola taccada Syzygium luehmannii Syzygium tierneyanum PAGE 4 NEWSLETTER 174, SEPTEMBER 2017 Terminalia muelleri, outside the hospital, coming into new The fluffy, nectar-filled flowers of Syzygium forte subsp. leaf. Photo by Rick Wong. forte. Photo by Rick Wong. Rick, Sharren, Don, Sandy, Pauline, Coralie, Rob, Bianca and Val, standing in the shade of Bischofia javanica. The ubiquitous shrub of tropical beaches - Scaevola Psilotum nudum, the skeleton fern. Photo by Rick Wong. taccada. PAGE 5 NEWSLETTER 174, SEPTEMBER 2017 Thornton Peak Expedition Over the last