AUSTRALIAN NATIVE PLANTS SOCIETY CANBERRA REGION (INC) Journal Vol. 17 No. 10 June 2014 ISSN 1447-1507 Print Post Approved PP100000849 President's Report Contents President's Report to Members Neville Page 1 to Members Summer Walks 2014 Ros Cornish 3 I’m pleased to present this, my first Privacy Jacques Labillardière Lesley Page 14 President’s Report to members of the Horse Island Ros Walcott 16 Australian Native Plants Society — In recent times our email communications have experienced some “address ANPS Autumn Plant Sale Report Paul Carmen 21 Canberra Region. During the past six months the Society has experienced a harvesting” by people who then use those Plant Science Group of Friends of the ANBG Janet Russell 23 high level of activity, not to mention some email addresses for purposes unrelated to Bridging the Murray Victoria Tanner 24 controversy as well. Highlights have been: ANPS activities. With a view to protecting member privacy, we have set up a number Propagation Workshop Report Paul Carmen 29 2015 Conference of closed email distribution lists, which Study Group Notes Lesley Page 30 have inbuilt protection against improper The ANPSA Conference in November use. There are lists for Wednesday Walkers, ANPS contacts and membership details inside back cover 2015 will be hosted by Canberra ANPS. Daytime Activities and Field Trips. Any The conference committee, under the member is entitled to have his or her email leadership of Ben Walcott, has made added to one or more of the lists. Individual considerable progress in mapping out a email addresses do not appear on emails Cover: Eucalyptus pressiana flower; Photo: Glenn Pure plan of activities. The conference will be sent to the respective group, only the held at the Australian Institute of Sport, with list address. An additional closed list will the theme “Bush Capital — Garden City”. A be created for plant sale participants, number of prominent speakers have been such as growers, shadehouse minders, Journal articles The deadline dates for submissions are 1 February (for lined up, and work is currently under way propagation members etc. towards creating the Conference website. The Journal is a forum for the exchange of members' March edition), 1 May (June), 1 August (September) and 1 November (December). Send articles or photos to: Autumn Plant Sale and others' views and experiences of gardening with, Membership propagating and conserving Australian plants. Journal Editor A successful plant sale was conducted at All contributions, however short, are welcome. Gail Ritchie Knight Our membership currently stands at 240, the Australian National Botanic Gardens Contributions may be typed or handwritten, and 1612 Sutton Road including life members. This number (ANBG) in March 2014, though some includes family membership, so the “volunteer fatigue” was apparent at the accompanied by photographs and drawings. Sutton NSW 2620 number of people actually subscribing end of the day. On the Friday (set-up day) Submit photographs as either electronic files, such as e-mail: [email protected] to ANPS activities exceeds 240. Member we had 32 volunteers present, and on the JPEGs, or prints. Set your digital camera to take high tel: 0416 097 500 meetings have been well-attended, with Saturday (sale day) we had 37 volunteers resolution photos. Please send JPEGs separately and Paid advertising is available in this Journal. Contact the about 40 to 50 present on each occasion. present. The sale had a 70% clearance rate, not embedded in a document. If photos are too large Editor for details. In February, fellow member Roger Farrow which is about normal for the Autumn to email, copy onto a CD and send it by post. Please spoke about the ANPS field trip to the sales. At our Spring sales on the other enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope if you Society website: http://nativeplants-canberra.asn.au Flinders Ranges in 2011. In March we had hand, we usually sell out. The economists would like your prints returned. If you have any queries Printed by Elect Printing, Fyshwick, ACT Michael Anlezark talk about planning for among you would put that down to the please contact the editor. http://www.electprinting.com.au/ the Eurobodalla Botanic Gardens, and in simple law of supply and demand. The Original text may be reprinted, unless otherwise indicated, provided an acknowledgement for the source is given. Permission to reprint non- April Associate Professor David Watson more favourable growing conditions over original material and all drawings must be obtained from the copyright holder. The views and opinions expressed in articles are those of the from Charles Sturt University gave a most the summer period result in more plants authors and are not necessarily the views and opinions of the Society. interesting presentation on mistletoes. being available for sale at Autumn sales, Journal, Australian