budawangia no. 12 mar.13

7/29/2019 Budawangia No. 12 Mar.13

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BUDAWANGIA*AN E-NEWSLETTER FOR ALL THOSE INTERESTED IN THE NATIVE PLANTS OF THE NSW SOUTH COAST

Contact: Dr Kevin Mills [email protected]. 12 - March 2013

Aims: To connect those interested in the native flora of the NSW South Coast,

to share up to date information on the flora of the region and to broaden the

appreciation of the regions native plants.

Editorial

One year ago this month I began this newsletter with encouragement from a couple of people whothought it would be a good idea. Well, most of you apparently think it was a good idea; I get positivefeedback from time to time that makes it worthwhile. I must thank the half dozen or so people whohave contributed material over the past 12 months please continue to do so and I encourage othersto put pen to paper (or rather fingers to keyboard!).

This edition contains the usual mix of articles as well as the regular pieces on the mystery weed andplant of the month. I gave a talk at the Eurobodalla Botanic Gardens this month and as I had not beenthere for some years I was pleased to see how far it had developed. There is an article in this editionon its history over the past 20 years. The gardens are well worth a visit and deserve our support.

This edition also contains an index to all 12 issues ofBudawangia, from March 2012 to March 2013.

Page 4 of the last edition had a typo it should have read Iridaceae not Ididaceae; thanks to the callerwho pointed this out!

I would be pleased to receive appropriate articles, however small, on interesting observations, newdiscoveries, plant name changes, etc., up to two A4 pages, including some photographs.

Nomenclature, the other foundation of botany, should provide the names as soon as the classificationis made... If the names are unknown knowledge of the things also perishes... For a single genus, a singlename.Carl Linnaeus (1707 1778), Swedish botanist who is usually credited with standardising botanical

and zoological names, through the development of binomial nomenclature. He was, of course, at theend of a long line of scholars who worked on the problem of naming living things.

Kevin Mills, Jamberoo, NSW.Tel. 02 4236 0620

* Budawangia is a monotypic, endemic genus restricted to the Budawang Range on the western edge of theSouth Coast region. The genus was named by Telford in 1992; the species Budawangiagnidioides (Ericaceae)was previously Rupicola gnidioides.


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Mystery Weed

This small, week herbaceous exotic species is

common on waste ground and in gardens.

Any takers? Answer next issue.

Plant of the Month the rarest plant species in the region?

This month I have chosen what is probably the rarest plant species occurring in our region. The shrub

Pomaderris adnata (Rhamnaceae), known as the Sublime Point Pomaderris, occurs in one small area on the

escarpment above Bulli. The total number of wild plants is reported to be no more than 10. The species was

only described in 1997 (see Muelleria 10: 27-56) and is listed as endangered under NSW legislation.

Leaves and buds ofP. adnata, taken by Kevin Mills - 2013.

Trivia Spot

A rare and endangered Tasmanian shrub called King's Holly Lomatia tasmanica (Proteaceae) may be the oldest

plant clone in the world. The plants appear to be sterile and incapable of producing viable seeds. The clonal

thickets reproduce vegetatively by root suckering and have been estimated to be at least 43,000 years old. Fossil

leaves found in a late Pleistocene deposit (c. 250,000 to 11,000 years BP) may be genetically identical to present-

day plants.


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Erythrina on the South Coast

The genus Erythrina (Fabacaee) occurs naturally in many countries in the tropics and sub-tropics. Australia has

three indigenous (endemic) species and two species have been introduced as ornamental trees and become

naturalised. The most common tree on the south coast is Coral Tree Erythrina X sykesi a tree of uncertain origin

that is sterile and only propagates by cutting. This tree is notorious for regrowing from fallen branches; thickets

of trees readily form because of their suckering habit. This tree is sometimes confused with the Illawarra Flame

Tree Brachychiton acerifolius, which is native and in a different family and not related to Erythrina at all. The

bright red flowers of both trees cause this confusion for some people. Erythrina X sykesi is deciduous, the loss of

leaves followed by the profusion of large red flowers so familiar in the Wollongong Kiama district.

