Restless natives of the Top End

Taking tours through places is always interesting, especially if you haven't been there before, and more so if you think you'll never get the opportunity to get there anyway. Or maybe you only need a gentle nudge to tip the balance and make you determined to get there.

So, a virtual tour of Top End natives (of the flora type, of course) seems in order here.

The Top End is that geographic area generally taking in the projection of the Northern Territory that you see on maps of Australia. It's a large area, much of which is Aboriginal land, national parks, and open range for cattle grazing.

Most of it is termed tropical savanna woodland, there are also numerous other environments/ecosystems. It lies between 12 - 15 degrees south latitude within the monsoon zone giving very distinct alternating wet/dry seasons, and is sub-equatorial.

There's coastal and estuarine plant communities with very rich mangrove flora. Saltflats with samphire and other salt tolerant species. Vast floodplains, wooded parts dominated by Melaleucas. Woodland, sandstone escarpment, and sandstone plateau no more than 500 metres altitude.

There's a wide range of ecosystems and microclimates with a diverse and rich array of flora. Anyway, so much for the intro, although I feel it's necessary, being a part of the world few outsiders know anything about.

22 March 2009: PLEASE NOTE, I'M GOING TO EDIT EACH POST TO LABEL THE PHOTO WITH A NUMBER SO IT WILL BE EASIER TO REFER BACK TO.

First photo is the flower of an Amorphophallus paeonifolius. This one is growing in a large pot at home. They're fairly common along some of the rivers but not often noticed since they come out when the rains commence and river levels rise.

Photo 001

This message was edited Mar 22, 2009 11:48 AM

This one's Nelumbo nucifera - Lotus, or locally just called Red Lily, and by Aborigines Urmarninj. The seed when green is edible and delicious. Grows around the floodplains and likes fairly deep water.

The photo is of a wild plant, mine at home are continually getting attacked by grasshoppers and having a hard time.

Photo 002

This message was edited Mar 22, 2009 11:49 AM

16 March 2009:

Certain this one is Abelmoschus moschatus, had it down as an unidentified Hibiscus before.

This message was edited Mar 16, 2009 1:40 PM

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One of the Bladderworts (Utricularia ?), don't know the scientific name. They grow in colonies along streams where they're inundated during the wet season but begin to emerge when the water levels start to drop at the end of the wet. It's hard to get a good photo with all of them in focus, especially with my camera.

18 February 2009 Managed to find the ID, it's Utricularia fulva. It's also a carnivorous plant.

This message was edited Feb 17, 2009 9:58 PM

Photo 004

This message was edited Mar 22, 2009 11:51 AM

Those are gorgeous wildflowers! Can you trade seeds from any of these, or is that not allowed? I would be interested in trading if you can.

Kay, I think the US quarantine people are as ruthless as ours, they don't let anything through. But the Amorphophallus is probably already available over there, some people are keen collectors. The Hibiscus I suspect hasn't even been described yet, and it's range is very limited as far as I know. I'm planning to check their seed end of this season. Bladderworts I don't know too much about, apart from seeing them in a lot of places (out bush).

The photo is a Cleome sp. There are a number of species, I call them half flowers, looks like half is missing.

Photo 005

This message was edited Mar 22, 2009 11:52 AM

Crinum angustifolium grows in seasonally wet areas and parts of the woodlands that become saturated during the wet season. They're most common in river flats. Some people call them "Bush Onions", but they're definitely not edible.

Photo 006

This message was edited Mar 22, 2009 11:53 AM

Calytrix exstipulata is a shrub to 2 metres high which gets covered with these small flowers at the start of the dry season. For Aborigines, who call it Manbarndarr, it's a calendar plant, signalling the end of the wet season.Otherwise it's called Turkey Bush. Does well in gravelly disturbed areas and is often seen lining roadsides in spectacular displays.

