tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15232312738856276132024-03-18T14:02:10.836+11:00Talking Plants... every oak has a story to tellTalking Plantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05778763864080365220noreply@blogger.comBlogger1151125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523231273885627613.post-8925000990156612752024-03-12T06:00:00.004+11:002024-03-12T06:00:00.134+11:00Not all the oaks in California<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaJckJCP0iFBX8KRr-jd3zwa3sfCNth-gkD97QLkrPbZPxJ8o62z7P63qOicyXXp8oYazWO6LAhkaxzXBaCczeJt_cEStwv4cbNR-aIR_8M-MULOKeR8PckziZ8qa-3x9PZAT7HzXSyYYFgQddAUazpffQ2r3uRrvhs_8gTTzQfWGVlK4VsdMeSMMJXHU/s3648/P9223954.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaJckJCP0iFBX8KRr-jd3zwa3sfCNth-gkD97QLkrPbZPxJ8o62z7P63qOicyXXp8oYazWO6LAhkaxzXBaCczeJt_cEStwv4cbNR-aIR_8M-MULOKeR8PckziZ8qa-3x9PZAT7HzXSyYYFgQddAUazpffQ2r3uRrvhs_8gTTzQfWGVlK4VsdMeSMMJXHU/w640-h480/P9223954.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Muller oak, Joshua Tree National Park, California; September 2014</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The first naturally growing oak I saw in California was in Joshua Tree National Park, just south of Los Angeles. Not a grand old tree like the ones from eastern USA I’d seen in picture books, but a gnarly shrub fighting for existence alongside succulents and desert ephemerals. Huddled near a stand of the local pine tree, the piñon (<i>Pinus edulis</i>), in the shadow of an ochre-coloured, rocky outcrop. </p><p>I'm pretty sure it was a <b>Muller oak </b>(<i>Quercus cornelius-mulleri</i>), with its spiny, leathery leaves, growing the way oaks do in this part of the Americas. Keeping low to the ground and doing all it can to conserve water. Until 1981, this species was considered a variant of another Californian species, <b>Nuttall's scrub oak </b>(<i>Quercus dumosa</i>). </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSGNU3J6Q9lWHq_m-1ZKLx93VDyksvaLHRIWiRM2HOft41pXZ-DNNOYQnPqxlmskpIdqNGTXuhfRANuFXg8TEjxHn77VivDyZLyigAn3Dm7BhFNuR1SctCfrSQJfTfRFygOPAVZBPcAN3Hxl5WAW65O2NR4zqxorVbSjLAKqQ2kaP06QUauXj4HuKs_kk/s3648/P9223959%20Muller%20Oak%20(Quercus%20cornelius-Mulleri)).JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSGNU3J6Q9lWHq_m-1ZKLx93VDyksvaLHRIWiRM2HOft41pXZ-DNNOYQnPqxlmskpIdqNGTXuhfRANuFXg8TEjxHn77VivDyZLyigAn3Dm7BhFNuR1SctCfrSQJfTfRFygOPAVZBPcAN3Hxl5WAW65O2NR4zqxorVbSjLAKqQ2kaP06QUauXj4HuKs_kk/w640-h480/P9223959%20Muller%20Oak%20(Quercus%20cornelius-Mulleri)).JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Muller oak, Joshua Tree National Park, California; September 2014</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Thomas Nutall, in case you were wondering, was a Yorkshire born biologist who travelled the length of the Missouri River and much of the Rocky Mountains and its hinterland, collecting new species such as <b>Nuttall's scrub oak</b>, which he named and described in 1842. </p><p>Both oaks can be found in Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne's expanding Aridland Precinct, beside Anderson Street, on the eastern side. Along with a few more leathery-leaves evergreen oaks from California, such as the <b>scrub live oak</b> (<i>Quercus turbinella</i>) and <b>coast live oak</b> (<i>Quercus agrifolia</i>; see also <a href="https://talkingplants.blogspot.com/2013/08/an-oak-for-1863-royal-wedding-new-plan.html" target="_blank">earlier post</a>).</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_l-uhn-Ytuedr3OpSeYlyPlKD91JVYaeG4zOnX5PGVrueI6onU9-6eXNaJelEmtmkgUumuqtJD3rq7F-yGDMUmt138BKm-F3kPeZGTbi__FCWBu8cHSvusb81ESd8CdgdxaTg7DeLhHMClsibguidJ_g3mlBgUgj9KceaMsRJyzDhKH0DozC0TLVyQs/s4608/Quercus%20agrifolia%20(Kyneton%20BG,%20June%202020).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_l-uhn-Ytuedr3OpSeYlyPlKD91JVYaeG4zOnX5PGVrueI6onU9-6eXNaJelEmtmkgUumuqtJD3rq7F-yGDMUmt138BKm-F3kPeZGTbi__FCWBu8cHSvusb81ESd8CdgdxaTg7DeLhHMClsibguidJ_g3mlBgUgj9KceaMsRJyzDhKH0DozC0TLVyQs/w640-h480/Quercus%20agrifolia%20(Kyneton%20BG,%20June%202020).jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coast live oak, Kyneton Botanic Gardens; June 2020</td></tr></tbody></table><p>You can see a pattern emerging here in the common names, with terms like 'scrub' and 'live' reappearing. <i>Scrub </i>because these oaks are mostly shrubs or at best small trees. <i>Live </i>because they keep their leaves all year - or at least only dropping them when new leaves appear in late spring - rather than dropping them in autumn (or early winter) like most deciduous oaks. </p><p>The Melbourne collection also includes an <b>island scrub oak </b>(<i>Quercus pacifica</i>), a name that says it all for this species from the Channel Islands of California. As well as a <b>leather oak </b>(<i>Quercus durata</i>), with a common name that celebrates another shared feature of most Californian species, the tough, leathery leaves. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBhBD2lX057Uo7t9KEb7_QpIAenLNJrY6258hU4dLmVyiAd6xfOvGXblpZj6fmXbi66rXieS8Z49O4FJ24mYXJaiSIN7GmUA4-HtX_Zg1-OLKVCfXa7YjvNCEcqGaRrLOdU0OWzajot_KDvQl4IA6sbZBrzb1Np2cKweKDpuXYSt5vNsEtveh1hSxPbzQ/s4608/2022-10-08%20-%20IMG_3254%20Leather%20oak.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBhBD2lX057Uo7t9KEb7_QpIAenLNJrY6258hU4dLmVyiAd6xfOvGXblpZj6fmXbi66rXieS8Z49O4FJ24mYXJaiSIN7GmUA4-HtX_Zg1-OLKVCfXa7YjvNCEcqGaRrLOdU0OWzajot_KDvQl4IA6sbZBrzb1Np2cKweKDpuXYSt5vNsEtveh1hSxPbzQ/w640-h480/2022-10-08%20-%20IMG_3254%20Leather%20oak.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leather oak, private garden on Bellarine Peninsula; October 2022</td></tr></tbody></table><p><b>Engelmann's oak </b>is there too but I've dealt with this species <a href="https://talkingplants.blogspot.com/2024/01/engelmann-oak-finding-home-in-melbourne.html" target="_blank">previously</a>, and its common name is all about honouring a Californian botanist than telling us much about the plant. </p><p>That's nearly all the Californian species in the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne's collection at the moment, but I expect more to come. There are 15 species of <i>Quercus </i>in that State (out of the 18 or so species found in the whole of western USA), and most will be suited to Melbourne's changing climate. They also make an appealing garden specimen if you like a little ruggedness and individuality in your plantings.</p><p>Potentially, also an interesting addition to your produce garden. Acorns from the <b>scrub live oak</b> and <b>coast live oak</b>, along with those from the far taller <b>valley oak </b>(<i>Quercus lobata</i>; California's tallest oak) - which you'll find in the Oak Lawn as one of the replacements for the fallen hybrid <b>white oak </b>(<i>Quercus alba</i>, from eastern USA) - are a favoured food by the First Nations peoples of western USA. The acorns are pounded and cooked to remove tannins, with the flour used to make bread among other staples. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLxcSX-9lq88qIeWwmzckAnzyaoQHH9si-jO_sW1Th6H80r7aVbEpSFRD0EMyEqE3Uk74_602HKSroxoY0Q6QRd_K4mO87wHMcvOf3asH8ZtHJkBnpkv4qVvIzi0Vdafp61ahthSx66xoPVpiNC3biS11hYbYRg8ACybqT7Jf9VSv0QlPszhsJ42THCdE/s3024/2020-05-08%2012.42.54%20Quercus%20lobata.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2944" data-original-width="3024" height="624" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLxcSX-9lq88qIeWwmzckAnzyaoQHH9si-jO_sW1Th6H80r7aVbEpSFRD0EMyEqE3Uk74_602HKSroxoY0Q6QRd_K4mO87wHMcvOf3asH8ZtHJkBnpkv4qVvIzi0Vdafp61ahthSx66xoPVpiNC3biS11hYbYRg8ACybqT7Jf9VSv0QlPszhsJ42THCdE/w640-h624/2020-05-08%2012.42.54%20Quercus%20lobata.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valley oak ready to planted out, RBGV nursery; May 2020</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Oak woodlands were not only planted, pruned and knocked (to remove acorns, and probably also removing dead wood to help the tree grow), but the ground beneath them swept and weeded to encourage other productive plants. Fires were lit to clear some of the regrowth in between, encouraging the trees to be large, healthy, and easy to access and travel through. </p><p>As a result, the landscape was not unlike the <i>dehesa </i>of Spain, where the managed oak woodland (in Spain of cork and ballota/holm oaks) is both productive for humans while retaining some semblance of its original, pre-human state. Perhaps also like parts of Australia. Local readers will be interested to hear that the first European travellers through the Yosemite Valley described the vegetation they saw as like ‘an English park’. Thanks to the fire burning practices of the first peoples... </p><p>I'll finish with another of the taller oaks from California, and one only recently added to the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne collection. The <b>blue oak </b>(<i>Quercus douglasii</i>) grows in coastal mountains of California and like the <b>valley oak</b>, is deciduous. Like the <b>valley oak</b>, it also has edible and harvested acorns.</p><p>Unlike that species, the leaves are not always lobed and tend to be leatherier – so more in common with those scrubby live oaks. The leaves of the <b>blue oak </b>also have a slight blue-green tint – hence the common name. This oak is said to be the most drought-tolerant species in California, although I wonder about that when I consider where the <b>Muller oak </b>grew. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi1nIj21TtVD5Z-hzP5eN2y6gWPc5KftQSCN6Bco9ZKicNZrUUPvjqirqruBytLRpFahueAdLupkm2oE5qy45NQBZ4_Vu9V42OoZ8AATMC_CPq6irR1xUE_YyB6iIRtVK7DXAhRI4qt8eqlkGbtvPcOIFyEHMoCigX782Z14sJeekuYgjqVvTNhnPLXv0/s3648/P9223955%20Oak%20(Quercus).JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi1nIj21TtVD5Z-hzP5eN2y6gWPc5KftQSCN6Bco9ZKicNZrUUPvjqirqruBytLRpFahueAdLupkm2oE5qy45NQBZ4_Vu9V42OoZ8AATMC_CPq6irR1xUE_YyB6iIRtVK7DXAhRI4qt8eqlkGbtvPcOIFyEHMoCigX782Z14sJeekuYgjqVvTNhnPLXv0/w640-h480/P9223955%20Oak%20(Quercus).JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Muller oak, Joshua Tree National Park, California; September 2014</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne does not have, as the song goes, all the oaks in California, but a goodly proportion, nevertheless.</p>Talking Plantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05778763864080365220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523231273885627613.post-778138215460680912024-02-20T06:00:00.307+11:002024-02-20T09:58:00.672+11:00Afares, a complicated oak of North Africa<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhevRuLJ8yMv7tNYDTG6AS-WeL4awz4eZmaAAjnpeRKBz-IANHwrTPzbZ6FX0FBaYtf6G0NFgQyhpaSC12x9MYyqsC8OMVJ0V5OZNTvAB4xYAxO_Et3WMC08davBKyPk4cW33Jq6wK7Df7B1nNUsBWfCdpA2ccmbB9owvEpLNZ4aYol7XSU4jvnhKpCGSY/s987/Screenshot%202024-02-16%20133721.