General Meeting - 21 June 2016 June Club Night again made Northern Group members‟ appreciate the abundance of knowledge and excellent speaking skills within APST membership. Mick and Helen Statham visited the USA last year timing their trip to be there for the Fall season. They were surprised at the bumper to bumper traffic jams, four and a half kilometre road blocks on the way to White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire and amused at the nightly news “leaf report” on TV. Mick not only showed us colourful photos of maples and other deciduous plants but explained the biochemistry involved. Temperate deciduous plants occur in areas where there is a big temperature range. They tend to have large leaves and thin sap which aids photosynthesis and supply of nutrients in the short growing season. The disadvantage is that big leaves collect snow and ice and thin sap can freeze, so they drop their leaves. As it gets colder, a layer of cells develop which produce cork cells (the abscission layer) resulting in a weak point in the petiole (stem) and the leaves, like many fruit, fall off. Related to this, Mick also explained why the leaves change colour so spectacularly which we also see in the Tasmanian Nothafagus gunnii, the endemic Tasmanian deciduous tree.

AUSTRALIAN PLANTS SOCIETY TASMANIA Inc. NORTHERN GROUP

www.apstasnorth.org Email: apstasnorth@gmail.com 45 Osborne Avenue, Trevallyn. Tas. 7250

September Edition 2016

― Why Leaves Colour and Fall ― June Speaker : Mick Statham

Why Leaves are seen as Green, Yellow, Orange and Red. In the warmer months chlorophyll, a and b absorb much of the light energy that falls on the leaves and use this energy to produce sugars (and starches and cellulose) from carbon dioxide and water absorbed from the atmosphere. Chlorophyll a and b absorb and make use of red light and blue-violet light but not green light. The green light is reflected and hence leaves look green. As the sunlight hours diminish and the weather cools, the level of chlorophyll in leaves drops allowing other colourful compounds to become visible. Carotenes (orange pigments) and xanthophylls ( yellow pigments) are more stable than chlorophyll and persist in the leaf giving it its orange or yellow colour. These two chemicals are also involved in photosynthesis. As the leaves age further all the pigments are used and in many species the brown of tannin is left. Tannins act as a defence mechanism against pathogens, herbivores and hostile environmental conditions protecting the trees over the winter as they occur in almost all parts of the plants.

Photos of the maples and other deciduous North American trees were taken by Mick and Helen

Statham on their trip to New Hampshire, Fall, 2015.

Julie Nermut spoke about plants she greatly

admires–Eremophilas.

In the Family Scrophulariaceae, Tribe Myoporeae,

Eremophilas are endemic to Australia. The first

plants were collected in the Spencer Gulf by

Robert Brown, the botanist with Matthew Flinders‟

ship “Investigator” in1802. Since then, over 260 species have been discovered

with 43 species and 24 subspecies in the last 20 years. There are also several

hundred hybrids and cultivars. They are located widespread across Australia in

arid areas.

A fascinating fact was that some Eremophilas are pollinated by birds and others

by insects. Colour and shape make the difference with brighter colours attracting

birds and the purples, blues and mauves the insects. Stigma. style, anther and

filament also protrude in the plants attracting birds.

(The photos on this page are from Australia’s Eremophilas, changing gardens for

a changing climate by Norma Boschen, Maree Goods and Russell Wait. 2008

A Favourite Plant — Eremophilas June Speaker : Julie Nermut

Eremophilas

Julie illustrated how the same Eremophila species, latrobii can vary with the red soils of the Victoria Desert SA producing green leaves while the grey soils of Tibooburra NSW having very blue-green leaves. Others only grow in specific areas, like E.christophorii in the Macdonald Ranges and E. freelinssii in the Trephina Gorge NT.

Others vary from small trees such as E.gelesii ( pictured above, left) near Windorah whose wind/insect pollinated large flowers are a brilliant mauve to Eremophila gibsonii, ( photo left) at Mt Augustus, a large shrub with white or mauve flowers.

Julie also found E.cuneifolia, E reticulata and E. maculata ( all pictured below left to right) on a station at Mt Augustus south of Mt Magnet WA in natural bushland.

