spring 2016 Fungal diversity Chasing Lepidosperma Mistletoe update In this issue Special features FUNGAL DIVERSITY IN BAYSIDE 10 Photo by John Eichler Other articles PLANTS OF BAYSIDE 4 A GROWING DILEMMA 5 WINTER COLD AT GEORGE 9 STREET RESERVE KIDS' CORNER 12 6 HIDE AND SEEK FONW SAYS THANKS 14 CELEBRATING 20 YEARS 14 ELSTER CREEK BIRDS 15 – PART I SPRING CALENDAR 17 THE POBBLEBONK NATIONAL TREE DAY 18 8 FROG LIFE IN THE FAST LANE 20 GARDEN DREAM 21 COMES TRUE VOLUNTEER GROUPS 22 CLEAN UP AT 16 POBBLEBONK MISTLETOE 18 UPDATE Manufactured with Manufactured using 100% FSC® post process chlorine free consumer waste. (PCF) pulps. Cover image: Pseudohydnum gelatinosum Summer By The Sea 2–26 January 2017 Plants of Bayside With Aaron Hurrell from Citywide The Friends of Bayside will be hosting a range of free activities this summer Sweet Bursaria featuring self-discovery walks, Rakali night Bursaria spinosa ssp. spinosa, also known as Sweet watches, Boon Wurrung cultural heritage Bursaria or Blackthorn is a small tree growing around 2–6m high x 2–3m wide. The Summer by the Sea program of It has been known to be very variable in form; spiny and events will be announced in December. small leaved forms are found in drier areas and forms lacking spines, and larger leaves are found in wetter areas. The flowers of the Sweet Bursaria are attractive, fragrant and often found in masses of creamy white blossom on the end of branches from December to March. The seedpods are bronze in colour and are a flattened, purse like shape. The tree was well used by Aborigines; the flowers produced honey as a food source and the wood was used for weapons. Sweet Bursaria can be found within the various parks here in Bayside as well as most of the state and are grown at the Bayside Community Nursery for sale. The Sweet Bursaria is a wonderful looking tree that is a fantastic addition to any garden. They can also withstand full sun to semi shade. If you are planning to plant Sweet Bursaria, they will require well drained soil but will tolerate some moisture. For more information about Summer By The Sea activities around Bayside, visit the Bayside Environmental Friends Network Facebook page. Reference: Bull, Marilyn (1991) 4th edn. Flora of Melbourne: A guide facebook.com/summerbythesea to the indigenous plants of the greater Melbourne area Carlton Vic: Hyland House Publishing pp. 114 4 Banksia Bulletin | Spring 2016 Tess Worthington Citywide Nursery Coordinator collecting propagation material Pauline Reynolds preparing cuttings A growing dilemma? Gompholobium huegelii Plants of Bayside With Aaron Hurrell from Citywide Rob Saunders Ours also grows in sandy heath and So does that mean we should bring other Rare Plants Group woodlands while its more usual Karallas from further afield to enhance habitat is dry sclerophyll forest in the the genetic diversity of our population? Of the 430 or so indigenous plants mountains of the Great Dividing Range. This is an interesting question that recorded from what is now Bayside, There is clearly a risk of species like raises issues for the future. As climate only about half remain in the wild the Karalla becoming locally extinct, change develops, genetic diversity and – growing naturally in our reserves but does that really matter if it occurs adaptation will become more important. – and some of those have already elsewhere? The nearest other Karallas are probably become locally rare. One perspective is that local at Braeside Park or The Grange Reserve A good example is the Karalla or provenance is an important part of in Clayton South, so cross-pollination Wedge-pea (Gompholobium huegelii), genetic diversity: our Karalla might with ours is unlikely to happen naturally. a small shrub that is particularly be better adapted to certain conditions, But to bring plants from there to Bayside attractive when in flower. There is only and its genes may be important for the could swamp our local gene pool. one known plant remaining in Bayside. future of the species. For the moment we have decided The Karalla does occur elsewhere in As time goes by and widely to propagate cuttings from our last the eastern states, from near the QLD/ distributed populations become remaining Karalla. We can then NSW border to Tasmania. But Bayside’s isolated from each other, genetic reintroduce it to locations from seem to be distinctive, as its flowers diversity can reduce making the species which it seems to have disappeared: are a slightly paler lemon yellow than more susceptible to loss because of Balcombe Park, Gramatan Avenue the typical butter yellow of the species. things like climate change. Heathland Sanctuary and Royal Melbourne Golf Course. It would be great to collect seed too, but for the last two seasons, despite There is clearly a risk of species like the many flowers, no seedpods have formed. Karalla becoming locally extinct, but does We hope that having multiple plants might help with fertilisation. It would