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="422" data-original-width="987" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhevRuLJ8yMv7tNYDTG6AS-WeL4awz4eZmaAAjnpeRKBz-IANHwrTPzbZ6FX0FBaYtf6G0NFgQyhpaSC12x9MYyqsC8OMVJ0V5OZNTvAB4xYAxO_Et3WMC08davBKyPk4cW33Jq6wK7Df7B1nNUsBWfCdpA2ccmbB9owvEpLNZ4aYol7XSU4jvnhKpCGSY/w640-h274/Screenshot%202024-02-16%20133721.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Airt Ben Haddu, Morocco (© <a href="https://www.asatours.com.au/tours/landscapes-and-gardens-of-morocco-2025/" target="_blank">ASA</a>) </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">While Europe has about 36 species of oak (<i>Quercus</i>), most of these grow in the southern countries, particularly around the Mediterranean. The UK and much of the north have only two native species, the English (or Pedunculate) oak (<i>Quercus robur</i>) and the sessile oak (<i>Quercus petraea</i>). </div><p>Today, though, I want to drop to the southern side of the Mediterranean, into Africa. Eight oak species growing naturally in northern Africa, with all but one of these found on both the European and African sides of the Mediterranean Sea. </p><p>The eight species <i>seem </i>to be split neatly into four from the subgenus <i>Cerris </i>(including the <a href="https://talkingplants.blogspot.com/2022/07/an-pyrenean-oak-in-two-seasons.html" target="_blank">ballota oak</a>, <i>Q</i><i>uercus rotundifolia - </i>sometimes considered part of the holy/holm oak, <i>Quercus ilex </i>- and the <a href="https://talkingplants.blogspot.com/2020/09/screw-top-wines-seal-end-of-cork-oak.html" target="_blank">cork oak</a>, <i>Quercus suber</i>) and four from the subgenus <i>Quercus </i>(including the <a href="https://talkingplants.blogspot.com/2019/08/evergreen-deciduous-oaks-mixed-bag.html" target="_blank">Algerian oak</a>, <i>Quercus canariensis</i>). </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmiRaIScN9k0e5EmsYEPox1jUCTYqHunwgHdeCorEwX1kUi9iAlRgLl01tGmJbrbHkfrqaSICRHUWAMjqkiuyJBMAJC3ajEiGhrj9kjKIjedD7im4JM8uozyn8y7BAZ6POxqGqGW7-qanLNWLLj3XeFsgnAqpoSmC-kJimmPS3T1SIYMWV4UEx8yK50Yg/s709/Q.%20afares.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="382" data-original-width="709" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmiRaIScN9k0e5EmsYEPox1jUCTYqHunwgHdeCorEwX1kUi9iAlRgLl01tGmJbrbHkfrqaSICRHUWAMjqkiuyJBMAJC3ajEiGhrj9kjKIjedD7im4JM8uozyn8y7BAZ6POxqGqGW7-qanLNWLLj3XeFsgnAqpoSmC-kJimmPS3T1SIYMWV4UEx8yK50Yg/w640-h344/Q.%20afares.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;"><i>Flore de L’Afrique du Nord </i>(1961)</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">, Volume<i> </i>7, </span>Figure 1156: <i>Quercus Afares</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>I say 'seem' because you could also say there are four and a half species in one subgenus and three and a half in the other. That half/half species is the Afares oak (<i>Quercus afares</i>).</p><p>It is the only one of the eight species with a natural distribution that doesn’t cross the Mediterranean. Today there is a single population in Tunisia and several in Algeria, but it remains insecure across its range and has been listed as threatened with extinction. </p><p>The Afares oak was described and named as a new species in 1874, from the Tell Atlas Mountains in coastal Algeria, between Béjaïa and Jijel. Not far from Algiers, which is one of the places on Earth with a climate today like we are likely to experience in Melbourne by 2090. So a good place to search for future tree plantings. </p><p>I can’t track down the origin of the species name <i>afares</i>, but I want it to be somehow derived from the Latin word for African, <i>afer</i>, the name of the local people of Carthage during Roman times, in current day Tunisia. More likely, it is from <i>Afar</i>, the people and language spoken in the region now included within Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti (the latter once a French territory, first called French Somaliland and for a short time, Afars and the Issas), even though that doesn’t fit with the known distribution of the Afares oak today. </p><p>The botanist who devised the name <i>Quercus afares</i>, Nicolas Auguste Pomel, was French (born in France and in 1851 deported to Algiers, where he practiced as a mines engineer while pursuing interests in fossil elephants and rhinoceros, as well as living plants), so let’s assume it’s some kind of misdirected evocation of North Africa.</p><div>In any case, the species was soon relegated to a regional variant of the chestnut-leaved oak, a deciduous species from the mountain slopes of the Caucasus and Iran. However, recent DNA studies (in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/6800782" target="_blank">2006</a>) tell a different story. </div><div><br /></div><div>It seems the Afares oak began as a hybrid between a cork oak and an Algerian oak. Today it is sufficiently distinct, genetically and in form, to warrant it being considered a separate species. It is what we sometimes call a ‘stabilised hybrid’. It is also a reminder that some species are formed through fusing, rather than splitting, making the metaphorical tree of life perhaps better imagined as an evolutionary lattice!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWCbYexviU1xJ3MZR4k6dfNpiZ-BATjjRdr3BQLrTUVArLWxVyCkKLK4sX_hB0ddOERRjQXnZOhRafe835Pmxt4yvaVqY3haijR_umO3Yp9rGUV0YCgeNSkZjHsjFetjuCJHb7pv-er57yehoWPsrnbsCA4uZvv_ouXzGqv_wcLIak3XDOHqLu27UoMVA/s990/Screenshot%202024-02-16%20134237.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="537" data-original-width="990" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWCbYexviU1xJ3MZR4k6dfNpiZ-BATjjRdr3BQLrTUVArLWxVyCkKLK4sX_hB0ddOERRjQXnZOhRafe835Pmxt4yvaVqY3haijR_umO3Yp9rGUV0YCgeNSkZjHsjFetjuCJHb7pv-er57yehoWPsrnbsCA4uZvv_ouXzGqv_wcLIak3XDOHqLu27UoMVA/w640-h348/Screenshot%202024-02-16%20134237.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Qasba of Taourirt, Ouarzazate (Visual Hunt; © <a href="https://www.asatours.com.au/tours/landscapes-and-gardens-of-morocco-2025/" target="_blank">ASA</a>) </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Which makes it difficult to classify into a subgenus given we taxonomists like to base our categories on a common and unique ancestor. In this case there are two, and they are from different subgenera: the cork oak from subgenus <i>Cerris </i>and the Algerian oak from subgenus <i>Quercus</i>. Which is rather unusual but not unique among oaks: while most hybrids occur between closely related species, typically within the same section or at least subgenus, there are some notable exceptions (another is the Turner oak, grown at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew in London, a hybrid between a holly oak and English oak).</div><p>For historical reasons I think, the Afares oak is filed away in the subgenus <i>Cerris</i>. After all it was first considered to be a chestnut-leaved oak, which belongs that subgenus, as does one of its demonstrated ‘parent species’, the cork oak. </p><p>It also looks more like the chestnut-leaved oak and another member of the subgenus Cerris, the Turkey oak. I suppose you could leave it there but also give it honorary status as a member of the subgenus Quercus, which is where the Algerian oak is placed. That is the half/half solution. </p><p>Our classification systems do not cope well with such intricacies. While the rest of the African species <i>seem </i>simpler to classify, perhaps that’s only because we don’t know the full story. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRxa6neuxNmmCyrt7n3jUrD22ZyjX5ANEl5wQg9GbgCWZXkx9qapgQY4U3ezc87vex-Pml1Ut6u79r5hxcWYPu10obP8b_wRwrqdQHvQNXKP-_jgAbKCYKb_Dpn9yIbe81pu2C06twvJ_mMPbXP77O_o3OYezu6vn-UphCRNNvZhrGdmGsUuu2d3pb47c/s987/Screenshot%202024-02-16%20134119.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="415" data-original-width="987" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRxa6neuxNmmCyrt7n3jUrD22ZyjX5ANEl5wQg9GbgCWZXkx9qapgQY4U3ezc87vex-Pml1Ut6u79r5hxcWYPu10obP8b_wRwrqdQHvQNXKP-_jgAbKCYKb_Dpn9yIbe81pu2C06twvJ_mMPbXP77O_o3OYezu6vn-UphCRNNvZhrGdmGsUuu2d3pb47c/w640-h270/Screenshot%202024-02-16%20134119.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Roman ruins, Volubilis (© <a href="https://www.asatours.com.au/tours/landscapes-and-gardens-of-morocco-2025/" target="_blank">ASA</a>) </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you travel further south in Africa you’ll encounter more oaks, but always planted and mostly in the temperate countries south of the equator. The valonia oak from the north-west and western fringes of the Mediterranean is now naturalised in Algeria, and the English oak is reported as naturalised in southern Africa where over 40 species are grown ornamentally. </div><p>One of those species grown for ornament in southern Africa is the Algerian oak, from North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula. It too has an interesting taxonomic back story, associated with its misleading botanical name <i>Quercus canariensis</i>. Another day.</p><p style="text-align: center;">*<span> *<span> *</span></span></p><p><i>Note: Because I don't have any photographs of the Afares oak, apart from the black and white illustration from </i>Flore de L’Afrique du Nord<i>, the images included here are landscapes in Morocco. Not because the Afares oak grows there - it doesn't - but because the Atlas Mountains in Morocco are home to the Algerian and ballota oaks, </i>and ... <i>because I'm leading a tour to this country in 2025 with ASA Cultural Tours: 'Spectacular Landscapes, Gardens, Imperial Cities & Kasbahs of Morocco 2025'. The Moroccan images are taken from the <a href="https://www.asatours.com.au/tours/landscapes-and-gardens-of-morocco-2025/" target="_blank">ASA website</a>.</i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCcnDhza9ZYz5nEXhAqIUTmpcluZeftZCU3Lk3owDug4sUDm30qnuHMz37dxWGVhMjN9fDGzMvHY4UJg72uOh9AjABKVm9Y2diJRCkmOPY-4oWh4ky1qpw3vw62oAwSGCpFnd7cJsbjW8U3ao5MNBUpUK11BoFiy46lIyF9XlyhNU2ZqOAXJZshXu8X9o/s974/Morocco.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="974" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCcnDhza9ZYz5nEXhAqIUTmpcluZeftZCU3Lk3owDug4sUDm30qnuHMz37dxWGVhMjN9fDGzMvHY4UJg72uOh9AjABKVm9Y2diJRCkmOPY-4oWh4ky1qpw3vw62oAwSGCpFnd7cJsbjW8U3ao5MNBUpUK11BoFiy46lIyF9XlyhNU2ZqOAXJZshXu8X9o/w640-h460/Morocco.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><br />Talking Plantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05778763864080365220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523231273885627613.post-21940805757479676522024-02-06T06:00:00.005+11:002024-02-06T07:56:43.396+11:00Bristle-tipped oak and Chinese cork oak always at home in East Asia<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIaVsEyHKGCTRYiD5Rz1PTn5TRsTQdZHZECdCrQB0tjM8q6-dywgASvr3MTMZAn4FhK0Nh0WiWP5fJRdw13w7O3FNUyYL5MS1aDMy2i5Bval8qe7trjOj7YfO3KSiV5IKD0oEjhfeToM9On3oGY2mJSvoCoOe3c0H22AmOYJWVUSwJmty2XIiBf6ZlfRs/s4608/2020-06-06%2014.38.35.