Propagation is difficult and Julie has tried many techniques including smoked water, fire, temperature variation, stratification

and growth hormone. Cuttings and grafting with Myoporum stock works well. However, Eremophilas are well worth growing as

they have low water usage, grow in a range of soils, are variable in size and foliage colour, grow in shade or full sun, attract

birds and insects and have very showy red, pink, blue, purple, white and yellow flowers. Some tolerate light frost but grey

forms can get fungus and all get root rot if too much water. Plant in spring, mulch and prune after flowering for good results.

Julie‟s wonderful photos were much admired. ( All photos on this page by Julie Nermut).

WHEN: 8th OCTOBER 2016 Open 10 am until 4 pm. WHERE: MAX FRY HALL, Gorge Road, Trevallyn Spread the word about APST Northern Group‘s Spring Sale. Many different species for sale. Free pamphlets: ―Native Plants of the Cataract Gorge Reserve‖ produced by City of Launceston. Get free advice on growing native plants.

APST SPRING NATIVE PLANT SALE 2016

Chorizema sp. On sale

Epacris longiflora

June Plant of the Month Rosemary Verbeeten chose Backhousia citriadora as June

Plant of the Month.

Backhousia is an endemic genus of 13 currently known species of

flowering plants in the family of Myrtaceae. Rosemary listed the

species which are from Queensland and NSW including

B.citriadora while Backhousia gundarara is from the Kimberley's,

WA. The genus was named after James Backhouse an English

naturalist, nurseryman, Quaker missionary and artist who travelled

through colonial Australian from 1832 to 1838. Species in

Blandfordia, Correa , Octoclinus, Helichrysum and Wilsonia are

also named after him.

Backhousia citriadora is a medium shrub to tree growing from about 3 metres up to 20 metres in height in its natural

habitat and has a low branching habit. Leaves elliptical or lanceolate in shape and glossy dark green with slightly

toothed margins and are strongly lemon scented. The very attractive flowers are creamy white in umbrel-like clusters

near the ends of branches. It flowers over Summer and Autumn and the flowers are attractive to bees and nectar eating

birds and butterflies. A beautiful ornamental which only grows to a medium sized shrub in Tasmania and the lemon

scented leaves can be used for culinary purposes. ( Photo by R. Verbeeten).

July General Meeting saw two stalwart members of Northern Group, Rosemary Verbeeten and Margaret Killen, give presentations. Rosemary was our main speaker giving us an entertaining and amusing speech titled, “My Garden and Lessons Learnt”. Since moving to Lanena in the Tamar Valley from West Gippsland 22 years ago, Rosemary, along with husband, Alf, has transformed a one hectare sheep paddock containing not only sheep but cracked willow, blackberries, boneseed and pampas, into a superb natural-style Australian native garden. The “before” land (left) with sheep and remnant orchard and below right, the developed front garden.

First, Rosemary and Alf transformed a very ordinary house into an elegant, colonial-style home which takes advantage of views of the Tamar Estuary. In preparing the garden, they soon found the soil was grey loam over hard packed clay which gets waterlogged in winter and hydrophobic in summer. Although Rosemary says the garden has not been formally planned, anyone visiting today finds this hard to believe finding winding paths and vistas taking advantage of the natural habitat, water features, bridges, sculptures, herb, vegetable and fruit gardens, not to mention the multitude of colourful and diverse native plants and a great chook house!

GENERAL MEETING 19 July Guest Speaker: Rosemary Verbeeten MY GARDEN & LESSONS LEARNT

The frog pond (above) is now a central feature of the garden, but it began as a hole lined with a purple carpet from the house they bought which Rosemary was pleased ‗to drown‘. A roof downpipe feeds the pond which only needs the occasional top up in a dry year. Along with ephemeral ponds to make use of soak areas, these water features harbour native hens, brown tree frogs, smooth frogs and the common frogs as well as many bird species.