The second species, also introduced into cultivation, is Cockspur Coral Tree Erythrina crista-galli a South

American species. This small tree is not as common as its larger relative, but is occasionally found naturalised or

growing on an old house site. New South Wales does have a native Erythrina, namely the Bat-Wing Coral Tree

Erythrina vespertilio, which occurs on margins of dry rainforest north of about Grafton.

Flowers ofErythrina x sykesi.

Photographs Kevin mills 2012. Flowers and leaves ofErythrina crista-galli.

No more Mistflower?

The following is the summary from the report by the CSIRO Restoring Biodiversity in NSW through Bicontrol ofMistflowerreleased 31 January 2013. Some of their study sites are in the region, as referred to in Newsletters 2

and 8.

Mistflower (Ageratina riparia: Asteraceae) is a perennial herbaceous alien plant that invades wet habitats,

particularly riparian areas and moist cliff faces in eastern Australia. On 21 October 2010, the white-smut fungus

Entyloma ageratinae, previously introduced to Hawaii, South Africa and New Zealand for the biological control of

mistflower, was found near Lamington National Park, Queensland. Field surveys confirmed that the fungus was

widespread in south east Queensland and NSW North Coast and present in the Coffs Harbour region, Mid-North

Coast, NSW. It was not found further south in NSW. Host-specificity testing of the fungus on closely-related plant

species to mistflower within the Eupatorieae tribe, including two Australian native Adenostemma species,


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revealed that only the invasive plant crofton weed (Ageratina adenophora) developed some disease symptoms,

albeit to a much lesser extent than mistflower.

Monitoring transects were established at eight sites in NSW and three in Queensland, and baseline vegetation

data were collected to enable quantitative assessment of the impact of the fungus in the future. A series of

strategic releases of the fungus to non-infected mistflower sites in NSW were made in May 2011. Monitoring sites

were revisited in May to July 2012 and a measurable adverse impact of the fungus on mistflower was recorded.

There was more than 60% decrease in percentage cover of mistflower across sites, with a corresponding

increase, by also more than 60%, of the percentage cover of other plant species. Within a very short timeframe,

the project demonstrated that the white-smut fungus has great potential as a highly effective and self-sustaining

control method for mistflower across its range.

Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Gardens, Batemans Bay

Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Gardens sits on a 42 hectare site about five kilometres south of Batemans Bay. The

Gardens celebrated its 25th birthday in 2012; first official meeting of its Management Committee was held in early1987. Two years earlier, at a meeting of Batemans Bay Coastwatchers, Pat Speirs initiated the concept to

establish and maintain a Flora Reserve to save the shrubs and trees of the coast being threatened by

development. A site on Deep Creek in Mogo State Forest seemed to have potential; part of the site had been

disturbed to build the Deep Creek Dam wall. The first community meeting held on 8th July 1986,attended by State

Forests and Eurobodalla Shire Council representatives discussed the possibility of Council obtaining an

Occupation Permit over the site. A Friends of the Gardens group was set up in September 1986 pre-dated by a

couple of months by the establishment of a Management Committee, containing Friends and Council

representatives.

The attractiveness of the site for a garden included the flat areas of degraded ground, making it easier to build ofgarden beds, buildings, roads and tracks, the site had a good range of aspects providing a wide variety of growing

conditions, it had convenient access off the Princes Highway and had not been logged since the early years of the

twentieth century.

In 1992, Council agreed to fund a Supervisors position, and in July that year the first employee, John Knight,

commenced duties. He retired after 20 years service in June 2012. Some of the volunteers whose tour of duty

began in the early 1990s are still volunteering at ERBG today. It is hard for relative newcomers to grasp the scale

of the enterprise, to try to translate landscape plans to soil, slope and species, but John brought to the

Eurobodalla years of working in Victoria with native plants in public spaces. With a few staff and hundreds of

volunteers he brought to fruition the Gardens we know and love today, battling fire, drought and windstormalong the way.