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIaVsEyHKGCTRYiD5Rz1PTn5TRsTQdZHZECdCrQB0tjM8q6-dywgASvr3MTMZAn4FhK0Nh0WiWP5fJRdw13w7O3FNUyYL5MS1aDMy2i5Bval8qe7trjOj7YfO3KSiV5IKD0oEjhfeToM9On3oGY2mJSvoCoOe3c0H22AmOYJWVUSwJmty2XIiBf6ZlfRs/w480-h640/2020-06-06%2014.38.35.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bristle-toothed oak, Kyneton Botanic Gardens, June 2020</td></tr></tbody></table><p>A few winters ago, I saw two bristle-toothed oaks (<i>Quercus acutissima</i>) with their rusty brown leaves about to fall in Kyneton and then two days later, in Hawthorn. Like many deciduous oaks, they hold their leaves until early winter. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ35MQXKnySBW-zoJjeqA1AqDxfT9hyphenhyphenrxlTQoIe6Y9bYr8-9BeXcnwUuiVB5srkd7lZsDMNbDBwTSwWsLWrf9eD567llL6cGsdkGzEHuR9LsfWU0s2uZjTxf7uoeEM5CMdrYmsVY8NLmsxW5jkKR2vuY6Ksi1jdkPUBHbj4B7vWoQDXe9f5ebWaQGyfCI/s4608/2020-06-06%2014.39.01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ35MQXKnySBW-zoJjeqA1AqDxfT9hyphenhyphenrxlTQoIe6Y9bYr8-9BeXcnwUuiVB5srkd7lZsDMNbDBwTSwWsLWrf9eD567llL6cGsdkGzEHuR9LsfWU0s2uZjTxf7uoeEM5CMdrYmsVY8NLmsxW5jkKR2vuY6Ksi1jdkPUBHbj4B7vWoQDXe9f5ebWaQGyfCI/w640-h480/2020-06-06%2014.39.01.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bristle-toothed oak, Kyneton Botanic Gardens, June 2020</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I've also seen bristle-toothed oaks in green leaf, in Box Hill Gardens and lakeside at Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. But they are not commonly grown in Australia.</p><p>Apparently, they are more often planted in North America, where they have escaped and become established in forests outside parks and gardens. Their natural home is in East Asia, including China, Korea and Japan.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg81LToIYVm7f7Mx3TudAZQW9X36aBOSyDl18TCCbiEVffGvkt-fJ3b2YBC488klBwZ6CeVh9EplnIP9AUBeoJ3lRuY3TxOQ38quXt2Fg7SAqUFdsWg09jvkNPGKHNLj_bHa1bSVF2KVuIBa9oRvrxXpORejncD7V8zNf1VESPXPhrMa9BUVPWlGnEEAec/s3589/2020-06-08%2014.17.49.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2643" data-original-width="3589" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg81LToIYVm7f7Mx3TudAZQW9X36aBOSyDl18TCCbiEVffGvkt-fJ3b2YBC488klBwZ6CeVh9EplnIP9AUBeoJ3lRuY3TxOQ38quXt2Fg7SAqUFdsWg09jvkNPGKHNLj_bHa1bSVF2KVuIBa9oRvrxXpORejncD7V8zNf1VESPXPhrMa9BUVPWlGnEEAec/w640-h472/2020-06-08%2014.17.49.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bristle-toothed oak, Fairview Park, Hawthorn, June 2020</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The leaves, as you can see, are hardly lobed but do have those bristly spines on their margins. Not unlike the red oaks, but also like cork oak. They can also be a little narrower and more 'fusiform', as in the next leaf from Box Hill (although with oaks, you can never discount individuals being hybrids of some kind).</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgtq0bnKz8NkA4crxk0__o7J9me7PPK3TXG1Wfmi_SGJVv81iQl48kgY4KZBoAtt7UbSPGx_g0aH64No1hGC5X08hKzSI7Lhyphenhyphen-tN2dYnsa3PIFid9bOjdEpz-uSkqUw5PA4p4ZZ2vWkQ1P6Pbc639x62N-LDhTXghj3rqrQIEAQP-gux1JD5vS50WMcKs/s4000/2023-05-30%2014.44.48%20Quercus%20acutissima.JPEG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgtq0bnKz8NkA4crxk0__o7J9me7PPK3TXG1Wfmi_SGJVv81iQl48kgY4KZBoAtt7UbSPGx_g0aH64No1hGC5X08hKzSI7Lhyphenhyphen-tN2dYnsa3PIFid9bOjdEpz-uSkqUw5PA4p4ZZ2vWkQ1P6Pbc639x62N-LDhTXghj3rqrQIEAQP-gux1JD5vS50WMcKs/w480-h640/2023-05-30%2014.44.48%20Quercus%20acutissima.JPEG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bristle-toothed oak, Box Hill Gardens, May 2023</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The scaly adornments on the acorn cups are not unlike those of the valonia and Turkey oaks. The cork oak does have slightly extended scales on its acorn cups, but less exuberantly so. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74CS3P3PaY6bpC3lUBmWTak0ltAt39DYywLdRD18RbGfIWQbIyQoYyi6bqWk81SP8fj4bW4XsZOXleUMZX73h-r5nvWjmi7sNmZ6NBH-P2aOxcp1Vb3iw53GFXJQ-OiMpx7INsO5YRKTm5E6yVXUrK3MxNrpdGOV0HGVXGYvA17-8_tA2TA6OY9sa14I/s3192/2020-06-08%2013.48.36.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3192" data-original-width="2493" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74CS3P3PaY6bpC3lUBmWTak0ltAt39DYywLdRD18RbGfIWQbIyQoYyi6bqWk81SP8fj4bW4XsZOXleUMZX73h-r5nvWjmi7sNmZ6NBH-P2aOxcp1Vb3iw53GFXJQ-OiMpx7INsO5YRKTm5E6yVXUrK3MxNrpdGOV0HGVXGYvA17-8_tA2TA6OY9sa14I/w500-h640/2020-06-08%2013.48.36.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bristle-toothed oak, Fairview Park, Hawthorn, June 2020</td></tr></tbody></table><p>These days, oak experts include all four species - bristle-tipped, valonia, Turkey and cork - in the section <i>Cerris </i>of subgenus <i>Cerris</i>. (In case you are wondering, the similar-in-some-ways holm oak is in section <i>Ilex </i>of subgenus <i>Cerris</i>.)</p><p>About 15 of the 400 or so known oak species are classified in this section, with most of them occuring naturally in 'western Eurasia': that is, throughout most of middle and southern Europe through to areas around the Black Sea and slightly further east. The bristle-tipped oak, along with the Chinese cork oak (<i>Quercus variabilis</i>), is one of just two (or three if <i>Quercus chenii </i>is not considered the same as the britle-tipped oak) species from East Asia. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_SlotP1Pa5ebmRf8F6AWAOiGnUr04dO1erzZKZ8Dr8-sjGKBX-pWpqHubV1lett2-Sb_YbNQSojBWCsIHkBknQK-cvLkeMA2EHkiq94hUDc_w7ZMUjUOTfHnYxhimqCJswcQRVn1orlRR9pT1USij6bTD2PiG2O0tyRNMTsBADe5N7pKh-Vnfkqmy9xs/s4608/2023-10-15%2019.09.11%20Quercus%20variabilis.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_SlotP1Pa5ebmRf8F6AWAOiGnUr04dO1erzZKZ8Dr8-sjGKBX-pWpqHubV1lett2-Sb_YbNQSojBWCsIHkBknQK-cvLkeMA2EHkiq94hUDc_w7ZMUjUOTfHnYxhimqCJswcQRVn1orlRR9pT1USij6bTD2PiG2O0tyRNMTsBADe5N7pKh-Vnfkqmy9xs/w640-h480/2023-10-15%2019.09.11%20Quercus%20variabilis.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chinese cork oak, Nanning, China; June 2020</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I saw the Chinese cork oak on my most recent visit to China, in the botanic garden (Qing Xai Shan) in Nanning, to the west of Hong Kong. The species is native to the Guangxi region, but I think planted where I saw it within the botanic garden.</p><p>Unlike the specimen growing in Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, which I had only 'discovered' in the collection a few months earlier, the bark was hardly corky. But you see from the, presumably older, tree in Melbourne, it can be as chunky as that of <i>Quercus suber </i>(the 'regular' cork oak). </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGJqedaL8NZ_7nEi-zxx8DABt8Y9kC2lCmkIDVmTuSxnDcuSJDlqRBlFPQZvVR89c1qA6s3lL3vOsF-Sv1J4KwjoRPkCneGR8lYCuA1aAb1MOaAltYODzJ3gEJfXOuN5cZnqxz5yyvUOWJwk7v9DHZoXic3DPJyhdXGjnuabOiwPyk4y-eKr-AyD0JHPI/s4608/2020-07-29%2013.30.45.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGJqedaL8NZ_7nEi-zxx8DABt8Y9kC2lCmkIDVmTuSxnDcuSJDlqRBlFPQZvVR89c1qA6s3lL3vOsF-Sv1J4KwjoRPkCneGR8lYCuA1aAb1MOaAltYODzJ3gEJfXOuN5cZnqxz5yyvUOWJwk7v9DHZoXic3DPJyhdXGjnuabOiwPyk4y-eKr-AyD0JHPI/w640-h480/2020-07-29%2013.30.45.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chinese cork oak, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne; July 2020</td></tr></tbody></table><p>It's also worth noting that the Melbourne tree has mostly green leaves in July, suggesting it is evergreen like the regular cork oak. And you can see that its leaves are not unlike those of the briste-toothed oak in general form.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiup7Aqmea5JgUBlX3sHAVdqbRQH1QiV2CX0PevvWTkxkboLvQ936bUIep7o2T3q_pv7ijLqL-WSBNCi3Y5EZH3rxmHA2CZFaIZBeqvi7Dmsg3EJRhssQQvSb6AEWNxXqXP_GbXBqoClVzh4DcS3pCUV0XOHAZx5y7wbwLY-LD1HEOavme92w9xmU7RJuA/s3485/2020-07-29%2013.30.38.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2529" data-original-width="3485" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiup7Aqmea5JgUBlX3sHAVdqbRQH1QiV2CX0PevvWTkxkboLvQ936bUIep7o2T3q_pv7ijLqL-WSBNCi3Y5EZH3rxmHA2CZFaIZBeqvi7Dmsg3EJRhssQQvSb6AEWNxXqXP_GbXBqoClVzh4DcS3pCUV0XOHAZx5y7wbwLY-LD1HEOavme92w9xmU7RJuA/w640-h464/2020-07-29%2013.30.38.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chinese cork oak, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne; July 2020</td></tr></tbody></table><p>In a <a href="https://peerj.com/articles/5793/" target="_blank">2018</a> molecular study of the section <i>Cerris </i>(mostly focusing on the Eurasian species), these two East Asia species were considered to be in a separate evolutionary lineage to the vast majority of species in this section. </p><p>There are a hundred or more other oaks in Asia, most of them once included in a separate genus called <i>Cyclobalanopsis</i>. Those oak experts I mentioned above would these days consider <i>Cyclobalanopsis </i>to be a section (also called <i>Cyclobalanopsis</i>)<i> </i>of the subgenus <i>Cerris</i>. </p><p>Which implies a common ancestor for the so-called ring-cupped oaks ('<i>Cyclobalanopsis</i>') with the group containing the bristle-tipped, Chinese cork, cork, Turkey and valonia oaks. From a combination of fossil and molecular <a href="https://academic.oup.com/aob/article/131/5/769/7048405" target="_blank">evidence</a>, it seems that ancestor may have resided in eastern Asia. Which make sense because although predominantly around Europe today, the precursors of section <i>Cerris </i>itself can be tracked back to northern East Asia, in a remote part of Russia. </p>Talking Plantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05778763864080365220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523231273885627613.post-59393272396233220652024-01-30T06:00:00.467+11:002024-02-01T11:46:52.777+11:00Engelmann oak finding a home in Melbourne<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeOqHmcs8j6PrylwkUaq1OzmOHI5bOdWMyVcqoXPNWKORvEAY4wki1JH05SNhnsVlBglc8P7NuTVIDU8rju9smnwNDT6cWZT_CaS_8HdTzgM9B40xMFZwHtR4KIusdsY0oCDL8awV5HmmE6SQqWqur-VArth4kYNJntjFtdxmnb778ksaZQCE0DrOatWI/s1888/FyKS0sKacAM17xS.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1569" data-original-width="1888" height="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeOqHmcs8j6PrylwkUaq1OzmOHI5bOdWMyVcqoXPNWKORvEAY4wki1JH05SNhnsVlBglc8P7NuTVIDU8rju9smnwNDT6cWZT_CaS_8HdTzgM9B40xMFZwHtR4KIusdsY0oCDL8awV5HmmE6SQqWqur-VArth4kYNJntjFtdxmnb778ksaZQCE0DrOatWI/w640-h532/FyKS0sKacAM17xS.