Wide grassed swathes were kept for vehicular access and native grazing by possums, pademelons, bandicoots and wombats. With the garden maturing, there is abundant bird life with 30 different species observed over a 12 month period. Rosemary now propagates most her own plants with an increased emphasis on the indigenous plants of Tasmania. Some of her favourite plants are Banksias, Callistemons, Orthrosanthus multiflorus, Correas, Eremophilas, Clematis clitrioides, Poa, Lomandra, Dianella and Lepidsperma,Asterotrichion discolour, alogyone huegelii, Eryngium ovinum, Dietes robin-sonana, Elaeocarpus reticulatus and Gastrodia sesamoides. ―Now onto lessons learnt‖ says Rosemary: Make sure your fencing is secure and animal proof –worth every dollar spent; develop one section at a time but keep in mind an overall plan; do not plant too many grevilleas or wattle birds will dominate to the detriment of smaller species and honeyeaters and other birds need seeds to eat as well; grasses are important too for seeds, nesting material and ground cover for small fauna and lizards; diversity is important including climbers; rocks and logs as edging are a great habitat for beetles, worms and insects; plant in late autumn with tube stock; ―groom‖ continuously by carrying secateurs as you walk around – prune, prune, prune and start early in a plant‘s life and you will be rewarded with denser, healthier shrubs. Time becomes a dimension of a garden as plants develop, light and moisture levels change. The garden is always evolving. Rosemary hoped she inspired us and she certainly did!

July Plant of the Month presented by Margaret Killen

Xanthorrhoea Grass trees and are an ancient, unique and iconic feature of the Australian landscape and eight years ago she was lucky enough to be given one for her birthday. It is now flourishing and this year producing a flower spike. The 28 species are distributed around Australia with four of these in Tasmania: Xanthorrhoea arearia, Xanthorrhoea australis, Xanthorrhoea minor and Xanthorrhoea nana. They are slow growing with a growth rate 10-20mm per year and those species which develop trunks take about 20 years to do so. They are also long lived with some known to be about 600 years old. Xanthorrhoea‘s are related to lilies and share many attributes with Lomandras (saggs) to which they are closely related. Their structure has a trunk, if included, a grass skirt and flower spike. Xanthorrhoea macronema is an example of a species which does not have a trunk. The flower spikes are long and cylindrical rising one to three meters above the skirt, the white to yellow flowers (florets) develop along the stem and turn into black seeds, at each stage providing food for birds and insects. Cultivation is considered difficult with seeds taking up to a year to germinate and then a slow growth rate. The Aboriginals had many uses for this plant as tools and especially for food, using the tender white section of the leaf bases and succu-lent roots. Seeds were ground into flour for dough to make damper. Edible grubs lived in the base and honey extracted from bees‘ nests which were bored into the soft pith of the flower spike. A sweet or, with some days of fermentation, slightly alcoholic drink was obtained by washing the nectar from the flower spike. Early settlers also made use of the plant notably using the resin as a replacement for incense in churches or as an ingredient of varnish for floors and furniture and a polish for metals and other uses. Conservation of Xanthorrhoea has become a concerning issue as their communities are continually reduced by land clearing, urban and rural development and the spread of the fungal disease, Phytophthora.

Margaret‘s healthy Xanthorroea australis in her garden and showing the start of the flower spike which has since grown immensely in a short time.

16 AUGUST General Meeting CLUB NIGHT A pleasing attendance for Club Night heard Lynne Mockridge, Jill Clark, Louise Skabo, Peter Dowd and Roy Skabo give five diverse presentations. Lynne Mockridge gave the Plant of the Month talk with Mentha australis, the native mint. This is widespread throughout Australia near creeks and rivers but only known in Tasmania from small subpopulations in riparian habitats of the South Esk and Rubicon Rivers in the north. It is one of two native mints in Tasmania the other being Mentha diemenica. They are in the Lamiaceae family and are both herbs with small flowers. M.australis is a soft, sprawling, sometimes erect, strongly aromatic perennial herb. Recruitment is by suckering or from seed. The four-lobed white flowers are in clusters in the upper

leaf axils so that the branches are visible between. The leaves are quite narrow (three times long as wide), about 2 to 5 cm long with pointed teeth. It is listed as endangered. However, M.australis grows well in the home garden and is excellent for culinary purposes. Next, Jill showed us photos of the wide range of birds which visit her garden and the plants which most attract them. Some of Jill‟s visitors include the crescent honeyeater, eastern spinebill, Tasmanian thornbill along with black faced cuckoo shrikes and butcher birds. The yellow tail cockatoos shred her Banksia marginata and Banksia „Birthday Candles‟ while the honeyeaters love Jill‟s Callistemon „Little John‟, Anigozanthos sp., Grevillea juniperina and Hymenosporum flavum.

