16 march 2009:
Originally I had this down as Abelmoschus moschatus ssp. tuberosus. Although still Malvaceae, I'm certain its Hibiscus meraukensis. They've started coming out all over the place the last few weeks.
The A. moschatus has to be the 'mystery' one mentioned above. (I'll be editing it as well to reflect this change.)
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This message was edited Mar 24, 2009 6:20 PM
Interesting amorph pic, tropicbreeze!
I have one but it is too small to bloom yet.
Getting away from Malvaceae for a while, this is Thysanotus banksii, what I usually call Fringe Lily because I don't know any common name for it. Grows in woodland areas on rocky/sandy poorly drained soil.
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This message was edited Mar 24, 2009 6:21 PM
And I thought I should put this one in as well because it's a bit different. Comes from something like 500 kilometres away from the previous photo and was growing in sandstone country in better drained soil. Probably just a variation of the same species.
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This message was edited Mar 24, 2009 6:23 PM
Cheerpeople, my A paeonifolius doesn't flower each year, sometimes it skips a season. But the leaf is huge, although this dry season I should repot it. I've a few smaller ones in the ground but they haven't flowered yet, that I've noticed.
This is another of our native ones, Amorphophallus glabra. Looks different to A paeonifolius, grows in sandstone areas often on rocky ledges with only thin layers of sand and leaf mulch but I've also found them in pockets of monsoon forest near springs. This is one of the ones I had growing at home but they all wasted away over a number of years.
17 March 2009: A typo above, it should be Amorphophallus galbra
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This message was edited Mar 24, 2009 6:24 PM
Hi Tropicbreeze, is it possible that the plant which you are calling Hibiscus leptocladus might be Gossypium sturtianum.
Thanks Dave, you're on the right track. Gossypium sturtianum grows further south, but this one is most probably Gossypium australe which is further north. I should have really recognised it as a Gossypium since the G. sturtianum is the floral emblem of the Northern Territory.
Here's another one I don't know, but suspect is a Cleome. It was growing in the drier sandstone escarpment country.
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This message was edited Mar 24, 2009 6:26 PM
Okay, back on the job again, I hope. With the monsoon now on a rebound my internet connection is a bit wobbly at best. I've tried posting several times already tonight, hopefully this one will be successful.
But there's some good news. I'm scheduled to go on a flora survey week after next. It's in remote country so we'll be getting choppered in and then choppered out at the end of the day. Will be there with a botanist who is pretty familiar with the local flora.
This next lot of natives I've mostly got no idea of ID. This one's growing on my place in wet areas but is common enough elsewhere.
28 February 2009 IDed this one as Ludwigia octovalvis. Right about it being common, found across a lot of Australia, South East Asia, India and Africa.
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This message was edited Mar 24, 2009 6:27 PM
A small ground cover which can spread over a wide area, often on gravelly ground and amongst grasses. Prefers to be in the open sun.
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This message was edited Mar 24, 2009 6:27 PM
This one's extremely common growing in a wide range of conditions and soil. There are also many similar flowers , smaller, different shades of blue. They grow in close proximity but look quite distinct rather than intergrading. They look like they'd be separate species.
10 March 2009 Have been advised by a botanist that this is a Spermacoce.
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This message was edited Mar 24, 2009 6:28 PM
A medium shrub which becomes covered with these unusual green flowers. Grows in very sandy, well drained soil.
9 March 2009 A botanist has told me this is Pityrodia quadrangulata.
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This message was edited Mar 25, 2009 8:02 PM
A small herb growing in sandstone country amongst grasses and shrubs.
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This message was edited Mar 25, 2009 8:03 PM
A small herbaceous shrub, also in the sandstone country. Fairly common where it occurs.
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This message was edited Mar 25, 2009 8:04 PM
This unusual looking flower grows amongst grasses in lowland woodland on poorly drained gravelly soils.
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This message was edited Mar 25, 2009 8:05 PM
What a lovely stroll! Thank you for showing these beauties!
This is a water plant which spreads out over shallow pools and in creeks often forming large mats. It's called Nymphoides hydrocharoides and is quite common.
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This message was edited Mar 25, 2009 8:06 PM
Thanks Goofybulb, pleased you like it.
A small tree called Freshwater mangrove, Barringtonia acutangula, has these hanging clusters of flowers. Grows along streams and margins of floodplains.
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This message was edited Mar 25, 2009 8:07 PM
Great photos Tropicbreeze! The native plants of your part of Australia are quite interesting. Don't forget your camera on the botanical survey; wish I was going along!
Am loving all the plants!! I wish I was there to see them in person.
Aloha Tropicbreeze, I am so enjoying the pictures of the lovely native flowers you have in your part of the world - it seem to be a botanical wonderland. Thank you so much for posting, and I just know that Dave would love to be with you on your upcoming survey into the wilderness! I am looking forward to your photos....