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">(From left) me, Governor Linda Dessau, Engelmann oak, Tony Howard and Penny Fowler (current Chair of Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne Board), Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, 9 June 2023</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Last year, Linda Dessau and Tony Howard planted one near the new City Gate in Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne (on 9 June 2023), to mark the end of the Linda's eight-year term as 29th Governor of Victoria. </p><p>A month or so later, I planted one in Oak Lawn (on 14 July 2023) to mark the end of my ten-year term as the thirteenth Director (and Chief Executive) of Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. I included a picture of me at the planting last week but here I am 'watering it in' (with Peter Berbee talking to fellow arborist Charlie Carroll at centre behind me, and Jo Brennan at the far top left talking a guide with red hat) </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiH7jichK-uNisi-S9K8to8Dnnip6mgyHdBxpXe47lZh-ccPVL9nyK0eD5DkjPstMpMQM558FXAFs9Q20y_JZcyal0BvC_vtfF0TVFkV8VedFf3Frd3woFe8U-sBxf2vsdtVDj8JHy2tOCZfC7BWYiIHgy799auwBimoceX7Vt_CCOkc9XBorQthTtZs4/s4085/P1160434.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3138" data-original-width="4085" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiH7jichK-uNisi-S9K8to8Dnnip6mgyHdBxpXe47lZh-ccPVL9nyK0eD5DkjPstMpMQM558FXAFs9Q20y_JZcyal0BvC_vtfF0TVFkV8VedFf3Frd3woFe8U-sBxf2vsdtVDj8JHy2tOCZfC7BWYiIHgy799auwBimoceX7Vt_CCOkc9XBorQthTtZs4/w640-h492/P1160434.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />Let me tell you what I know about Engelmann's oak (<i>Quercus engelmannii</i>) and how it got to Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. <p></p><p>First to Mr Engelmann. George <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-Engelmann" target="_blank">was</a> a nineteenth century, German-born, American (USA) botanist, physician and meteorologist, with a particular interest in cacti and dodders from the west of North Amercia. His interest in the flora of California presumably led to his recognition in the name of this oak described in 1889.</p><p>The oak itself is a small 'sub'-evergreen (probably evergreen in Melbourne) tree, to about ten metres high. What it lacks in height it makes up for with gnarly ('large twisted) limbs - maybe competing with the English and Daimyo oaks on Oak Lawn I mentioned last week.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbOpPqCQ6PRIDZ8yGtiRNflkEAAN6EsuElm8NdFt4P14ZDnLXfegiJfpXoIMMdYDDQucewsJnGkY6LVBJ_x7yKx6yivpQuL7bJ28tMwIOqmH9fKm6-w5R1SGNTEemhSCmhy-egwFWT76NArxtD8Lies-jTBv_jL1i9OKpJdfWKw-mdPIRQnrM_FS1MX_Y/s1452/2023-07-14%2014.16.34.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1236" data-original-width="1452" height="544" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbOpPqCQ6PRIDZ8yGtiRNflkEAAN6EsuElm8NdFt4P14ZDnLXfegiJfpXoIMMdYDDQucewsJnGkY6LVBJ_x7yKx6yivpQuL7bJ28tMwIOqmH9fKm6-w5R1SGNTEemhSCmhy-egwFWT76NArxtD8Lies-jTBv_jL1i9OKpJdfWKw-mdPIRQnrM_FS1MX_Y/w640-h544/2023-07-14%2014.16.34.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The leaves are tough and papery, and typically grey-green in colour. The margins can vary from strongly toothed, as in this close up from my planting, or almost entire. All perhaps surprising for another (in addition to the Daimyo oak last week) relative of the English oak - again in the same subgenus and section of <i>Quercus</i>.<p></p><p>Other common names include Pasadena Oak and Mesa oak, referring to where it comes from, <a href="https://www.arroyoseco.org/eoak.htm" target="_blank">a</a> 'narrow band that stretches along the foothills of Southern California, from Pasadena down through Orange and Sand Diego County into Baja California'. Its evolutionary origins are in Mexico, home to more than a hundred oak species.</p><p>These days the oak <a href="https://www.internationaloaksociety.org/content/importing-endangered-engelmann-oaks-australia" target="_blank">is</a> listed as an Endangered Species, due to the cumulative effects of climate change (including different fire frequency and intensity), land clearing (for housing), introduced pests, and over grazing by livestock. All human induced. The bulk of the remaining trees <a href="https://www.internationaloaksociety.org/content/focus-engelmann-oak" target="_blank">are</a> in San Diego County with only a few near LA and in Baja California (Mexico).</p><p>Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria managed to import 99 acorns from colleagues at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Gardens, collected from a remnant Engelmann oak habitat within their arboretum. The acorns came from more than one tree to increase genetic diversity. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghv7ClJojJnqqvNmj31rwjenrxIS_ghRxJwrQSLi7L8OesQCLHorCUZoyF3Qz57zbw2pV9GRlsGYSsOVNxhkv7RWWkI-X3NfByqQtyp4jH34ths3tmki2ekdUiyUaHSYpZoVwESIfZkZV5aPaQj3HuOTiOcBNZ7QUo9HNiBiWf1i2KLNBC0hAGOKf06Ek/s3160/2020-05-08%2012.42.41.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3160" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghv7ClJojJnqqvNmj31rwjenrxIS_ghRxJwrQSLi7L8OesQCLHorCUZoyF3Qz57zbw2pV9GRlsGYSsOVNxhkv7RWWkI-X3NfByqQtyp4jH34ths3tmki2ekdUiyUaHSYpZoVwESIfZkZV5aPaQj3HuOTiOcBNZ7QUo9HNiBiWf1i2KLNBC0hAGOKf06Ek/w612-h640/2020-05-08%2012.42.41.jpg" width="612" /></a></div><br /><p>This was part of a broader exchange program with San Diego Botanic Garden, started by Jo Brennan, horticulturist and curator of the California Collection (soon to expanded into the North American Drylands collection and landscape). Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria will provide similarly rare species from Victoria. </p><p>Plant exchange contributes to the conservation efforts of botanic gardens worldwide, and with climate modelling showing that Melbourne will become even more suitable for growing Engelmann oak over coming decades, it is the perfect place for an <i>ex situ </i>conservation collection. The city may also find it has a new ornamental tree to replace those unable to cope with warmer summers and less rainfall. </p><p>Surprisingly perhaps, acorns are only viable for about six months, and it took some wrangling, and support from the Australian Commonwealth Government, to expedite the importation process to five months. Which wasn't easy, with delays in freighting, staff away during holiday season at both ends, and all this was at tale end of the COVID-19 pandemic in February 2022.</p><p>On top of this, to reduce the risk of introducing pests such as exotic weevils into Australia, the acorns had to be either frozen or fumigated with a largely untested chemical phosphine. As Jo <a href="https://www.internationaloaksociety.org/content/importing-endangered-engelmann-oaks-australia" target="_blank">explained</a> in a piece written for the International Oak Society, freezing had to be at -18 degrees C (a few degrees above the temperatures in Iowa at the time of the fateful Republican caucuses two weeks ago but below the -10 degrees that acorns can generally tolerate). </p><p>The decision was to fumigate fifty and freeze the rest. From those treated with phosphine, 24 were germinated by Jo and Peter Berbee (arborist and curator of the Oak Collection in Melbourne) within a few weeks of arrival at the Gardens. None of the frozen batch survived. Of the 24, 21 continued growing and are now ready for planting out or are already in the ground. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaczKENrPr3bn3NmUqUy1U1e2pbyvEyGqr9zFTSsip0CgXistb9lIwV-xvd3IArRZRyMdUjmZT6Ur5vcoxCxhg9K8OpOYoXUR7vsg8UnoDXLd0PbVFRdCp_vsRT8MfAzASmp6lcYJQOLyP2cRZ7D6O4s-nO7veiwUDxzqDCW38J6_sOQ-C5rWAiyBFEQ4/s1024/q._engelmannii_plantied.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaczKENrPr3bn3NmUqUy1U1e2pbyvEyGqr9zFTSsip0CgXistb9lIwV-xvd3IArRZRyMdUjmZT6Ur5vcoxCxhg9K8OpOYoXUR7vsg8UnoDXLd0PbVFRdCp_vsRT8MfAzASmp6lcYJQOLyP2cRZ7D6O4s-nO7veiwUDxzqDCW38J6_sOQ-C5rWAiyBFEQ4/w480-h640/q._engelmannii_plantied.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Murphy Westwood, Abby Meyer, and Peter Berbee after planting an Engelmann oak in the Grey Garden at Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, October 2022. Photo by Peter Symes; from International Oak Society <a href="https://www.internationaloaksociety.org/content/engelmann-oak-planted-melbourne">webstory</a>)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Apart from the Governor's and my own tree, there was another ceremonial <a href="https://www.internationaloaksociety.org/content/engelmann-oak-planted-melbourne">planting</a> during the Global Botanic Gardens Congress in October, 2022, with colleagues from the USA (above). Since then, a couple of other Englemann oaks (from different trees in LA to increase diversity) have joined this specimen in the Grey Garden, and there is at least one near the new Tecoma Gate on Anderson Street.<p>Other seedlings will be donated to botanic gardens in Sydney, Blue Mountains, Orange, Warrnambool and Castlemaine, in part to test out the tolerance of this species to different climates and conditions.</p><p>Meanwhile, I'll be watching to see if my tree mimics the nearby beautifully languid oaks of Oak Lawn, and on the lookout for more rare oaks from western USA (Jo and Peter are germinating some newly imported acorns as I type!). </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh28BL-7iiFpqZfgkTcakj-O1l4weJn9FK1Ia-wZXD9rmDZ0NxqVjJ1PUlZP3MGkiVipIzbtF5FPi82Zn3BTrNsn3QV8C-G2eIz0MColrDI479CgRfxbA2EhN631r1xjpYRN3Kh-2a_6QKo4aoEx3bJ80AlE-g1ktOMefbSECBOkiT1m1Tpw1Svgptapnw/s3395/2023-07-14%2014.14.15.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1790" data-original-width="3395" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh28BL-7iiFpqZfgkTcakj-O1l4weJn9FK1Ia-wZXD9rmDZ0NxqVjJ1PUlZP3MGkiVipIzbtF5FPi82Zn3BTrNsn3QV8C-G2eIz0MColrDI479CgRfxbA2EhN631r1xjpYRN3Kh-2a_6QKo4aoEx3bJ80AlE-g1ktOMefbSECBOkiT1m1Tpw1Svgptapnw/w640-h338/2023-07-14%2014.14.15.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p></div>Talking Plantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05778763864080365220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523231273885627613.post-32744872947470032122024-01-23T06:00:00.077+11:002024-01-23T07:45:11.246+11:00Oaks so far<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtRv5A1N_Fr4jERBgVAeGjDYezcGf50Exfc_ykeJM0vkkuFeNpPauUbhm2c_MvbeTNJIluhC4Z4QQsovjoSTOkxNF2IdWNEZNC83Nn2ESOuFkn_58vrbwi9u-acSmpYeD2ZXFb2Lpk76bdrnRFeQg3jIx8fMJOmGuTd5UnyunAv5ZsohtKtqVNn8L2YRs/s3498/2023-12-17%2010.58.52.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3498" height="548" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtRv5A1N_Fr4jERBgVAeGjDYezcGf50Exfc_ykeJM0vkkuFeNpPauUbhm2c_MvbeTNJIluhC4Z4QQsovjoSTOkxNF2IdWNEZNC83Nn2ESOuFkn_58vrbwi9u-acSmpYeD2ZXFb2Lpk76bdrnRFeQg3jIx8fMJOmGuTd5UnyunAv5ZsohtKtqVNn8L2YRs/w640-h548/2023-12-17%2010.58.52.