Photo 007

This message was edited Mar 22, 2009 11:53 AM

Thank you for the beautiful pictures and the information. What an interesting area.

katiebear

This is a fascinating little plant, but I have no idea what its name is, nor have I examined it closely to know much about it. Grows in shallow water during the wet season. The 'arrowhead' leaves are less than a couple of centimetres across, so you can see the flowers are tiny. But they grow massed together and often cover quite an area of water. I assume they have a bulb that they shoot from when they become flooded.

18 February 2009 Found what I think this one is - Nymphoides minima.

This message was edited Feb 18, 2009 10:16 AM

Photo 008

This message was edited Mar 22, 2009 11:54 AM

Curcuma australasica grows in monsoon forests in the sandstone country but sometimes also into nearby woodland. Another wet season plant which dies back in the dry season

Photo 009

This message was edited Mar 22, 2009 11:55 AM

Thanks Katie, I'm always happy to show off ....... I mean show off my plants.

This is Dipodium variegatum, I think. Well I know it's a Dipodium, it's the variegatum I'm not certain of. A saprophytic orchid which is leafless and only the inflorescence, which can grow to 1.5 metres, shows above the ground. Quite common in woodlands, sandstone country and along upland streams. Doesn't like any waterlogging.

18 February 2009 Okay, checked this one and it's Dipodium stenochilum.

This message was edited Feb 17, 2009 10:05 PM

Photo 010

This message was edited Mar 22, 2009 11:56 AM

Aloha tropic, what wonderful plants and such gorgeous photography! Thank you so much for posting. Thanks also for the description of the area - you are right, I don't think many of us have any idea of the Top End - it must be wonderful place to live - well apart from the snake bit..^_^

Jenn

Keep the photos and information coming....please!!!

Very impressive Tropicbreeze! You have obviously spent some time leaning your neighborhood flora. Please show more!

Can you show the whole Hibiscus plant?

Lovely pictures! I echo my fellows here when I say: don't stop, please.

Thanks.
Sylvain.

Great pics!! I love seeing all the different plants of Australia.

Okay, I can hear the echo echo echo echoing. Re the hibiscus, I get a photo of the one in the pot. Naturally they grow amongst tall grasses so you have to do a bit of clearing to get a clear view.

Another ground orchid, Nervila holochila. These grow on the edges of monsoon forests and along water courses. Their flowers are only short lived but because they usually grow in colonies there are frequently a number of individuals in flower. This photo was taken in Holmes Jungle near Darwin. I have a large colony in the back of my property beside the creek. In about 5 years I've seen a sea of healthy leaves but never a single flower at home. The tubers must multiply and spread out. Planning, in my spare time if that ever happens, to bring some tubers up closer to the house where I can improve the soil and hopefully get some blooms. Can't see why I have to go all the way to Holmes Jungle to see flowers when the plants are here.

Photo 011

This message was edited Mar 22, 2009 11:57 AM

And another ground orchid, Habenaria sp.. Used to know which one but have forgotten now. We have a few from this genus. They grow in seasonally saturated areas amongst grasses and are fairly inconspicuous.

18 February 2009 Checked this one as well, it's Habenaria eurystoma.

This message was edited Feb 17, 2009 10:08 PM

Photo 012

This message was edited Mar 22, 2009 11:58 AM

Staying with the ground orchids, used to be Geodorum neocaledonicum but now is Geodorum densiflorum. Sometimes called "Weed Orchid" here because it readily proliferates the 'official' common name is Nodding Orchid. I have them coming out all over the place but never in the garden which is watered throughout the year. Seems it can't take dry season watering, even though it's range extends into southern Australia where they get rain all year. Like all our ground orchids it's deciduous and is dormant during the dry season. This one is at my place. Hasn't fully opened but they don't open up a lot. Likes a variety of habitats but not extended periods of waterlogging. Grows near my creek where it gets completely flooded for short periods during the set season.

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This message was edited Mar 23, 2009 12:12 PM

I sure am enjoying your virtual tour as well. Thank you for sharing the beauty.