be that really matter if it occurs elsewhere? a shame to lose this beautiful plant. Banksia Bulletin | Spring 2016 5 Hide and seek Prof. Jeremy Bruhl Director, N.C.W. Beadle Herbarium University of New England Look down and around to discover unique Bayside biodiversity Lepidosperma laeve plant at Long Hollow Reserve. Photo by Jeremy Bruhl 6 Banksia Bulletin | Spring 2016 Above: Lepidosperma laeve-leaf bases showing resin. Photo by Jeremy Bruhl Right: Lepidosperma laeve-inflorescence. Photo by Jeremy Bruhl Ever looked up at the sky and dangerous species, ‘Razor Sedge’. Mostly, phytochemistry is being done by our wondered what is there and how they are not spectacular other than colleagues led by Colin Duke at the much we know of the universe? to besotted botanists like Val Stajsic, University of Sydney. Sure you have. from the National Herbarium of Colin observed honeybees on Ever looked down and around the Victoria, and me, who collected at Long Kangaroo Island visiting the leaf green spaces of Bayside and wondered Hollow Heathland Reserve. bases of some resiniferous species what is there and how much we know? Why was I chasing Lepidosperma? of Lepidosperma. The bees collect the The answer is, much less than most In the Bayside area, various names resin to make propolis, which they people think we do. have been used for some species of use to patch up their hives. His group I was making the most of a visit to Lepidosperma. Understanding how has characterised the chemicals in the Melbourne last month, to undertake many species are involved requires resins, discovering novel compounds fieldwork for a couple of projects based high quality samples for comparative of potential therapeutic value. George, at the University of New England study of fruit, stem and leaf morphology Karen and I, together with Russell (UNE) in Armidale, NSW. One of and anatomy, materials for molecular Barrett from Western Australia, those project is on sedges, the family analysis and resins for phytochemistry. have undertaken the morphological, Cyperaceae, which includes Papyrus Knowing what names to apply, where anatomical and molecular studies, and and Chinese Water Chestnuts (which several are available requires an taxonomic analyses. George has been are not chestnuts at all). understanding of the archived able to demonstrate that each species Thanks to Bayside City Council and historical type collections used to of Lepidosperma with resinous bases Royal Melbourne Golf Club, along with a anchor the names when they were has a different chemical profile. research permit from the Department of originally published. The specimens collected at Bayside Environment, Land, Water and Planning, At UNE, George Plunkett has recently (see images), will be studied in detail I was able to collect some species of the completed a PhD study with Karen at our N.C.W. Beadle Herbarium at UNE. sedge genus Lepidosperma, still growing Wilson from the National Herbarium of Preliminary matching indicates that we in remnant vegetation that is all too NSW and me. George, with a BushBlitz should be applying the Robert Brown rare in Melbourne. It’s not surprising grant, is continuing those studies and name (he was the fantastic botanist that most species of Lepidosperma don’t preparing an interactive identification on the ‘Investigator’ with Matthew have a common name, and when they do tool. The first version should be released Flinders), Lepidosperma laeve. it’s ‘Sword Sedge’ or for another, more towards the end of next year. The The type specimen of this species was collected in c. 1803 in Port Phillip. I hope to report back around this time next year with the findings of Ever looked down and around the green our current studies in Lepidosperma spaces of Bayside and wondered what and confirm the names that should be is there and how much we know? applied locally and further afield. Banksia Bulletin | Spring 2016 7 The Pobblebonk Frog The Pobblebonk Frog By Lewis Hillier Friends of Native Wildlife The Pobblebonk Frog (Limnodynastes snake (Austrelaps superbus) and in the species over the past 40 years, dumerilii) is often elusive. Hiding various birds such as egrets. however it is still considered stable and in water plants or underground, it With a preference to sticking to classed as ‘least concern’ overall. prefers still or sluggish waterbodies. vegetation cover and relying on Evidence suggests the species may Its presence is usually betrayed by camouflage to avoid predators, it be negatively impacted upon by habitat a loud ‘bonk’ coming from aquatic will arch its back to appear larger to fragmentation, and unfortunately vegetation. This is where the species intimidate the opponent if preyed upon. populations may succumb to the derives its common name, although The Pobblebonk possesses some amphibian chytrid fungus, which alternative names can include the Banjo adaptations to seasonal dry periods has been implicated in widespread Frog and Southern Bullfrog.