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Grandson Sidney with (clearly) cork oak, Redford Park, December 2023</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>A place marker post today, with links to all oak species already mentioned in <i>Talking Plants</i>, before or after it transformed into an oak fest. Where mentioned in more than one post, I've provide a link to the search results from that name. </p><p></p><p><i><a href="https://talkingplants.blogspot.com/search?q=Quercus+agrifolia" target="_blank">Quercus agrifolia</a> </i>(California live oak) </p><p><i><a href="https://talkingplants.blogspot.com/2024/01/gold-medal-oak.html" target="_blank">Quercus alnifolia</a> </i>(golden oak)</p><p><i><a href="https://talkingplants.blogspot.com/search?q=quercus+ballota" target="_blank">Quercus ballota/rotundifolia</a> </i>(ballota oak) </p><p><i><a href="https://talkingplants.blogspot.com/search?q=quercus+canariensis" target="_blank">Quercus canariensis</a> </i>(Algerian oak) </p><p><i><a href="https://talkingplants.blogspot.com/2020/11/running-couple-of-unusual-mexican-oaks.html" target="_blank">Quercus candicans</a> </i>(flagpole oak) </p><p><i><a href="https://talkingplants.blogspot.com/search?q=quercus+cerris" target="_blank">Quercus cerris</a> </i>(Turkey oak)<i> </i></p><p><a href="https://talkingplants.blogspot.com/2013/10/war-trees-and-orchids.html" target="_blank"><i>Quercus coccifer </i>subspecies <i>calliprinos</i></a> (Gallipoli oak) </p><p><i><a href="Dinner-plate-sized leaves and edible acorns. That's the Daimyo (or Japanese Emperor) oak #talkingplants #oaks #quercus https://talkingplants.blogspot.com/2024/01/oak-jelly-tofu-noodles-pancakes-or.html" target="_blank">Quercus dentata</a> </i>(daimyo oak)</p><p><i><a href="https://talkingplants.blogspot.com/2018/06/velvet-cactus-mostly-displaced-by.html" target="_blank">Quercus deserticola</a> </i>(oak from Mexico)<i> -</i> cited only, with picture </p><p><i><a href="https://talkingplants.blogspot.com/2022/08/but-portuguese-oak-shows-little.html" target="_blank">Quercus faginea</a> </i>(Portuguese oak) </p><p><i><a href="https://talkingplants.blogspot.com/search?q=quercus+ilex" target="_blank">Quercus ilex</a> </i>(holly/holm oak) </p><p><i><a href="https://talkingplants.blogspot.com/search?q=quercus+leucotrichophora+" target="_blank">Quercus leucotrichophora</a> </i>(Himalayan oak) - cited only, no picture </p><p><a href="https://talkingplants.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-giant-acorn-cups-of-hedgeley-dene.html" target="_blank"><i>Quercus macrolepis/ithaburensis/aegilops/ithaburensis </i>subspecies </a><i><a href="https://talkingplants.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-giant-acorn-cups-of-hedgeley-dene.html" target="_blank">macrolepis</a> </i>(valonia oak) </p><p><i><a href="https://talkingplants.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Quercus phellos</a> </i>(willow oak) </p><p><i><a href="https://talkingplants.blogspot.com/2022/07/an-pyrenean-oak-in-two-seasons.html" target="_blank">Quercus pyrenaica</a> </i>(Pyrenees oak) </p><p><i><a href="https://talkingplants.blogspot.com/search?q=quercus+robur" target="_blank">Quercus robur</a> </i>(English oak) </p><p><i><a href="https://talkingplants.blogspot.com/search?q=quercus+rubra" target="_blank">Quercus rubra</a> </i>(nothern red oak) </p><p><i><a href="https://talkingplants.blogspot.com/2020/11/running-couple-of-unusual-mexican-oaks.html" target="_blank">Quercus rysophylla</a> </i>(loquat-leaf oak) </p><p></p><p><i><a href="https://talkingplants.blogspot.com/search?q=quercus+suber" target="_blank">Quercus suber</a> </i>(cork oak) </p><p>By current reckoning on species numbers, that leaves me with 400 or so still to do. Back to it then.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtyzzc07gKhHZqJZNp2jLSjNFdRvQ8jiBaNKC-XAl9HSogedns2x127HtC-lxOsgGPPdpw0b9ujt1_F5M9YQbZLq4e5ujCwDfyqBac-ZfmymzhGoK1HOiB95YzHbFP5BTwNC2vZK2Gi0s9c1oz8YUIVQ0s5hr2oUIU0uWvDBTgCU0onU31g5POEVpqNZM/s2510/A.%20HERO.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2136" data-original-width="2510" height="544" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtyzzc07gKhHZqJZNp2jLSjNFdRvQ8jiBaNKC-XAl9HSogedns2x127HtC-lxOsgGPPdpw0b9ujt1_F5M9YQbZLq4e5ujCwDfyqBac-ZfmymzhGoK1HOiB95YzHbFP5BTwNC2vZK2Gi0s9c1oz8YUIVQ0s5hr2oUIU0uWvDBTgCU0onU31g5POEVpqNZM/w640-h544/A.%20HERO.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Engelman's oak (<i>Quercus engelmannii</i>), Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, July 2023, a species not on this list (yet)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div>Talking Plantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05778763864080365220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523231273885627613.post-62380432801104892952024-01-16T06:00:00.245+11:002024-01-16T17:04:15.326+11:00Oak jelly, tofu, noodles, pancakes or spirit anyone?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBWMfKBYdZwfsrRll_zCX8ioNp8v8wFJnCgAOANUVc4gM6v27GPGhtR4hGDZbZL9pY4DnaS61ujSk8gdv5Mo5ECPLSzbR1u1rSe_RfFh4sXgiQlSt13Wi9uoukWvnZm-R-KSKj4pwkYllkreZtZXgWUeIPubdn_7nRYATgRbfjlHyqc8DHxY-d1fMBC1s/s4032/2019-10-29%20Tim%20in%20Daimyo%20Oak%20(Quercus%20dentata),%20Oak%20Lawn%20,%20Melbourne%20Gardens.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBWMfKBYdZwfsrRll_zCX8ioNp8v8wFJnCgAOANUVc4gM6v27GPGhtR4hGDZbZL9pY4DnaS61ujSk8gdv5Mo5ECPLSzbR1u1rSe_RfFh4sXgiQlSt13Wi9uoukWvnZm-R-KSKj4pwkYllkreZtZXgWUeIPubdn_7nRYATgRbfjlHyqc8DHxY-d1fMBC1s/w640-h480/2019-10-29%20Tim%20in%20Daimyo%20Oak%20(Quercus%20dentata),%20Oak%20Lawn%20,%20Melbourne%20Gardens.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>This picture from my wikipedia page looks like I'm standing among the branches of an English oak (<i>Quercus robur</i>) or perhaps, because of the larger leaves, an Algerian oak (<i>Quercus canariensis</i>).</p><p>In fact, it's the daimyo oak (<i>Quercus dentata</i>), a species closely related to both (they are classified in the same subgenus and section of <i>Quercus</i>) but from 'the East'. Japan, Korea, China and Kuril Islands, says the label in Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. (If, like me, you've never visited the Kuril Islands, they are a volcanic archipelago to the north-east of Japan, and in part disputed territory between Japan and Russia.)</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwirltV4helFPVAh3o7-2rxg5BA2g2R7Cyv8K8AFHkDBKgLGFRL4PbXwFCvtRYowQm9aXf1_GFDp02dYfO48b_j98NTpWFYIUUSZjzCJBXC08NBXNgyktKgtlVQO7YfDGIQ4TynCWxbfXWF_7E3ht0HLuf5DFk_GPfG27fczqGB5pnS5lxG3QVdnI4z60/s4000/2023-12-17%2011.00.10%20Daimyo%20Oak%20(Quercus%20dentata)%20Redford%20Park.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwirltV4helFPVAh3o7-2rxg5BA2g2R7Cyv8K8AFHkDBKgLGFRL4PbXwFCvtRYowQm9aXf1_GFDp02dYfO48b_j98NTpWFYIUUSZjzCJBXC08NBXNgyktKgtlVQO7YfDGIQ4TynCWxbfXWF_7E3ht0HLuf5DFk_GPfG27fczqGB5pnS5lxG3QVdnI4z60/w640-h480/2023-12-17%2011.00.10%20Daimyo%20Oak%20(Quercus%20dentata)%20Redford%20Park.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Redford Park, Bowral, December 2023</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdE755YycUfZ-FEDvCfbGtm1PjDkjWUjgLiyFbyivXph-EWYRZPVE4u010kHfnyv04EbzTMMUIyBM795llxvtmNRlzmNqtBw-B99_egCH2Q5iXGc3CGuSnxqt3-J1E-Aija5JlkvdhjdruexoX49mpdTKO00fGXhYh2AkuD1vRlH63yHZOvOudWDYmPk4/s4032/2020-03-27%2012.42.14.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdE755YycUfZ-FEDvCfbGtm1PjDkjWUjgLiyFbyivXph-EWYRZPVE4u010kHfnyv04EbzTMMUIyBM795llxvtmNRlzmNqtBw-B99_egCH2Q5iXGc3CGuSnxqt3-J1E-Aija5JlkvdhjdruexoX49mpdTKO00fGXhYh2AkuD1vRlH63yHZOvOudWDYmPk4/w640-h480/2020-03-27%2012.42.14.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, March 2020</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The leaves of the daimyo oak are big and beautiful. Once seen and handled, this becomes an easy oak species to identify. With some help from the acorn cups which are unlike those of the English and Algerian oaks in having a rather long-scaly indumentum. More like a <a href="https://talkingplants.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-giant-acorn-cups-of-hedgeley-dene.html" target="_blank">valonia oak</a> perhaps, although the cup scales of that species are even larger and the acorns (and their cup) bigger. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCzTq6SnbTKb3s-LdSNI0x_VdISeEdKroPmxCO_LqFpisJ4vyuHJ1D6UB8hhTF0SOfCKWbzmE-E9-ZDy9-XrFHPIwLhD-zJSgiJjsG-wheSxXljb3cHj20aMRTbnK54JYXNGdx0izOf5U7dknX7RmhG5skukrpBAC8HEAOcypqmAEmR-QhuiOsip3jr1k/s4032/2020-03-27%2012.42.40.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCzTq6SnbTKb3s-LdSNI0x_VdISeEdKroPmxCO_LqFpisJ4vyuHJ1D6UB8hhTF0SOfCKWbzmE-E9-ZDy9-XrFHPIwLhD-zJSgiJjsG-wheSxXljb3cHj20aMRTbnK54JYXNGdx0izOf5U7dknX7RmhG5skukrpBAC8HEAOcypqmAEmR-QhuiOsip3jr1k/w640-h480/2020-03-27%2012.42.40.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, March 2020</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY2KBZwH_sv6sTniU0e0rqhWcfZiG3Db2DRa-stjxUFwG0nbbCJxnkfAw7-voPnOOn3iYuv3CHbzsgn3atVisTcgGIHE_WTAmtKu1M2NqjMAbmcUEt-dtX0eMkOa38S0qvA6j1nTTPNmQNDYA-0eztL6KxCunxd_bC9GVN9W4bjYCziRSXrOtlQTObXsg/s2691/2020-03-27%2012.44.05.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2125" data-original-width="2691" height="506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY2KBZwH_sv6sTniU0e0rqhWcfZiG3Db2DRa-stjxUFwG0nbbCJxnkfAw7-voPnOOn3iYuv3CHbzsgn3atVisTcgGIHE_WTAmtKu1M2NqjMAbmcUEt-dtX0eMkOa38S0qvA6j1nTTPNmQNDYA-0eztL6KxCunxd_bC9GVN9W4bjYCziRSXrOtlQTObXsg/w640-h506/2020-03-27%2012.44.05.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>as above</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p>'Daimyo' is the transcription of a Japanese word for feudal lords who ruled that country for many centuries, and also used for things of great stature, like the leaves of this species. More explicitly, the species is sometimes called the Japanese Emperor oak. </p><p>Speaking of stature, the tree in Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne has a rather relaxed <i>habit</i>, with leaves that sweep across Oak Lawn in - if I may - dreamy languor. Not unlike a nearby English oak, so maybe it's the <i>habitat</i>. <i> </i></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRn6sq-LTmBAVYtyx3F6VMfhbQhDp2zLmpnAWIm0jZixMb_4Zql5foNQHy4Pt6hA9fnjig1h87ICxyOCHhjrSBgy6zVbI6tD5ci83nO4gto7gYarOeE9m-Ag7Vc11jPusbkAC60jLC0xpqvc37on5Pv4b0DC5j_GfrTmeV4ATmEveBlWxDa1-lilzi-uE/s3714/2022-06-02%2008.08.25.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3046" data-original-width="3714" height="524" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRn6sq-LTmBAVYtyx3F6VMfhbQhDp2zLmpnAWIm0jZixMb_4Zql5foNQHy4Pt6hA9fnjig1h87ICxyOCHhjrSBgy6zVbI6tD5ci83nO4gto7gYarOeE9m-Ag7Vc11jPusbkAC60jLC0xpqvc37on5Pv4b0DC5j_GfrTmeV4ATmEveBlWxDa1-lilzi-uE/w640-h524/2022-06-02%2008.08.25.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, March 2020</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>You can see the makings of that languidity in this next young thing from a park near where I live, photographed in early spring, just as the new leaves were appearing. Perhaps when as old as the one in the botanic gardens - 100 or more years - it will sweep the lawn in much the same way.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghFPrnJnnlVJDU_0Nxu74o0vcGe07nA0RJ-kaGNkLkRcKK00MkrY-zXHghJuyUUFXC0CEqV7oHaMO6YSAuizOEOLB9gYvZ0yUblVXX1xzscdPtD7H07gaE2JRChD5jOBdD8Vsz9KxufPNobQ9IVPKpwWqtYFFMLsPGVJ1XDPmcdkDK-HDfxUNFLd4jgIE/s4608/2020-09-13%2009.19.26.