A prostrate form of Brachysema attracts small birds which worries Jill because of neighbourhood cats. Four cheeky magpies regularly land on the balcony, and Jill‟s bird baths are popular with the smaller birds.

These two photos of Mentha australis are

from Greg Jordan’s Tasmanian dicot Key

CLUB NIGHT

Roy and Louise grew Ceratopetalum gummiferum, the NSW

Christmas bush covered with red sepals in December when

they lived in NSW but now enjoy its colour in late summer

and all through autumn in coastal Tasmania.

C.gummiferum is one of nine Ceratopetalum which grow in

Australia and New Guinea. C.gummiferum is native to

Sydney and north NSW coastal regions where it is a loved

wildflower used in the cut flower industry. Although it can be

kept trimmed to a bush, it matures to a small pyramidical,

evergreen tree, 6 x 3 m. Leaves comprise three leaflets and

new growth is bright yellow green or reddish.

Clusters of small creamy-white five-petaled flowers appear

from December but as they die, the sepals/calyxes greatly

enlarge and become pink or red in colour. (This can be

seen in the photo on the right).

C.gummiferum is one of those group of plants which have only small flowers but enlarge their sepals for a

great show of colour. Others are Bourgainvilleas, Hydrangeas and Poinsettias. C. gummiferum grows on the

Tasmanian east coast and can withstand moderate frosts. It requires moist but well drained soil to avoid

dieback from root rot fungus. For propagation, sow whole seed with calyx attached or cuttings. It is a mass

of pink sepals in late summer and a great ornamental small tree for a warm spot in a garden.

Peter loves native trees and spoke about Phyllocladus

aspleniifolius, the celery top pine. Although not a true pine,

Phyllocladus does belong to the classification Gymnosperms

meaning ‗naked seed‘ as there is no ovary or fruit protecting it

but it is surrounded by modified leaves known as a cone giv-

ing rise to the sub-classification of coniferaea. The generic

name Phyllocladus refers to the fact that photosynthesis is

performed in ‗ leaf branches‘ called cladodes.

There are many other plants that have non-dedicated leaves.

All but three of the Tasmanian Acacias develop phyllodes on adult plants

and these perform photosynthesis. Some cacti have cladodes including

the dreaded prickly pear. The specific name aspleniifolius refers to its

superficial resemblance to some species of the ferns in the genus

Asplenium. The mature trees are 6-18 m high, monoecious or dioecious.

The leaves of seedlings are linear, acuminate,1 cm long, while on the

adult plant, leaves are reduced to small deciduous scales. Celery top pine

is widespread in temperate and wet sclerophyll forests from sea level to

2500feet. ( Photos Steve Allwood)

Juvenile plant retaining some seedling leaves and starting to form cladodes ( left) and cladodes –leaf branches—(above right).

Male flowers Female flowers

CLUB NIGHT Roy commenced by showing us a photo and asking, “What is this”? No one knew this WEIRD ONE! He explained how he espied it on several islands in the Whitsundays growing at the base of some rain-forest trees. Having no idea himself, photos were sent for ID to Brisbane Botanical Gardens. Promptly, they replied, identifying the species as Balanophora fungosa, a parasitic genus which is restricted to Queensland tropics and sub-tropics, sea level to 900m. It is also found in Asia and some Pacific islands. The genus was first described in 1775 by Johann Reinhold Forster and his son George Forster. Like other members of its genus, B. fungosa is holoparasitic and contains no chlorophyll. The aerial parts of the plant consist of a hard, irregularly shaped tuber from which the flower-bearing structures extend. The leaves are scale-like, pale cream in colour, 8–30 millimetres long, 7–20 millimetres wide and more or less stem clasping.

The plant is monoecious, bearing both female and male flowers. Thousands of minute female flowers cover a globe-shaped structure about the size of a golfball. About 20 male flowers are arranged around the base of the globe, each about 3–5 millimetres in diameter and are cov-ered with powdery white pollen.

The male flower is above left , highly magnified and the female flower, also highly magnified, is pictured right. Twelve species of plant in eight families are known to be hosts to Balanophora fungosa including some of those in the genera Syzygium, Olea and Rapanea. The plant is sometimes a weed in coffee and tea plantations. Numerous small animals visit the flowers, including ants, springtails, flies, bees, moths and even rats.

