July 2019 Number 193 In this issue... Excursion report July 2019..................................................1 Cooktown Botanic Gardens Work Party 2019...............................1 Species List .........................................5 Australian Native Plants Society (Australia) - 2019 Conference............................................8 Excursion report Blooming Biodiversity............8 Albany, Western Australia July 2019 - 29th September to 4 October 2019..............................8 Cooktown Botanic Gardens Work Party 2019 Mystery Styphelia Update.......8 Don Lawie and Stuart Worboys What's Happening.........................9 Cooktown Botanic Gardens is Queensland's Cairns Branch.............................9 northern-most botanic gardens. Established Townsville Branch....................9 not long after the town's birth in 1873, the gardens are home to historic stone-pitched Tablelands Branch...................9 waterways. and grand and unusual heritage trees. They also lie a short distance from the Endeavour River, where in 1770 Cook beached his damaged ship for repairs after an unfortunate interaction with the Great Barrier Reef. Page 1 During their sevenSGAP Cairnsweek enforcedBranch - Newsletterstay, the 193 botanist Joseph Banks, naturalist wet season plus much work has Daniels Solander and their party resulted in a green outlook of surveyed and collected more neat graveled pathways, low key extensively than anywhere else on but effective fencing, and trees, their voyage, making Cooktown shrubs and vines all thriving and arguably the birthplace of well mulched. An efficient but Australian scientific botany. unobtrusive “pop-up” watering Since 1987, Cooktown Botanic system has assisted with Gardens has been the semi-regular maintaining growth. mid-year destination for Cairns and Tablelands branches of SGAP. Over the decades, we have assisted with tasks across the gardens, from weeding to planting, from mulching to bridge renovations. On tour through the gardens. Tony pointed out several heritage trees, including a gnarled old Libidibia coriaria (formerly Caesalpinia coriaria), one of only a few recorded in Australia, and a massive old Terminalia catappa. The latter tree appears under stress, and some tree surgery is SGAP Cooktown excursion 2007 - Mary Gandini mulching the planned to reduce its mass. Banks and Solander bed, with the SGAP garden well established in the background. An old fountain, with a faded and broken giant clam as its centrepiece, is being redeveloped, However, our main focus over the with exotics replaced by a years has been the SGAP garden, Lomandra garden. not far from the Gardens' Powerhouse Museum and visitor's centre. This year, gardens Curator Tony Roberts (and SGAP Cairns Branch President) welcomed about twenty members on a brisk July Saturday morning. Our number was augmented by Jeannie and Daniel, Gardens staff members who had sacrificed their Saturday to work with us. Some present, notably Peter Radke, were present in 1986 The lily pond. at the first SGAP work party here. Tony led a familiarization walk so We were too early to catch the that we could appreciate the Gardens' only Cooktown Orchid in present state of affairs. A long flower. This flower is well out of Page 2 SGAP Cairns Branch - Newsletter 193 sight, high in a tree, apparently the bed, allowing through passage. self-sown. Over the years, SGAP Patsy had brought up some very has placed several Dendrobium welcome plants which she has bigibbums high in the trees, but nurtured from seed and a range of they unfortunately they all seemed appropriate plants was sourced to have "grown legs" and gone from the depot nursery and planted walkabout. and watered. The SGAP and Banks and Solander Saturday afternoon sped by with garden beds were a surprise. the group spreading out to Previous expeditions had always assigned tasks. In the nursery commenced with much weeding, area, Pauline Lawie assisted culling and mulching, followed by Gardens staff Jeannie and Jodie re-planting to replace losses. with identifying the multitude of Today these special gardens were rescued orchids in the shade weed-free and thoroughly mulched, house, and Pauline drew on her and the Banks and Solander garden expertise in advising on mounting extended and ready for extra and presentation of this latent plants. Ultimately, the gardens treasure store of plants. will be filled with examples of the species collected at the Endeavour River all those years ago. Of particular interest to one of us (DL) was a four metre high Grevillea pteridifolia, which was a skinny sapling when he planted it about 15 years ago. It required support then but today is displaying some golden flowers and is destined for a long life of sharing its beauty with all