Rachel

Back to the tour.

Melaleuca leucadendra is a tall tree to 30 metres high with a very attractive weeping habit. It grows along water courses, popular with nectar eating birds and insects.

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This message was edited Mar 23, 2009 12:13 PM

Melastoma polyanthum is a shrub to about 2 metres height growing on the margins of monsoon forests and along streams. Tends to be flowering any time and produces a small fruit which is sweet and edible.

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This message was edited Mar 23, 2009 12:14 PM

Nymphaea violacea is a water lily which not only comes in blue but also in pure white and a pink. Most common here are the white and blue, with a few shades of blue. The biggest flowers I've seen have been the white. Aborigines eat the tubers after cooking. The flower stems are eaten, like celery, after the thin skin is peeled off. And they also eat the seeds either raw or ground into a paste, shaped into cakes and baked in hot coals. This one is in my dam at home.

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This message was edited Mar 23, 2009 12:19 PM

Syzigium suborbiculare is a medium sized tree which produces a fruit resembling an apple, hence it's common name Red Apple. The seed is large and coated with a thick white flesh. The fruit's not all that fantastic but is edible. Aboriginal people call it Mandjarduk. It flowers in the build-up and is an Aboriginal calendar plant indicating the coming of the rains.

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This message was edited Mar 23, 2009 12:20 PM

Vigna vexillata is a small vine with pea-type flowers. It's related to the commonly known Mung Bean, Vigna radiata. But it has a tuber which is edible, although not the best of eating. Aborigines call it Bulkud but only eat if if there's nothing else. The tuber tends to be stringy inside. It grows in woodland but also along streams in wet areas. This one was at my place, but growing wild.

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This message was edited Mar 23, 2009 12:21 PM

Hola tropicbreeze thanks for the info and the pictures. It is very interesting the information about Aborigine's diet. I read the book "Mutant Message Downunder" by Marlo Morgan. I am envious of all the wisdom that Aborigenes or native people in different parts of this world are practicing every day. I am looking for being close to our roots where everything is easier, practical and natural.

Another orchid but an epiphyte this time, Dendrobium affine. Grows in monsoon forests and along stream in a variety of trees, including melaleucas and pandanus.Flowers during the dry season and disperses its seed in the wet season.

This one I'd put up in a tree in the garden, but there's others growing wild in trees along my creek.

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This message was edited Mar 23, 2009 12:22 PM

Bignonia, I'd be careful with that book. Marlo Morgan was shown to be a fraud and that book totally fictitious. It's unfortunate that people find her writing interesting and overlook that she insults Aboriginal people by misrepresenting them. There are better books about what you're looking for than hers.

An as yet undescribed Hibbertia species fairly common in woodlands in well drained soil. They flower during the wet season.

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This message was edited Mar 23, 2009 12:24 PM

This one's a climbing aroid, Rhaphidophora australasica. Grows along streams in monsoon forest. Climbs up rocks and trees but always seem to keep most of its roots in water. Typical aroid flower and fruit. I've got some small ones at home but this one is a large specimen in the wild.

17 March 2009:

Has been renamed Epipremnum amplissimum.

This message was edited Mar 17, 2009 4:38 PM

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This message was edited Mar 23, 2009 12:25 PM

Personally I find this thread fascinating, so many plants that we don't have here in the US. And I also enjoy the anecdotal info about the Aboriginal diet.
Please keep the pictures coming!

I've been spending a bit of time sorting old photos, cropping them and sizing them. Have been taking more photos as well. It's the wet season so plant growth is rampant. The monsoon stopped earlier this week and the sun's been out which prompts a lot of flowering. It always happens during breaks in the monsoon and I take advantage with the camera. I've got over 70 more photos ready to upload, but unfortunately my internet connection is slow. But, on with the show.

I'll start with Hibiscus, and hibiscus look-alikes because sometimes I don't know the difference.