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghFPrnJnnlVJDU_0Nxu74o0vcGe07nA0RJ-kaGNkLkRcKK00MkrY-zXHghJuyUUFXC0CEqV7oHaMO6YSAuizOEOLB9gYvZ0yUblVXX1xzscdPtD7H07gaE2JRChD5jOBdD8Vsz9KxufPNobQ9IVPKpwWqtYFFMLsPGVJ1XDPmcdkDK-HDfxUNFLd4jgIE/w640-h480/2020-09-13%2009.19.26.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fordham Gardens, Camberwell, September 2020</td></tr></tbody></table><p>There is a subspecies of daimyo oak (<i>Quercus dentata </i>subspecies <i>yunnanensis</i>), although some prefer to treat it as a separate species. We can call it Yunnan oak, although it also grows near Nanning, in the Guangxi province, where I visited last year. There is a young one - planted in 2002 - in Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, considered so important it has its own garden-bed name, the Yunnan Oak Bed.</p><p>While the typical subspecies is grown as an ornamental tree around Melbourne, in Korea, and probably the other countries and disputed territories mentioned above, the acorns are eaten. They are treated first to remove tannins and 'acidic flavours', then baked and ground. The flower is made into jelly, a tofu-like substance, noodles, pancakes or even distilled into alcohol.</p><p>While some say it's best to collect acorns while green, before the insects and other animals devour them, others wait until after they have fallen. In Australia the acorns seem to be popular with urban wildlife (which I presume is why I haven't found mature acorns, in or outside cups, to photograph) so the first method might be preferable here.</p><p>In Japan at least, the leaves are also part of food preparation, providing a wrapping for sweet rice cakes. Those - the leaves - you can find at any time on the tree, other than in winter.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz9Qas-OzlN7lC-IRuF5ozprPbAEMUDnTm8g1y-FVjFjSwW1_tfCROW9j_CCUZC98DwTC1KF0lO1f72YEkJfn5BmLGfBV3SKYMO-bxcb1rtze1ktwzK7vgbqH6sWBpIaj8DszwIYYDZSoxMOI7T5xKSDhXGye4_rzb7cK5DnIyIVVcsnV4NFH56DVPpuM/s4608/2020-09-13%2009.19.46.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz9Qas-OzlN7lC-IRuF5ozprPbAEMUDnTm8g1y-FVjFjSwW1_tfCROW9j_CCUZC98DwTC1KF0lO1f72YEkJfn5BmLGfBV3SKYMO-bxcb1rtze1ktwzK7vgbqH6sWBpIaj8DszwIYYDZSoxMOI7T5xKSDhXGye4_rzb7cK5DnIyIVVcsnV4NFH56DVPpuM/w640-h480/2020-09-13%2009.19.46.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>as above</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><i>--------------</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Postscript (16 January 2024)</i>: <span style="text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This next picture of the female flowers, which I forgot to include in the original post, shows the lovely indumentum of the leaf (see bottom right corner).</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1lVXJuk3e65Rasb9QAbjyle9i5hTUlhyphenhyphenKDfS_4kw5ktq-t0PMYUfo_P9vLZaTpup7zLziKEF042DmsX6E02l5zDSeT6xhyFxX4jzken9wFG5gU4uFgX_haTw8XsRFDSrOKwG0jn8uNsRAbVM4fJ1RLdQrDeX6w2YRLfwGjFJXq8p9nfmI0afMoDvceII/s4608/2020-09-13%2009.19.03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1lVXJuk3e65Rasb9QAbjyle9i5hTUlhyphenhyphenKDfS_4kw5ktq-t0PMYUfo_P9vLZaTpup7zLziKEF042DmsX6E02l5zDSeT6xhyFxX4jzken9wFG5gU4uFgX_haTw8XsRFDSrOKwG0jn8uNsRAbVM4fJ1RLdQrDeX6w2YRLfwGjFJXq8p9nfmI0afMoDvceII/w640-h480/2020-09-13%2009.19.03.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fordham Gardens, Camberwell, September 2020</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></div>Talking Plantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05778763864080365220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523231273885627613.post-73368788160495013832024-01-09T06:00:00.208+11:002024-01-15T10:14:48.644+11:00Gold medal oak<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQBybIEC2n4AECuMe6mhluuMKMZv0p3dVkhjAsHro2LemJy9uCWalsb2IKBwpXL2JU7JLWy6ItEyNlAMMSNVnn2RYzDwGBYQ5lNjCAfrg4rrhHrgX_sbW5aZRseCf4qlgyXnZwsfb9mmQYiUEhZaHH6vRSRm9xk9wTfEcn2XSJRcVml3tUGQj5RbGAZoI/s4608/2020-10-27%2006.46.09.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQBybIEC2n4AECuMe6mhluuMKMZv0p3dVkhjAsHro2LemJy9uCWalsb2IKBwpXL2JU7JLWy6ItEyNlAMMSNVnn2RYzDwGBYQ5lNjCAfrg4rrhHrgX_sbW5aZRseCf4qlgyXnZwsfb9mmQYiUEhZaHH6vRSRm9xk9wTfEcn2XSJRcVml3tUGQj5RbGAZoI/w640-h480/2020-10-27%2006.46.09.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, Victoria, 2020</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Last week I was dissing the willow oak (<i>Quercus phellos</i>), blaming its lack of appeal on some rather plain (willow-like) leaves. This week's oak also has rather plainly cut leaves, without any scalloping or much serration at the edges, but it makes up for this in texture and 'secret' colour.</p><p>Texture first. The leaves above might look soft, like those of a coprosma, but the golden oak* (<i>Quercus alnifolia</i>) is one of those oaks with coarse, papery leaves. Not quite as 'dry' as the holm (<i>Quercus ilex</i>)<i> </i>or cork (<i>Quercus suber</i>)<i> </i>oaks, and some of the dryland oaks of California and Mexico, but the leaves wouldn't be out of place in an Australian heathland, where grevilleas and other protea-family relatives have similarly rugged leaves. We call them sclerophyllous.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjufvwH0geFBNHovzctdKzjeie1eGPoyPl_HsBXkVaCJeecokQuheDpCK5easPxgXx7IXApgHhj0DH4QdeIZOqCrsd0f_MBhB_I0bcu7CN4bNEuFbS6SuYisEXUFwCJXCMwDy2C3oTPyFLgmYdL8jdPRb4hnhr2eg5bRHgR4glXdhZ0wa1dBQjUzWg0Q2A/s2937/2020-07-05%2011.23.31.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2207" data-original-width="2937" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjufvwH0geFBNHovzctdKzjeie1eGPoyPl_HsBXkVaCJeecokQuheDpCK5easPxgXx7IXApgHhj0DH4QdeIZOqCrsd0f_MBhB_I0bcu7CN4bNEuFbS6SuYisEXUFwCJXCMwDy2C3oTPyFLgmYdL8jdPRb4hnhr2eg5bRHgR4glXdhZ0wa1dBQjUzWg0Q2A/w640-h480/2020-07-05%2011.23.31.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Geoff Bogle's arboretum, Hoddles Creek, Victoria, 2020</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The homeland of the golden oak is Cyprus, where it <a href="https://www.internationaloaksociety.org/sites/default/files/files/IO/IOS%20Journal%20%2324/05-ios%2324-jablonski.pdf" target="_blank">is</a> one of three native species and the only one to not grow naturally outside the island (endemic to Cyprus, as we would say in biology). The other two are the Aleppo oak (<i>Quercus infectoria </i>subspecies <i>veneris</i>) and Kermes oak (<i>Quercus</i> <i>coccifera</i> subspecies <i>calliprinos</i>; the oak we plant as the <a href="https://talkingplants.blogspot.com/2013/10/war-trees-and-orchids.html" target="_blank">Gallipoli oak</a>).<p></p><p>Despite the extensive loss of forest in Cyprus, golden oak is still common, but only on Troodos Massif, where it is a particularly important component of rocky hillsides. It coppices easily and recovers quickly from fire.</p><p>When discovered in the eighteenth century, the tree was thought to be a kind of alder (<i>Alnus</i>) but with a distinctive feature that is celebrated in its common name - leaves with a golden undersurface. From above they are typically oak-green but underneath, as was observed in 1754, they are yellow when young, green-orange at their peak then brown in older leaves. The colour comes from a dense covering of felty hairs. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUfU4YCGqv5UlR_qrWAF366gCQorZCG2rj6ZR2bZPo-BaEKNQiBKYrlvENK56h9-0TNZTIavboNN4ZPgtEW1csSNfeF0yqVfpCY05woYFVCDNt6W1j8v9SCMJDrEG247IqtKZktCPkSFrYiwcXxjt4ZJFDJXM1ulgJGc2y4iQ940s8NxjNN9T4xsl4TGo/s4608/2021-11-05%2015.01.38.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUfU4YCGqv5UlR_qrWAF366gCQorZCG2rj6ZR2bZPo-BaEKNQiBKYrlvENK56h9-0TNZTIavboNN4ZPgtEW1csSNfeF0yqVfpCY05woYFVCDNt6W1j8v9SCMJDrEG247IqtKZktCPkSFrYiwcXxjt4ZJFDJXM1ulgJGc2y4iQ940s8NxjNN9T4xsl4TGo/w640-h480/2021-11-05%2015.01.38.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birregurra, Victoria, 2021</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUK-n3oYWTgDNmF9y3ulqg31k5xid2X5AUip3MLqrEYtqkdWleJ6mTYJl6FsYHBk-B6TowSFtnHgby8MBltqOirlwuVUmhd0bipsrd2gmRS7jDxEhp9iS_q4fT4cyXJF1aE17E3HSNk9gAPnnlmNh5h9U6PdC7DWxPLLDLyAhQJoZbCYK7TyMw5WBItCA/s4608/2020-07-05%2011.22.49%20Hoddles%20Creek.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUK-n3oYWTgDNmF9y3ulqg31k5xid2X5AUip3MLqrEYtqkdWleJ6mTYJl6FsYHBk-B6TowSFtnHgby8MBltqOirlwuVUmhd0bipsrd2gmRS7jDxEhp9iS_q4fT4cyXJF1aE17E3HSNk9gAPnnlmNh5h9U6PdC7DWxPLLDLyAhQJoZbCYK7TyMw5WBItCA/w640-h480/2020-07-05%2011.22.49%20Hoddles%20Creek.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Geoff Bogle's arboretum, Hoddles Creek, Victoria, 2020</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnSsB3ENvCXhoeetWx_gHbVo3B7v5Umh1hsKhLAecxcKipWfe5kiAJtNIQcUpD3hdUiGkJ3sz3tUj3KDJ_AXCRmUAFXPJjGRlC0_3I-Ol_dL93xmAmnoLshp1-U9CPbc1-db4ePz0l9SaBjosGO5dNuR_4BwX431eGI9fWX09UOseUNMty2nKDfetgba8/s4608/2021-11-05%2015.01.47.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnSsB3ENvCXhoeetWx_gHbVo3B7v5Umh1hsKhLAecxcKipWfe5kiAJtNIQcUpD3hdUiGkJ3sz3tUj3KDJ_AXCRmUAFXPJjGRlC0_3I-Ol_dL93xmAmnoLshp1-U9CPbc1-db4ePz0l9SaBjosGO5dNuR_4BwX431eGI9fWX09UOseUNMty2nKDfetgba8/w640-h480/2021-11-05%2015.01.47.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birregurra, Victoria, 2021</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDqoUKFB2u7Mr7UmhF464N2uYAlwdIMZMHYky4XoEEIBDrgEa-MFCb2cJU3GtQnY0Lql-6X3S8iXPjS-TsqfGMEEgwQn_gTqt0kuHstSvU1M0jctjlJC_P1_nCFxGYsgz49QvyNJHzHfNDNEH_EY-1VahxRGUOCgP92VBqCN9kooW2RnDXR_cKSJ96nlo/s4608/2020-10-27%2006.45.41.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDqoUKFB2u7Mr7UmhF464N2uYAlwdIMZMHYky4XoEEIBDrgEa-MFCb2cJU3GtQnY0Lql-6X3S8iXPjS-TsqfGMEEgwQn_gTqt0kuHstSvU1M0jctjlJC_P1_nCFxGYsgz49QvyNJHzHfNDNEH_EY-1VahxRGUOCgP92VBqCN9kooW2RnDXR_cKSJ96nlo/w640-h480/2020-10-27%2006.45.41.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne (noting leaves with more prominently serrated edges), 2020</td></tr></tbody></table><p>In 2005, a new variety of golden oak was named, <i>Quercus alnifolia </i>variety <i>argentea</i>. 'Argentea' means silvery, referring to the apparently distinctive colour on the undersurface of leaves in some trees. Given the variation in colour across its range in Cyprus and in cultivation, this varietal name is probably unnecessary.</p><p>The acorn cups are scaly like those of the <a href="https://talkingplants.blogspot.com/2023/12/napoleons-oaks.html" target="_blank">Turkey oak</a> but it's those parchment-like leaves with a golden underbelly that I like.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYwhqAGJUvMX9CcTzoFPuBA7cWP8MgOuRW7ymiXpHa-lLy1xHwKth_5sMn6m7eiZQwSO5VsbzuNmEDuwyeNsNUBfshH76MdPPbujgX8-Kx8FvV1Oo-2IXdsve4Z4arFTLsy6iClUcZadW0n_tol07uDqjQG7Kdgm5h2a8MvjIDvqaO3UbjbNo4toBWCE/s4608/2020-07-05%2011.22.01%20Hoddles%20Creek%20(Geoff%20Bogle's%20Arboretum).