who are fortunate enough to visit here. Tony discussed future plans for the Gardens. A Federal Government funding injection of $2 million (promised but not yet delivered) would be used to redevelop the car park, and develop an indigenous- use space complete with totem poles. Talk over, all hands turned to gardening. The SGAP bed, although well maintained, lacked structure, so we all got to digging and planting to fill edges and gaps with shade-loving greenery such as Dianellas, Lomandras, Alpinias and ferns. An aging vine trellis and its resident Alyxia spicata were removed, and the path pushed through to the southern side of Pauline Lawie tending to the residents of the orchid house. Page 3 SGAP Cairns Branch - Newsletter 193 A word here about the nursery – in be successful but would require previous years there was a multiple personnel and radio drainage problem resulting in a control. This would be a perfect muddy floor; today the ground is training exercise for Cooktown dry, the propagation area is SES… screened and misted and the “growing-on” plants all labeled and off the ground. Previously, staff shortage had caused a bottleneck in this important area but today the site indicates that caring and dedicated gardeners work here. Many hands make light work, and indeed the maintenance and upgrading of the SGAP garden was Dendrophthoe - an attractive mistletoe which is very popular quickly finished, allowing us to with nectar-feeding birds. relax, chat and join the queue for the shower. Saturday evening Further along the access road the featured a barbecue dinner under vegetation changed to open forest the trees fringing the with Acacia and Melaleuca species neighbouring cricket oval. The dominating. Here there were many setting brought to mind the calls of “orchid” from eagle-eyed robbers’ camp in the Bizet's Chris and Chris. These were the Carmen, with lights at ground Tea Tree orchid Dendrobium level and dramatic shadows. This canaliculatum, with nascent flower time however, instead of Don Jose spikes making them easier to spot. we had hosts Tony and Trudi This is one of the few orchid officiating over a sumptuous feast species collected by Banks and of well-prepared food. Solander in this vicinity in 1770. Conversation centred on future joint activities to better involve the Tablelands, Innisfail and Cairns Branches. Old friends were not forgotten as we recalled Cairns’ Life Members Rob Jago and Mary Gandini who were on the sick list. Sunday was a day of exploring Cooktown’s surrounds. We set off for the Bore Fields (a council- owned groundwater source) in high Passiflora aurantia, whose flowers change from white to hopes of sighting some Cooktown deep pink over their short lifespan. Orchids. Stuart declared the area a Eucalyptus tetrodonta woodland, We drove out past the airport for unusual to be seen on the coast a bonus for the botanists, a this far south (but common inland sighting of the rare palm as far as Georgetown and Croydon). Livistona concinna , the Cooktown No Cookies were sighted – perhaps Palm, which only occurs in the a "Search and Rescue" type sweep Cooktown and Laura vicinities. A through the centre of the area may tall, majestic cabbage-type palm, Page 4 SGAP Cairns Branch - Newsletter 193 L. concinna’s drooping leaflets AMARYLLIDACEAE contrasted strongly with a nearby Crinum pedunculatum Mangrove Lily Livistona muelleri’s stiffly ARECACEAE upright fronds. L.concinna was Livistona concinna Cooktown Fan Palm known as Livistona sp. Cooktown Livistona muelleri Cairns Fan Palm until it was named following Ptychosperma elegans observations by Tony Irvine, a ASPARAGACEAE revered member of Tablelands SGAP. Eustrephus latifolius The final activity for Sunday afternoon was a visit to Keating’s Lagoon, a natural overflow of Meldrum Creek and a place of waterlilies, mangroves and waterbirds. On the south side of town and the way home for many, Keatings was a time of farewell and fond memories of friendships made or renewed. Until next year... Species List Ferns PTERIDACEAE Lygodium reticulatum Climbing Maidenhair PTERIDACEAE Cheilanthes Conifers and Cycads CYCADACEAE Lomandra multiflora COLCHICACEAE Cycas media Cycad Schelhammera multiflora CYPERACEAE Flowering plants - Primitive Cyperus javanicus FLAGELLARIACEAE LAURACEAE Cassytha filiformis Dodder Laurel Flagellaria indica Supplejack Endiandra glauca ORCHIDACEAE Litsea glutinosa Dendrobium cf. bigibbum Cooktown Orchid Dendrobium cf. canaliculatum Tea-tree Flowering plants - Monocots Orchid Page 5 SGAP Cairns Branch - Newsletter 193 Geodorum densiflorum Acacia flavescens Acacia holosericea POACEAE Ectrosia leporina Eriachne stipacea Heteropogon triticeus Giant Spear Grass *Melinis repens Red Natal Grass Mnesithea rottboelioides Oplismenus *Themeda