Work received a boost in October 1992 when six long term unemployed were employed to assist with walking

track establishment, and shortly after that, the appointment of a Council apprentice. However, tragedy struck in

1994 when Dr. Murray Wallace, a vigorous proponent, died and two days later bushfires totally burnt out the

Gardens, destroying the Supervisors cottage and his botanical and horticultural library. For two years the fate of

ERBG hung in the balance. Council finally decided to continue with the project, approving funding for a concept

development plan and a Visitors Centre. Water reticulation and a bore were installed to assist with fire

protection.


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In June 1997 the redevelopment of the Arboretum was proposed with commencement of fundraising activities.

Nearly 100 trees offered for sponsorship at $50 each were sold within the first 3 months, providing sufficient

funds to establish a series of walking tracks through the area. Friends and volunteers continued to work towards

clearing the site of fire ravaged debris. The Herbarium, then situated at Councils Moruya administration centre,

became a focus of attention, with many hundreds of specimens being added to the collections. Jennifer Liney was

appointed Curator, replacing Murray Wallace. She continues in that role today, having been awarded a Medal in

the Order of Australia in January 2011 for her voluntary work over 18 years, and the Herbariums collection now

numbers nearly 12,000 specimens composed of 1,400 species.

Over the years 1998-2001 Kiah Environmental Consultants were engaged to complete the landscape plans and

work began on the construction of the Visitors Centre and Herbarium. Architect Stuart Whitelaw produced the

design and working drawings at a substantial discount, while volunteers provided funds and labour. The Premier

of NSW at the time, Bob Carr, opened the building in September 2001.

Significant new projects undertaken in the first decade of this century, financed by the Friends of ERBG and by

local bodies such as the Rotary Club of Batemans Bay, the IMB Community Foundation, and the Southern Rivers

Catchment Management Authority, included the Limited Mobility Walk. Of the eight kilometres of walking tracks

at ERBG, half is graded gravel track suitable for wheelchairs and baby strollers. Councils Access Planning Action

Committee and the Friends jointly funded the high level bridge over Deep Creek to provide safe access to the

southern half of the Gardens. The IMB Childrens Walk takes kids on a 300 m discovery trail through the bush,

where they can enjoy learning about our native animals and what they eat.

The Xeriscape garden, the Sensory Garden, the Sandstone Garden, the Bird Hide and the Aboriginal Heritage Trail

all complemented by information leaflets were established within the years 2000 2010. Friends and

volunteers contributed their skills and funding not only to these projects but also to the barbecues and shelter in

the picnic area. The latest big project is the Childrens Play Space, funded by Council, Friends and the NSW

Government, officially opened on Easter Monday 2012.

Over 25,000 visitors come annually to ERBG. They comment on its tranquillity, appreciate its open spaces and

winding pathways, and praise the work of staff and volunteers. As one Sydney visitor said, A truly beautiful and

very valuable local resource. Vital in preserving the local flora. Congratulations to staff and volunteers. It is an

essential showpiece for this area.

Heather Haughton, President - Friends of ERBG


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Index to Budawangia No. 1 March 2012 to 12 March 2013

Acacia baileyana Cootamundra Wattle 11

Acacia binervia Coast Myall 11

Acacia cultriformis Knife-leaf Wattle 11

Acacia decurrens Green Wattle 11

Acacia longifolia subsp. sophorae Coast Wattle 11

Acacia mabellae 3

Acacia mearnsii Black Wattle 11

Acacia podalyriifolia Queensland Silver Wattle 11Acacia salign Golden Wreath Wattle 11