Above are two other plants in the genus Balanophora . Left is B. harlandii from Hong Kong. Certainly ‗weird ones of the plant world. ( Photos by Roy Skabo and from the Internet.)

APST Northern Group NURSERY NEWS Nursery Manager :Sharon Percy Assistant Nursery Manager: Janet Hallam

It was high time we potted on or planted a group of these Melaleuca diosmifolia (Green honey myrtle), so Prue Wright, Marion Simmons and Karen Manning got to work at the August 2016 Propagation Day. We all thought the pot-bound roots quite artistic though. This month, Noel Manning took on the less popular job of cleaning the dirty pots while others propagated new seedlings and cuttings. The plants are looking healthy after a rather mild by wet winter. During Sharon‘s long sojourn on the mainland, members have been diligently watering the plants when required and Janet Hallam has organised the John Simmon‘s Shade House in chronological order making it easier to check for potting-on or discarding of plants. We had a wonderful sunny winter‘s day work in August with fourteen enthusiastic members attending.

Relocation of Northern Group Nursery by Roy Skabo Janet Hallam and Julie Nermut are to be congratulated on their successful negotiations with the West Tamar Council which resulted in an offer by the WTC to accommodate our nursery at Windsor Park adjacent to the Community Garden. The WTC will provide a securely fenced, gravel-surfaced area for our shade house and outdoor benches and will provide connections for water and power. An old building known as the Stables will provide us with an under-cover propagation area where we can locate our benches and store our propagation materials and tools. We will pay the Council a moderate annual rent for the use of this excellent facility. Our group has also been successful in securing a $5000 grant from NRM North to assist with the relocation. We have had four galvanized steel hardening-off benches constructed and these have already arrived on site. These benches are wide enough to accommodate two trays placed end to end and thus we will have the equivalent of 32m of bench space for our stock of plants. WTC requires us to employ a registered builder to re-erect the shade-house after our members have dismantled it and moved it to the site. A builder has been organised to do the work in late October. We will also need to construct a more elaborate watering system than we now have at Grassy Banks. The plan is to provide separate circuits for misting of cuttings, sprinkling of the inside plants and automatic watering for the outdoor stock. We will also need to erect storage bins for the potting mixes and their ingredients. A group of members has already volunteered to do the work of moving the shade-house and the plants and to establish the watering system. Roy Pallett has agreed to coordinate the work from here on after Roy Skabo did the initial organising. Any member interested in helping with the relocation should contact Roy Pallett. If all goes well our nursery will be in its new home soon after our October sale. It has been a real team effort which started with Jill Clark suggesting the site.

Merry Members: ( L-R) Peter Longman, Prue Wright, Noel Manning, Karen Manning, Kaye Pallett (front), Marion Simmons, Margaret Killen, Daphne Longman, Lynne Mockridge, Gilly Zacks ( front) Roy Pallett, Jennifer Lavers and Roy Skabo. Photograph by Louise Skabo (Regular attendees, Janet and Colin Hallam were in England.)

APST Regional Get-togethers 2016 and 2017

Members Get-together at Bridport Friday, Saturday and Sunday – 4, 5 and 6 November 2016

Venue: Platypus Park Country Retreat, Bridport

Catering for dinners: Many members have already booked their accommodation and 25 or more have booked their dinner(s). Those members who still need to do so please contact Roy Skabo (6334 6787 or 0458 696 639 or rlskabo@gmail.com) and he will inform Platypus Park caterers. A firm commitment to one or both dinners is required. Special dietary requirements or limitations should be made known to Roy well before the week-end if they are to be catered for. Friday night will be soup, quiche and salad ($15 per head) and Saturday dinner will be soup, a choice of two roasts and a choice of two desserts ($20). All other food (breakfasts, lunches and snacks) will be your responsibility.

Programme: Friday afternoon: Start at 2:00 pm on an easy but beautiful walk in the Bridport Wildflower

Reserve for about two hours. If you want to participate, please let Roy know.

Saturday: All day excursion to Waterhouse Conservation Area leaving Platypus Park at 9:00 am.