Native Plants Society, Canberra Region Inc — June 2014 1 but our customers tend to prefer the months period of closure will be used to Spring sales for planting purposes. investigate whether any changes should be made to the process. At the end of We can address the demand side of Summer Walks 2014 the six months (September) Council will the equation in part by improving our decide whether to re-open the database, By Ros Cornish advertising. In that regard, I’m pleased or extend the closure for a further period. to advise that Anne Campbell has kindly agreed to manage the sale advertising. Group Activities Anne has put together an excellent advertising proposal that we will put in For the past few years, Shirley Daniels place for the Spring sale and subsequent has carried out the role of coordinator sales. I’d like to thank Anne very much for of the ANPS Daytime Activities Group, taking on that job. Whilst wanting our previously known as the Tuesday plant sales to be successful, we must also Meeting Group. Shirley has now handed be conscious of our capacity constraints. over the role to Bill Willis. I’d like to thank Shirley sincerely for a job well done, and One constraint is the size of the selling wish Bill all the best in this new endeavor. area at ANBG, and the other key constraint is the number of member Wednesday Walks (WW) continue Wednesday Walkers, Bald Hill Fire Trail; Photo: Lucinda Royston volunteers we have to run the sale. The unabated, challenged only by the ANPS Council is monitoring these factors occasional bad weather. Organiser Ros We were surprisingly lucky this summer to ensure that the sales are successful Cornish, together with other members in not having to miss any scheduled whilst remaining manageable. of the Wednesday Walkers Group, has walks because of hot weather. We just completed a revision of the WW covered a lot of ground ranging from Plant Label Database Guidelines. Additional information deep in Namadgi National Park out to about forthcoming walks etc will soon the Corn Trail in the coastal range and The ANPS Plant Label Database was set be available on the ANPS website as well. lots in between. up a number of years ago to provide Monthly Field Trips continue to attract a accurate descriptions of plants offered good number of participants, including Smokers Flat and Orroral at our plant sales. It is maintained and trips to the Victorian Alps, Newnes and Valley Lookout updated by volunteers who form the Bundanoon. Lots more exciting trips are Database Group. As well as providing planned for the rest of the year. The walk is along part of the Square Pimelea treyvaudii, Smoker's Flat; Photo: Jean Geue Rock walking track. It climbs gradually accurate descriptions and characteristics, As you can see from the foregoing from the car park on Corin Dam Road hirtella, Ozothamnus thyrsoideus and the label database also ensures that the comments, ANPS remains a vibrant and through tall forest to Smoker’s Flat where many Cassinia aculeata in bud (pink high reputation for plants bought at the active Society catering to a wide variety there are several interesting swamps. ANPS sales is maintained. of member activities. So let’s keep it that as well as white). Ozothamnus stirlingii There were many interesting plants way. was also in bud. We saw a few orchids Recently some reservations have been flowering in early December, allowing too — Stegostyla moschata, Petalochilus expressed by growers about process With best wishes us to stop many times to catch our carneus, Diuris sulphurea, Gastrodia and timeliness. The Council has decided Neville Page breath — Olearia erubescens, O. lirata, sesamoides, Calochilus paludosus and to close the database for six months, O. megalophylla, Calotis scabiosifolia Diuris monticola. during which time no new plants will be var. integrifolia, Bulbine glauca, Daviesia added. Exceptions were made for a small mimosoides, D. ulicifolia, Podolobium We continued on past the swamps to number of additions which were already alpestre, Pultenaea capitellata, Stylidium the Orroral Lookout where we had lunch in progress at the time of closure. The six graminifolium, S. armeria, Coprosma with spectacular views to the Orroral 2 Journal, Australian Native Plants Society, Canberra Region Inc — June 2014 Journal, Australian Native Plants Society, Canberra Region Inc — June 2014 3 Bald Hill Fire Trail This was a new area for us and proved rewarding. We approached the Bald Hill Fire Trail (FT) from the Mulloon Fire Trail in Tallaganda National Park. Our first stop was on the Mulloon FT at the top of the Range where the North Black Range FT intersects. Immediately we saw the “plant of the day” — Thysanotus Podolepis jaceoides, Bald Hill FT; Photo: Graeme Kruse tuberosus. At most of the stops we saw lots, with many flowers and showing up really well against the largely dark grey forest floor.