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYwhqAGJUvMX9CcTzoFPuBA7cWP8MgOuRW7ymiXpHa-lLy1xHwKth_5sMn6m7eiZQwSO5VsbzuNmEDuwyeNsNUBfshH76MdPPbujgX8-Kx8FvV1Oo-2IXdsve4Z4arFTLsy6iClUcZadW0n_tol07uDqjQG7Kdgm5h2a8MvjIDvqaO3UbjbNo4toBWCE/w640-h480/2020-07-05%2011.22.01%20Hoddles%20Creek%20(Geoff%20Bogle's%20Arboretum).jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Geoff Bogle's arboretum, Hoddles Creek, Victoria, 2020</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;">*As a few readers reminded me, the common name golden oak is also applied to a cultivar of English oak, <i>Quercus robur </i>'Concordia'. The leaves on this tree are softer, yellow on both sides and shaped like a typical English oak leaf.</div></div></div>Talking Plantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05778763864080365220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523231273885627613.post-73176311454508914162024-01-02T06:00:00.001+11:002024-01-02T06:00:00.138+11:00Not my favourite oak<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBuJimVKrORfqa_J8TUqw72FLb4GsFtS3zugeJaOWTwbEmqN4XPiHMusQg5Gy26gUh557zxmXf8rhU8DjUPONvgRNoPdTEtX_ajhDZrY8b-60fb5kATMjYwH2qgZTPAUMtsH4-3s_9to198AKY67T1EMWBEL4diTjnYtp3HelcHQ9bYHef8Mtgq9i99d4/s4608/2021-11-05%2014.41.07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBuJimVKrORfqa_J8TUqw72FLb4GsFtS3zugeJaOWTwbEmqN4XPiHMusQg5Gy26gUh557zxmXf8rhU8DjUPONvgRNoPdTEtX_ajhDZrY8b-60fb5kATMjYwH2qgZTPAUMtsH4-3s_9to198AKY67T1EMWBEL4diTjnYtp3HelcHQ9bYHef8Mtgq9i99d4/w640-h480/2021-11-05%2014.41.07.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birregurra, Victoria</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I don't think willow oak, <i>Quercus phellos</i>, is the prettiest of oaks. As the common name suggests, sometimes rendered more explicitly as willow-leaved oak, its leaves resemble those of a willow.</p><p>The acorns may have pretty stripes narrowing to the pointy tip but I haven't seen mature fruits myself. These are a few immature fruits on a couple of trees in a home garden at Birregurra, just west of Melbourne, but the acorn is yet to emerge. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhISvOFyGQIWZdDAK-ews4aOXy_L2ptKFX3ihzkF-L_-HDYREO8k0N9bCard7x3rCUYPMBj0VUAZl1zmHjqQdTO_s1pa2k7Y5si9EUbjgbnp56H3nIlZttIFTqObKa5tOWom4ZyYsxTUkF22xZsSOgaAVpW0yDu8mz1C5ADCTJZW2rasUili7b6ZcCvCUQ/s4032/2023-01-28%2015.24.21%20Birregurra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhISvOFyGQIWZdDAK-ews4aOXy_L2ptKFX3ihzkF-L_-HDYREO8k0N9bCard7x3rCUYPMBj0VUAZl1zmHjqQdTO_s1pa2k7Y5si9EUbjgbnp56H3nIlZttIFTqObKa5tOWom4ZyYsxTUkF22xZsSOgaAVpW0yDu8mz1C5ADCTJZW2rasUili7b6ZcCvCUQ/w640-h480/2023-01-28%2015.24.21%20Birregurra.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birregurra<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The botanical name, <i>phellos</i>, is what the Ancient Greeks called the cork oak of Europe, <i>Quercus suber</i>. Willow oak is from south-western USA and does not have particularly corky bark. Although, perhaps relative to other oaks in the region it's a little chunky?</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6PXt41TztMbdLBQFJHS6N9Zj53SOxkn5vFVR8t42Y-rN7Bgi0l0cmhR9b4BN962Rci5XXsa8B6H-Y_Vg7giZGYHaPMvhZEp6PExiHZK1veN2VsvAbbkPD4cCC9EbT9JXTIX5ovWtmgWbzQHwBWFB4X4vC46_vlNpURhwET81B_8_gBeZlQEnffhlsl9g/s4032/2022-02-05%2015.14%20Quercus%20phellos%20(Willow%20Oak)%20Birra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6PXt41TztMbdLBQFJHS6N9Zj53SOxkn5vFVR8t42Y-rN7Bgi0l0cmhR9b4BN962Rci5XXsa8B6H-Y_Vg7giZGYHaPMvhZEp6PExiHZK1veN2VsvAbbkPD4cCC9EbT9JXTIX5ovWtmgWbzQHwBWFB4X4vC46_vlNpURhwET81B_8_gBeZlQEnffhlsl9g/w480-h640/2022-02-05%2015.14%20Quercus%20phellos%20(Willow%20Oak)%20Birra.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Willow oak bark, Birregurra</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Willow oak is a member of the red oak group, which you'll recall from an earlier post, have leaves with pointy side lobes. This species has no lobing so no pointy bits. Also, therefore, little of the charm you associate with oak leaves. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrToJrXhGEFK6uLq6YG2OMpKNrmzf0y53XBLhdlGl1NkmF6nomtTLEsfwfzraPcln0kF6W96t3fc7JxcPzZcpBT8XzHZG4Clizjq_3y6pF5I0rj65SObwHXGy3nqZlIKViXxviLbfJoMFgjuBF5AhlfdGPUHHAPBv8-dJvMelO-PQWQ8qG6gJgw4fd-_g/s4032/2022-02-05%2015.13%20Quercus%20phellos%20(Willow%20Oak)%20Birregurra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrToJrXhGEFK6uLq6YG2OMpKNrmzf0y53XBLhdlGl1NkmF6nomtTLEsfwfzraPcln0kF6W96t3fc7JxcPzZcpBT8XzHZG4Clizjq_3y6pF5I0rj65SObwHXGy3nqZlIKViXxviLbfJoMFgjuBF5AhlfdGPUHHAPBv8-dJvMelO-PQWQ8qG6gJgw4fd-_g/w480-h640/2022-02-05%2015.13%20Quercus%20phellos%20(Willow%20Oak)%20Birregurra.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">willow-shaped leaves of the willow oak, Birregurra</td></tr></tbody></table><p>In North America, the species grows mostly in lowlands, often near streams, not unlike places favoured by true willows (<i>Salix</i>). While it likes moist soil, it tolerates drought well and will thrive in full sun.</p><p>I've also seen willow oaks grown as an avenue, in Paul Bangay's Stonefields, in central Victoria. On mass, they are pleasantly green and hedgy I guess.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_XW4S-Uytv31VkLUCXC_F7O93UjjpDW1nKcr4NLSQlSikrNuj-RhRNkGjcO9PChczPUYq-CfuxDLfD5qys4Dk9-RSYMqpTA_TTPjkS3GCFl9hoJJ9C7gWtk21wf4VxmgH8HVuu82Pa_uGgte8DRsE8hzRzEJLFh2huvEF6sjyKijwOYSms-PeC56driE/s4032/2022-12-02%2013.47.11%20Quercus%20phellos%20(Willow%20Oak).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_XW4S-Uytv31VkLUCXC_F7O93UjjpDW1nKcr4NLSQlSikrNuj-RhRNkGjcO9PChczPUYq-CfuxDLfD5qys4Dk9-RSYMqpTA_TTPjkS3GCFl9hoJJ9C7gWtk21wf4VxmgH8HVuu82Pa_uGgte8DRsE8hzRzEJLFh2huvEF6sjyKijwOYSms-PeC56driE/w640-h480/2022-12-02%2013.47.11%20Quercus%20phellos%20(Willow%20Oak).jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stonefields, Victoria</td></tr></tbody></table><br />What reminded me of them recently were a couple of new plantings in an arboretum at Oldbury Farm, the home and beautiful garden of David Newby in the Southern Highlands, NSW. There were also young red oaks and English oaks, along with plenty of other deciduous trees, and some conifers. </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKn8iPUXg12ZppF3QyjGUztc6z4bGmtEmFKEOob92rj4_tWCD0G6u5xlG4TK26mtd33MbDxj_TP6Xoa4jKEVgt5jmU8wrmZNhiPNCTlW09lFoRMGQ3Ly4J2Q71cidg3kmxV90oBPlCs3i1BazlD_ArTSVZY3_juTDqLyXWbS3PDdYZ6h8Uy1prhB3p8IA/s4000/2023-12-19%2017.08.51%20Willow-leaved%20oak%20(Quercus%20phellos).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKn8iPUXg12ZppF3QyjGUztc6z4bGmtEmFKEOob92rj4_tWCD0G6u5xlG4TK26mtd33MbDxj_TP6Xoa4jKEVgt5jmU8wrmZNhiPNCTlW09lFoRMGQ3Ly4J2Q71cidg3kmxV90oBPlCs3i1BazlD_ArTSVZY3_juTDqLyXWbS3PDdYZ6h8Uy1prhB3p8IA/w640-h480/2023-12-19%2017.08.51%20Willow-leaved%20oak%20(Quercus%20phellos).jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oldbury Farm, NSW</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>The arboretum is a work in progress, so we can't really judge the beauty of this willow oak yet. The garden and parkland around the old homestead is an entirely different proposition. As complete as a garden can be (they never really are of course) and rather stunning. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDa58NMIFa0gug-Lfdd5_jM6nFnAYjdQkQgmID2547wxvTnCjO9xetzSB9AI75J8Kg3CO5TX2p60Md6qtNQrWb0KutVdKwOGdy3tBSXJuqM1cC-I010RQfekIrLdh8qYvfrBHSfPQgcMBeYxAc6FAB56i6ZWxadtPHF6KOrQH40Gp2EeV9dKFGpy8BRBs/s3578/2023-12-19%2016.51.47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2544" data-original-width="3578" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDa58NMIFa0gug-Lfdd5_jM6nFnAYjdQkQgmID2547wxvTnCjO9xetzSB9AI75J8Kg3CO5TX2p60Md6qtNQrWb0KutVdKwOGdy3tBSXJuqM1cC-I010RQfekIrLdh8qYvfrBHSfPQgcMBeYxAc6FAB56i6ZWxadtPHF6KOrQH40Gp2EeV9dKFGpy8BRBs/w640-h456/2023-12-19%2016.51.47.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oldbury Farm, NSW</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdhTVeeihB3X3IwJMxxkA6WVkpzEazTK4bJvtdBz3Ri1oaKuQqgoxmgsBoPDHX56lyQf8N9kHftu0eeF8MU6_NNLYBtNLWS3HQec_SprxFZMgnPorLWmpDvhJFFf7mMgZ7Xql7hygxiSdWuKPKY6RCxE-v8z1B0vmnxAElyuGWgEqp4mhPWJOHgppC6sI/s2174/2023-12-19%2016.45.59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1847" data-original-width="2174" height="544" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdhTVeeihB3X3IwJMxxkA6WVkpzEazTK4bJvtdBz3Ri1oaKuQqgoxmgsBoPDHX56lyQf8N9kHftu0eeF8MU6_NNLYBtNLWS3HQec_SprxFZMgnPorLWmpDvhJFFf7mMgZ7Xql7hygxiSdWuKPKY6RCxE-v8z1B0vmnxAElyuGWgEqp4mhPWJOHgppC6sI/w640-h544/2023-12-19%2016.45.59.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oldbury Farm, NSW</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Talking Plantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05778763864080365220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523231273885627613.post-60101297916034526492023-12-26T06:00:00.094+11:002023-12-26T06:00:00.132+11:00Napoleon's oaks<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxFrXGc1LwXYFzSHS8oMWJTlTaQc4zDM2LytRIDInKbiUroUyh47uSJuZMj0BJeavpHL5-pG08Di0zzR6lL_YHECN1enuFvKnNLPBhDTqCLpNwIZ4JmqsLa5x3sQgX1kNydXPRUsb5XHkkd6y4QYJy8I7kly5baZ_CNFVNHHDo_hfTU0JzEps7iprbW7k/s2980/2020-04-11%2010.58.57%20Quercus%20faginea%20sp.%20%5Baff%5D%20(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2660" data-original-width="2980" height="572" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxFrXGc1LwXYFzSHS8oMWJTlTaQc4zDM2LytRIDInKbiUroUyh47uSJuZMj0BJeavpHL5-pG08Di0zzR6lL_YHECN1enuFvKnNLPBhDTqCLpNwIZ4JmqsLa5x3sQgX1kNydXPRUsb5XHkkd6y4QYJy8I7kly5baZ_CNFVNHHDo_hfTU0JzEps7iprbW7k/w640-h572/2020-04-11%2010.58.57%20Quercus%20faginea%20sp.%20%5Baff%5D%20(2).jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turkey oak, <i>Quercus cerris;</i> Hedgeley Dean, Malvern (April 2020)</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Having watched Ridley Scott's <i>Napoleon</i> and read Andrew Roberts's <i>Napoleon the Great </i>(both of which rely heavily on the recently curated <a href="https://fondationnapoleon.org/en/activities-and-services/telling-history/correspondence-napoleon/" target="_blank">correspondence</a> of Napoleon), I was keen to find some quirky <i>Quercus </i>connections in this complex man's life.</p><p>First up the Montenotte medal, which Roberts describes as 'just over 1½ inches in diameter, depicting a bust of Napoleon on the obverse side with his coat embroidered with oak leaves and acorns, a figure representing the ‘Genius of War’ on the reverse’. The medal was struck during his successful campaign leading the Army of Italy, in 1796, before he became Emperor.</p><p>The oak appears on the collar and as a border down the front of Napoleon's coat. It seems this was standard French military dress at the <a href="https://shannonselin.com/2019/01/napoleon-clothes-uniform/" target="_blank">time</a>: 'a single-breasted blue woollen coat with a red collar, red cuffs with white flaps, gold oak-leaf embroidery on the collar, cuffs, pockets and front and rear openings, and a red-and-white sash with gold trim'. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEM9lpjWvrk-aHXkuIFN2UM2sHmSu0Q9XFgYLAP8uhjOPjeNsj_KfCIDEWjh6FcN3VFsgU6XrfENj_ewp5OYC5RtvBqppXxzb1zM9zMgG31k5BYY3JzIXDGsLhHaFvouaFEg6hk4IoVGq6YjTS15hKb-6FB9tSnEMjEcNFuVFBhSY_62-EuFr0a8SYDe4/s752/Medal%201.