Aegiceras corniculatum 5

African Boxthorn Lycium ferocissimum 2

Ageratina adenophora Crofton Weed 12

Ageratina riparia Mistflower 2,8,12

Allan Cunningham - Botanist and Explorer 4

Alligator WeedAlternanthera philoxeroides 11

Alternanthera philoxeroides Alligator Weed 11

Alyxia buxifolia 4

Angophora hispida 10

Antarctica flowering plants 10Araujia sericifera Moth Vine or Moth Plant 11

Australian Plant Census 2

Avicennia marina 5

Baeckea sp. 9 Nowra 5

Banana PassionfruitPassiflora tarminiana 6

Bat-Wing Coral Tree Erythrina vespertilio 12

Biological control of Mistflower 2

Bitou Bush Chrysanthemoides monilifera ssp. rotundata 5

Black Wattle Acacia mearnsii 11Blandfordiacunninghamii 9

Blandfordia grandiflora 9Blandfordia nobilis 9

Blue Passionflower Passiflora caerulea 6

Boneseed Chrysanthemoides monilifera ssp. monilifera 5

Book: A Brilliant Touch. Adam Forsters Wildflower Paintings 10

Book: Flowering Wonderfully. The Botanical Legacy of Janet Cosh 10

Book:Orchid Species of the Shoalhaven, NSW Australia 4

Book: South Coast Native Trees 1

Book: Wollongongs Native Trees 7

Boronia subulifolia 7

Bossiaea bombayensis 5

Bossiaea kiamensis 5Brachychiton acerifolius Illawarra Flame Tree 9,12

Budawangiagnidioides 5

Calanthe triplicata Christmas Orchid 9

Callitrismuelleri 8

Callitris oblonga ssp. corangensis 5

Callitris rhomboidea 8

Cascuta tasmanica 5

Ceratopetalum gummiferum NSW Christmas Bush 9

Christmas Bells Blandfordia spp. 9

Christmas Bush Prostanthera lasianthos 9

Christmas Bush/Christmas Tree 9Christmas Orchid Calanthe triplicata 9

Chrysanthemoides monilifera ssp. monilifera Boneseed 5


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Chrysanthemoides monilifera ssp. rotundata Bitou Bush 5

Coast Myall Acacia binervia 11

Coast Wattle Acacia longifolia subsp. sophorae 11

Common PassionfruitPassiflora edulis 6

Coolatai Grass Hyparrhenia hirta 3

Coopernookia barbata 9

Cootamundra Wattle Acacia baileyana 11

Corymbia gummifera 10

Corymbia gummifera 6Crepidomanes vitiense 3

Crofton Weed Ageratina adenophora 12

Cunningham, Allan - Botanist and Explorer 4

Cyathea australis 7

Cyathea cooperi 7

Cyathea leichhardtiana 7

Dampiera scottiana 8

Darwin, Charles 6

Deciduous Fig Ficus superba var. henneana 10

deciduous plants on South Coast 3

Dicksonia antarctica 7Diplodium pulchellum 4

Entyloma ageratinae White-smut fungus 2,8

Erythrina vespertilio Bat-Wing Coral Tree 12

Erythrina X sykesi 12

escarpment forests 7

Eucalyptus apiculata 6

Eucalyptus aquatica 6

Eucalyptus camfieldii 6

Eucalyptus consideniana 6

Eucalyptus dendromorpha 6

Eucalyptus langleyi 6Eucalyptus ligustrina 6

Eucalyptus luehmanniana 6

Eucalyptus moorei 6

Eucalyptus multicaulis 6

Eucalyptus obstans 6

Eucalyptus recurva 6

Eucalyptus scias 6

Eucalyptus sclerophylla 6

Eucalyptus sieberi 6

Eucalyptus stricta 6

Eucalyptus sturgessiana 6Eucalyptus triflora 6

Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Gardens 12

ferns on the South Coast 7

Ficus coronata Sandpaper Fig 10

Ficus macrophylla Moreton Bay Fig 10

Ficus obliqua Small-leaved Fig 10

Ficus rubiginosa Port Jackson Fig 10

Ficus superba var. henneana Deciduous Fig 10

Flooded Gum Eucalyptus grandis 9

Gentiana wingecarribiensis 5

Golden Wreath Wattle Acacia saligna 11Green Wattle Acacia decurrens 11

Humboldt, Baron Alexander von 11
http://todayinsci.com/H/Humboldt_Alexander/HumboldtAlexander-Quotations.htmhttp://todayinsci.com/H/Humboldt_Alexander/HumboldtAlexander-Quotations.htm


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Hyparrhenia hirta Coolatai Grass 3