Dave, that week I also have to do a fauna survey - mixed blessing. The fauna survey is also a chopper job and takes 3 days/2 nights camping out. Since you set traps and check them later, there's a bit of spare time to explore. But no botanist for picking their brain. The flora survey is one day/two plots then back home. So I could fit in more days on the flora survey except they're running concurrently and it's only for one week. Oh well, I'm not paying for the chopper but being paid myself, how can I complain? And the camera, the only place I don't take it is in the shower.
Pepper/Braveheartsmom, it often a matter of seeing the little things, there are flowers of all sorts of shapes and sizes in lots of places. When out bushwalking I often get criticised for wasting time taking photos of what most people walk past without noticing. For me it's a big part of it, not just the big spectacular scenes. And I like to let people see what I see.
This is similar to one that I posted before, only a deeper blue and a smaller flower/plant. I believe it's a Gomphrena sp. Grow just about anywhere except in waterlogged places.
19 March 2009:
Just picked this up, it's a Spermacoce, they come in a lot of shades and sizes, mostly blue.
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This message was edited Mar 25, 2009 8:08 PM
This grows in woodland and is a smallish herbaceous shrub.
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This message was edited Mar 25, 2009 8:09 PM
Grows as a cluster of stems to about a metre tall. This one was in gravelly/stoney ground on the side of a rocky hill with a lot of seepage water.
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This message was edited Mar 25, 2009 8:10 PM
A scrambling ground hugging vine which can cover large areas producing a profusion of these blooms. In a variety of conditions but generally reasonably well drained.
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This message was edited Mar 25, 2009 8:10 PM
Not sure, this might be another Gomphrena, maybe not. Aborigines call it the same as others, Kanbukbuk. They say it's "emu tucker", and concentrations of Kanbukbuk are good emu hunting areas. Not so common but widespread in woodlands. This one was growing in the same place as the second last one - in gravelly/stoney ground on the side of a rocky hill with a lot of seepage water.
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This message was edited Mar 25, 2009 8:11 PM
Small plant to about 30 cms tall, has the two top petals fused giving it a bit of an orchid appearance. Was growing in the same place as the last one, and that's the only place I remember having seen it.
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This message was edited Mar 25, 2009 8:12 PM
Small sprawling ground hugging herbaceous vine. Grows in damp and protected areas but is very widespread. Locally called Wandering Jew, it's a Commelina sp., probably cyanea.
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This message was edited Mar 27, 2009 10:52 PM
Small spindly plant growing amongst grasses in woodland on thin stems to about 30 - 40 cms long.
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This message was edited Mar 27, 2009 10:53 PM
Another prostrate herb of the woodlands and amongst grasses.
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This message was edited Mar 27, 2009 10:53 PM
Droseras are very common here, both in wet areas and better drained. This one I've inserted the flower at the bottom right. The flower stems are about 10 cms high and too difficult to get in focus together with the leaves. I have a similar one with pink flowers, probably both are Drosera petiolaris. They're insect eating plants.
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This message was edited Mar 27, 2009 10:54 PM
We've several Gardenias here. This one grows as a small tree in sandstone country.
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This message was edited Mar 27, 2009 10:55 PM
I've a feeling I should know this one but somehow it escapes me. Growing in woodland, better drained areas. Suspect it's actually a weed.
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This message was edited Mar 27, 2009 10:56 PM
You can really get lost on this site, there's so many nooks and crannies you can delve into for ages. Consequently I'm finding myself spreading out into a number of forums plus plantfiles, not to mention birds, and the list goes on.
Just putting up what I'm now pretty sure is Hibiscus leptocladus, since the earlier one I put up under that name turned out to be a Gossypium australe.
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This message was edited Mar 27, 2009 10:57 PM
This is a Goodenia, probably armstrongiana. They're widespread and take over roadsides and other disturbed areas. But being a small plant tend to go unnoticed.
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This message was edited Mar 27, 2009 10:58 PM
Another Goodenia, resem bles cirrifica but can't be sure. A lot less common than the previous one and growing on slopes in stoney country.
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This message was edited Mar 27, 2009 10:59 PM
And another again. This one I've only ever seen in my place growing in soggy ground.
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This message was edited Mar 27, 2009 11:00 PM
A bit different, a palm. Livistona inermis. A very attractive slender palm which looks great when it gets those masses of white flowers. When you see big stands of them it looks like they're all frothing at the mouth.
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This message was edited Mar 27, 2009 11:00 PM
Nice photos!
The plant after the Commelina looks like a Tradescantia. The plant after the Gardenia looks like Senna obtusifolia.
Thanks Dave. I knew I should have remembered the Senna obtusifolia, it is in fact a weed here and widespread. I googled Tradescantia and the image was very similar to mine but much darker blue. I'll have a close look next time I'm out.
This photo is of a Swamp Bloodwood, Eucalyptus ptychocarpa. Common around rivers and popular in gardens, for those that have room for a medium sized sprawly tree. There's a bit of variation in flower colour.
9 March 2009 Should have checked before, "they" recently renamed a lot of eucalypts 'corymbia' and this one became Corymbia ptychocarpa.
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This message was edited Mar 27, 2009 11:02 PM