This photo is of the leaf that Dave asked for from the first Hibiscus at the top of this thread. Turns out it's different to the one I've got in the pot at home.

(16 March 2009:

As mentioned in the other posts, it most likely Abelmoschus moschatus.)

This message was edited Mar 16, 2009 1:46 PM

Photo 022

This message was edited Mar 23, 2009 12:26 PM

This is the Hibiscus I have in the pot at home. When I collected it as a small plant I thought it was the same at the previous one, the small leaves were similar. Since it's flowered I can see the difference. The leaves on this one are serrated with bigger lobes. And the other one has a pale "off-yellow" flower, this one is a brighter yellow. There is only about 20 - 30 kilometres separating where I've found them, the first in open woodland on flattish but well drained soil, the latter on the slope of a steep hill of fairly heavy soil. Both low growing and tangled up in grasses.

16 March 2009:

As mentioned/edited in the earlier post, I'm now pretty certain this is Abelmoschus moschatus. It's a variable species and very wide spread.

This message was edited Mar 16, 2009 1:44 PM

Photo 023

This message was edited Mar 23, 2009 12:27 PM

This one is often called Mangrove Hibiscus, Hibiscus tillaceus, as it grows along the coastline and often behind mangrove forests. I can't see it as being a mangrove though, it's always above tide level. It's common around the northern coastline of Australia, even getting as far south as New South Wales. I think it's pretty common throughout all tropical coastal areas and is widely cultivated, including a red form. It appears to have two growth habits, one as a large sprawling shrubby bush/tree, the other with upright stems. Aborigines used the upright one for making spears and considered the sprawling one "rubbish".

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This message was edited Mar 23, 2009 12:29 PM

I think this is Hibiscus leptocladus, the closest I can get to identifying it. Grows in sandstone/rocky country with fairly well drained soil. Fairly widespread in the north.

22 February 2009. Thanks to Dave, I'm now pretty sure this is Gossypium australe and not the Hibiscus.

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This message was edited Mar 24, 2009 6:17 PM

Thanks Tropicbreeze! Is that a juvenile leaf of the Hibiscus? Is it possible that it is a form of the Australian native Hibiscus diversifolius.

Is the one in the pot, Hibiscus heterophyllus?

Dave, it was one of the upper mature leaves. The stem was sprawled through the grass and about half a metre long. I've googled images of diversifolius but many of the photos look a little different. Mine in the pot gets closer to the internet images, but the description from NSW says it sometimes grows in water. Yet the one here seems to keep to the higher better drained ground. Maybe they're both variations of the same species and I just haven't waded in deep enough. I know another area where lots are growing but difficult to access in the wet season. With the current break in the monsoon I might be able to get in there and check them out.

This is Hibiscus panduriformis var, australis (according to the book - a pretty positive ID anyway). Apart from northern Australia, apparently widespread throughout South East Asia and even Africa as well.

They grow in gravelly/rocky poorly drained country to a height of 2 metres, often in large numbers so that they make a bit of a display. I've seen plants standing in water, but they weren't growing as well as those a little higher.

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This message was edited Mar 24, 2009 6:18 PM

I doubt the one in the pot would be Hibiscus heterophyllus. When I searched it, the range was only up the east coast of Australia, and it grows to 6 metres. The one in the pot I've only ever seen to half a metre. It's closer to H. diversifolius.

This one looks like Hibiscus menzeliae, but I can't see the leaves to be sure. H. menzeliae has hairy leaves, another similar flowered one has smooth leaves. They both grow in sandstone country. I do have photos of both, but haven't turned up the definite H. menzeliae yet.

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This message was edited Mar 24, 2009 6:19 PM

No idea what this one is. Was growing in the lowlands below but a bit away from sandstone escarpment. The soil was a bit heavier. Looks a little like H. leptocladus (see above) but the plant and leaf shapes were quite different.

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This message was edited Mar 24, 2009 6:19 PM