Illawarra Flame Tree Brachychiton acerifolius 9

Inter-generic hybrid in the Myrtaceae 10

International Code of Nomenclature 9

Jamberoo Valley forest 1840s 11

Janet Cosh 1,7

King's Holly Lomatia tasmanica 12

Knife-leaf Wattle Acacia cultriformis 11

Lactuca serriola Prickly Lettuce 7Large-leaved PrivetLigustrum lucidum 11

Leucopogon amplexicaulis 10

Ligustrum lucidum Large-leaved Privet 11

Linnaeus, Carolus 8

littoral Rainforest at Square Head 8

Lomatia tasmanica King's Holly 12

longest plant name in NSW 8

Lycium ferocissimum African Boxthorn 2

mallees 6

mangroves 5

Mistflwoer Ageratina riparia 2,8Monga WaratahTelopea monagensis 4

Moreton Bay Fig Ficus macrophylla 10

Moth Vine or Moth PlantAraujia sericifera 11

Native PassionfruitPassiflora herbertiana 6

Naturalised Wattles 11

Norfolk Island 1

NSW Christmas Bush Ceratopetalum gummiferum 9

NSW Waratah Telopea speciosissima 4

NSW Waratah Telopea speciosissima 7

Opium Poppy Papaver somniferum 9

Papaver somniferum Opium Poppy 9Passiflora alba (Passiflora subpeltata) 6

Passiflora caerulea (Blue Passionflower) 6

Passiflora cinnabarina (Red Passionflower) 6

Passiflora edulis (Common Passionfruit) 6

Passiflora herbertiana(Native Passionfruit) 6

Passiflora mollissima (syn. Passiflora tarminiana) 6

Passiflora subpeltata (White Passionflower) 6

Passiflora tarminiana (Banana Passionfruit) 6,12

Passionfruit (Passiflora) 6

Peperomia on the South Coast 2

Persoonia bargoensis 5Persoonia nutans 5

plant Species with Regional Names 5

plant terminology 3

plants shared, Norfolk Island and NSW 1

Pomaderris adnata 12

Port Jackson Fig Ficus rubiginosa 10

Prickly Lettuce Lactuca serriola 7

Prostanthera lasianthos Christmas Bush 9

Queensland Silver Wattle Acacia podalyriifolia 11

Red Passionflower Passiflora cinnabarina 6

Rupicola gnidioides 5Sandpaper Fig Ficus coronata 10

shortest plant name in NSW 8
http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Passiflora~edulishttp://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Passiflora~edulishttp://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Passiflora~herbertianahttp://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Passiflora~herbertianahttp://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Passiflora~subpeltatahttp://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Passiflora~subpeltatahttp://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Passiflora~tarminianahttp://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Passiflora~tarminianahttp://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Passiflora~tarminianahttp://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Passiflora~subpeltatahttp://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Passiflora~herbertianahttp://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Passiflora~edulis


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Small-leaved Fig Ficus obliqua 10

Spotted Gum Corymbia maculata 9

succession 7

tallest tree known in NSW 9

Telopea monagensis Monga Waratah 4,5,7

Telopea speciocissia x T. mongaensis 7

Telopea speciosissima NSW Waratah 4,7

Thelymitra kangaloonica 5

Threatened Species on the south coast 1Triplarina nowraensis 5

Weeds of National Significance (WONS) 2,5

White Passionflower Passiflora subpeltata 6

White Rain Lily Zephyranths candida 11

White-smut fungus Entyloma ageratinae 2,8

Wollongongs Native Trees (book review) 7

Zephyranths candida White Rain Lily 11

Zieria caducibracteata 6

Zieria murphyi 3

zonation 7

An increasing weed on the Robertson Plateau

The Banana Passionfruit Passiflora tarminiana, mentioned in Budawangia number 6, is becoming increasingly

common on the Robertson Plateau. There has been an infestation in the Vandenberg Road Jamberoo Mountain

Road area for many years. It does seem to be expanding its range and turning up further afield. An attractive flower

belies its nasty habit of smothering rainforest trees and other natives (see photograph below). This species is still

at a stage where eradication from the plateau is possible.

Above: The attractive flowers ofPassifloratarminiana.

Opposite: This passionfruit vine can climb high intotrees and smothers ground plants.

Photographs: Kevin Mills March 2013.

budawangia no. 12 mar.13

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