Sunday morning: Check out of accommodation, meet at Platypus Park at 9:00 am, and drive about 23

km to Dunbarton at Nabowla to explore a private, partly covenanted property. Members can depart at any

stage as we will always be close to the car parking.

Hobart Group Members Get-together January 2017

The Hobart Group have decided to combine the review of two of the proposed 2018 ANPSA Conference day tours with their Members Get-together scheduled for 2017. We realise that it will follow closely on the Northern Group‘s Bridport Members Get-together but the opportunity is there for another good Members Get-together to enjoy our alpine and mountain flora when it is at its best. Friday 20 January 2017 half day tour to Mt Wellington starting 1.00pm from the Fern Tree Fern Glade car park on Huon Road just before the Fern Tree Tavern.

Meet and Greet: 5:30pm Fern Tree Community Centre, soups and quiches.

Saturday 21 January 2017 day tour to Hartz Mountain NP leaving 8:15am corner Summerleas Rd and Huon Highway car parking area, returning about 5:30pm. Car-pooling preferred.

Members Dinner 6.30pm for 7.00pm location to be decided.

Sunday 22 January 2017 - day tour to Mt Field NP leaving 8.30am Granton Reserve car park, southern end of Bridgewater Bridge causeway. Walk will finish at Lake Dobson car park about 3.30pm. Planning is in hand, so please pen this event into your diaries as we need to see how these location suit day trips for the 2018 ANPSA Conference. More details as they develop. Group accommodation is being investigated. ( See September Eucryphia ).

MEMO to MEMBERS, especially all our new members. Every couple of months have a look at our excellent State APST website maintained by Hobart‘s Bruce Champion for news on all the Tasmanian Groups, information and photographs. Australian Native Plant Society Tasmania Inc. website:

http://www.apstas.org.au

Northern Group Programme —September 2016 to February 2017 03 Sept Saturday,1:00-3:00 pm PROPAGATION, ―Grassy Banks‖ APSTNth Nursery 20 Sept Tuesday, 7:30 pm GENERAL MEETING: Dr Nigel Swarts ―Tas. Orchid Conservation‖ 23-25 Sept Friday to Sunday Blooming Tasmania Exhibition: Albert Hall, Launceston 27 Sept Tuesday 9:30 -11:30 am Native Garden at HFG Working bee. 01 Oct Saturday1:00 -3:00 pm PROPAGATION ―Grassy Banks‖ APSTNth Nursery 08 Oct Saturday SPRING PLANT SALE Max Fry Hall 10am to 4pm 18 Oct Tuesday, 7:30 pm GENERAL MEETING: Mark Wapstra 25 Oct Tuesday, 9:30 -11:30 am, Native Garden at HFG Working bee. 04-06 Nov Friday to Sunday APST MEMBERS GET-TOGETHER: Bridport Platypus Park Retreat 05 Nov Saturday 1:00 -3:00 pm. PROPAGATION APSTNth Nursery location TBC 15 Nov Tuesday. 7:30 pm. GENERAL MEETING Dr Miguel de Salas ―Herbarium work on the Osothamnus and W. violacae 16 Nov Wednesday 9 am ( Email to confirm) EXCURSION Barnes Hill and Dan‘s Hill Reserve led by Dr Miguel de Salas 22 Nov Tuesday, 9;30-11:30 am, Native Garden at HFG Working bee. 03 Dec Saturday 1:00 – 3:00 pm, PROPAGATION, APSTNth Nursery - New location 09 Dec Friday 6:30 pm Christmas Get-together Northern Group Max Fry Hall 13 or 20 Dec Tuesday, 9:30-11:30 am Native Garden at HFG Working bee. ( TBC by Email) 07 Jan 2017 Saturday,1:00-3:00 pm PROPAGATION APSTNth Nursery – New Location 24 Jan Tuesday 9:30-11:30 am (TBC by email ) Native Garden at HFG working bee 20-22 Jan Friday to Sunday APST MEMBERS GET-TOGETHER at Mount Wellington, Hartz Mts. and Mt.Field. 04 Feb Saturday1:00 – 3:00 pm, PROPAGATION, APSTNth Nursery - New location 21 Feb Tuesday 7:30 pm APST North AGM Max Fry Hall

www.apstasnorth.org Email: apstasnorth@gmail.com