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="752" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEM9lpjWvrk-aHXkuIFN2UM2sHmSu0Q9XFgYLAP8uhjOPjeNsj_KfCIDEWjh6FcN3VFsgU6XrfENj_ewp5OYC5RtvBqppXxzb1zM9zMgG31k5BYY3JzIXDGsLhHaFvouaFEg6hk4IoVGq6YjTS15hKb-6FB9tSnEMjEcNFuVFBhSY_62-EuFr0a8SYDe4/w640-h240/Medal%201.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of Montenotte medal, <a href="https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/C_1898-0102-11">British Museum</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p>From the leaf outline, the oak could be a downy oak, <i>Quercus pubescens</i>, a species growing naturally in Napoleon's homeland, Corsica (along with holm oak, <i>Quercus ilex</i>,<i> </i>and cork oak, <i>Quercus suber</i>). But that is pure romance. Given he is wearing a standard French uniform it is more likely to be a species like the Turkey oak, <i>Quercus cerris</i>. That leaf is also a good match, although the acorns don't have the bristly cup.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrvY1esRjjtsls9jRPD0sFrcnpGfZS23kjOUfn7laYOXl0Fi_MPsxK0IbGmLoHu_edqfKKqJQNA_WnKQImV0XbxLv1JZ5lEZBJUlTLc6F4j3xjGohH4aow0xZAQ7cwbG4DRVGU8scOPiImZChe_9DaUEHouvJV-ObmKHHVgH60G-wu3eIFaZ2DVpcgyk/s4032/2020-04-11%2010.55.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrvY1esRjjtsls9jRPD0sFrcnpGfZS23kjOUfn7laYOXl0Fi_MPsxK0IbGmLoHu_edqfKKqJQNA_WnKQImV0XbxLv1JZ5lEZBJUlTLc6F4j3xjGohH4aow0xZAQ7cwbG4DRVGU8scOPiImZChe_9DaUEHouvJV-ObmKHHVgH60G-wu3eIFaZ2DVpcgyk/w480-h640/2020-04-11%2010.55.52.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turkey oak, <i>Quercus cerris</i>; Hedgeley Dean, Malvern (April 2020)</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicMwJ6ZnHv42nFPVCeHlNBp53XWosd4fdELCd8i1bEUv8TIILeqfYQCLtQ5rxaXaWYkyp_BXv775vq2edmnccdQxe_9ExSVo251adYwNhDKnqXvCREJ3P3jHjdOvBaDH6EybGah_LUsGFVmfNEhyphenhyphenoQ2dM6t38B5mKa5OcK1HWim_8MB80cs069HH25hAQ/s4032/2020-04-11%2010.55.04%20Quercus%20cerris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicMwJ6ZnHv42nFPVCeHlNBp53XWosd4fdELCd8i1bEUv8TIILeqfYQCLtQ5rxaXaWYkyp_BXv775vq2edmnccdQxe_9ExSVo251adYwNhDKnqXvCREJ3P3jHjdOvBaDH6EybGah_LUsGFVmfNEhyphenhyphenoQ2dM6t38B5mKa5OcK1HWim_8MB80cs069HH25hAQ/w480-h640/2020-04-11%2010.55.04%20Quercus%20cerris.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turkey oak, <i>Quercus cerris</i>, acorn; Hedgeley Dean, Malvern (April 2020)</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Another version of the medal, also struck in 1796, shows a different rendition of the oak but again it could be the Turkey oak. In both cases, though, I suspect it is a poor rendition of the English or pedunculate oak, <i>Quercus robur</i>, found throughout France. The acorns of that species are less ornate and so more like those in the medals.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxd18j1wcJn3Sr-Li8PIYvZpOLt2nXFG54Shjq-VcZABgP_jDm6exl0BLxw4w5AHD5xYIHjfz0d57zotPOIoTOaoGnFRM6UaAMGFWG2atx4S-OjlfPfwKyUh-d6Ar6zOdYtEbxBnwhQd2zOeyR61YlR4A7Binti4Whve4RtPdeF_ZgXdRo-HvAQx5Zt3E/s689/Medal%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="686" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxd18j1wcJn3Sr-Li8PIYvZpOLt2nXFG54Shjq-VcZABgP_jDm6exl0BLxw4w5AHD5xYIHjfz0d57zotPOIoTOaoGnFRM6UaAMGFWG2atx4S-OjlfPfwKyUh-d6Ar6zOdYtEbxBnwhQd2zOeyR61YlR4A7Binti4Whve4RtPdeF_ZgXdRo-HvAQx5Zt3E/w638-h640/Medal%202.jpg" width="638" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Montenotte medal, </span><a href="https://www.carousell.sg/p/1796-the-first-french-empire-napoleon-bonaparte-i-the-battle-of-montenotte-12th-april-1796-large-crown-bronze-medal-great-circulated-condition-beautiful-historical-significance-design-41-0-mm-34-9-grs-special-original-old-re-struck-v-scarce-1064753501/">Memorabilia & Collectibles</a> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Sadly for us oak buffs, later medals have plant material only in laurels around his head, which seem to be made from ... laurel (<i>Laurus nobilis</i>)<i> </i>leaves. </p><p>However, as Roberts tells us, at his coronation Napoleon 'wore a long satin, gold-embroidered gown that reached his ankles, over which he had an ermine-line crimson velvet mantle with a golden bee motif bordered with olive, laurel and oak leaves, which weighed more than 80 pounds'. Apparently, it took his brother Joseph and three others lift it to his shoulders. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdq-3pu3P9suG47qrMSm90lrpZE9i1jHrVoiF_vYBfZi58CSHWTXU-RrALz-cF4_8-ctFfXKpXWnBZw2Q56YpMcLNsyKUnD0MPAe3TOAAJTTuvv7xXnnCfR63DJHyDXpwyXBXCHyMJVTTnGsyhr7gjmhDg3J3zy-j0XxattZgiRSfxg2ztlVS77jONk5g/s907/Portrait-of-Napoleon-I-Napoleon-Bonaparte-in-His-Coronation-Robes-2-scaled.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="907" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdq-3pu3P9suG47qrMSm90lrpZE9i1jHrVoiF_vYBfZi58CSHWTXU-RrALz-cF4_8-ctFfXKpXWnBZw2Q56YpMcLNsyKUnD0MPAe3TOAAJTTuvv7xXnnCfR63DJHyDXpwyXBXCHyMJVTTnGsyhr7gjmhDg3J3zy-j0XxattZgiRSfxg2ztlVS77jONk5g/w542-h640/Portrait-of-Napoleon-I-Napoleon-Bonaparte-in-His-Coronation-Robes-2-scaled.webp" width="542" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Napoleon's coronation cloak (<a href="https://www.afrenchcollection.com/the-napoleonic-bee/">The Napoleonic Bee | A French Collection</a>)</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Given the amount of travel Napoleon did during his years as General and Emperor, he will have passed many oak trees, perhaps camping next to some. At least two of these have been designated ‘Napoleon Oaks’. </div><p>The best known is, or was, in Zabór, Lubusz Voivodeship, in Poland. According to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_Oak" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>, it was deliberately burnt (for at least the third time in its life apparently) and died in 2010, it was considered the largest oak in Poland (although so too is the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrobry_Oak" target="_blank">Chrobry Oak</a>, also set on fire in recent years). Both are what we - but I doubt Napoleon - would call an English oak (<i>Quercus robur</i>). Reputedly, Napoleon Bonaparte stopped near this one in Zabór on his ill-fated trip to Russia in 1812, when the tree was 300-400 years old. </p><p>There is <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/149203v2.full" target="_blank">another</a> Napoleon Oak at Saint-Sulpice, Lausanne, Switzerland; again, to rub it in, an English oak. This tree was 22 years old when on 12 May 1800, Napoleon marched past what is now the University of Lausanne, into Italy. The age of that tree is considered reasonably accurate, but there a story circulating that it may have been replanted after Napoleon’s visit, by the de Loys family, who owned the Dorigny Estate which became the university. </p><p>They may have moved the tree to a position better suited to Napoleon's new status. That status has changed over the years of course, but both the film and the book, portray an intriguing - if deeply flawed - individual. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6irQrgyzaxdOWrbpkKEqXWfZO8K75Mo5hp-KGmLZf1biOhiqJyXnAxtZdfjnuuVAOFw6rs4IC_-AZx_NVwlMJCQJNAzGaCztKz0pHd6ZICJADDElrfLfU0OVArcIrZXZTYt7VaHabg7t2uU43JruopqZlGO5AlJ5pcxVgvvl55TgHzVo0QOPmYsG_crE/s4032/2020-04-11%2010.55.33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6irQrgyzaxdOWrbpkKEqXWfZO8K75Mo5hp-KGmLZf1biOhiqJyXnAxtZdfjnuuVAOFw6rs4IC_-AZx_NVwlMJCQJNAzGaCztKz0pHd6ZICJADDElrfLfU0OVArcIrZXZTYt7VaHabg7t2uU43JruopqZlGO5AlJ5pcxVgvvl55TgHzVo0QOPmYsG_crE/w640-h480/2020-04-11%2010.55.33.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turkey oak, <i>Quercus cerris;</i> Hedgeley Dean, Malvern (April 2020)</td></tr></tbody></table>Talking Plantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05778763864080365220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523231273885627613.post-23317417543973073182023-12-20T18:06:00.000+11:002023-12-20T18:06:34.988+11:00A redder kind of oak<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjToBWUZrUwBWIoVuM8bAiSt5niR0nY6UAdQQJ979-qBVR5nbyZKd4uLMf2hg2j81ZAFWKufov4LYZLc3txr4UwJNq-Zqvu4pc4CBYJ6Z4zECU9VzISGkxDpCD-BAr02jVR_5XGMBmM8vK6zhWLGFJcMQALcMOZKvYc_AADmI3VpXxYfG1IpUOIEHDt2Fo/s3034/2023-12-13%2013.07.09%20Red%20oak%20in%20Burrawang.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2647" data-original-width="3034" height="558" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjToBWUZrUwBWIoVuM8bAiSt5niR0nY6UAdQQJ979-qBVR5nbyZKd4uLMf2hg2j81ZAFWKufov4LYZLc3txr4UwJNq-Zqvu4pc4CBYJ6Z4zECU9VzISGkxDpCD-BAr02jVR_5XGMBmM8vK6zhWLGFJcMQALcMOZKvYc_AADmI3VpXxYfG1IpUOIEHDt2Fo/w640-h558/2023-12-13%2013.07.09%20Red%20oak%20in%20Burrawang.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red oak at back of Burrawang pub</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br></div><div>In addition to English and pin oaks, the <i>other sort </i>you see commonly around here (in the Southern Highlands, where we are spending our December) is a red oak <i>of some kind</i>. I use the words 'other sort' and 'of some kind' because while I want to call some of them northern red oak (<i>Quercus rubra</i>) I'm not sure that's true for all. I'm struggling to identify one in particular, on the streets of Mittagong. It might be a scarlet oak (<i>Quercus coccinea</i>), or a hybrid between a couple of different 'red oaks' (the subgroup which includes the pin oak).</div><div><br></div><div>As I struggle with the taxonomy, I'm reminded of something William Golding wrote in a <a href=". http://archive.spectator.co.uk/article/16th-september-1960/21/books" target="_blank">book review</a> back in 1960 (quoted recently in <i>The Sea is Not Made of Water:
Life Between the Tides </i>by Adam Nicolson). He described his 'Victorian fathers' as ‘lassoing phenomena with Latin names, listing docketing and systematising’. Golding was advocating a little more humility, and poring over fragments of life, rather than striving to capture it elements whole in boxes tied up with a nice botanical ribbon.</div><div><br></div><div>Taxonomy and classification can easily become an end in themselves. While an accurate name is the key to all we (who use botanical names and all that goes with that) know about a living organism, we/I can become more interested in the correct binomial than what lies behind it.</div><div><br></div><div>On the flip side, being able to name and talk about things leads to not only interesting conversations but often more appreciation and concern for the thing we have named. That can be a good thing.</div><div><br></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCj6mg9RyPnt8RA2xhg48DHNfzeHgmN2ZK-pCdJEOAMti05TObvUYSLU7Xk8exXgPZjORFUbjU_8ckaJzL_RfctqN4TIdZ-DQr_8Q3Ez3GvO6Sw1AtLbq3lm8XkcIk3G57tmpv8nsYawRQJjmCHP7Cj5hjJR-h07DeypxuLBY_och8ocv_UUQbd5FLM30/s2354/2023-12-13%2013.07.29%20leaves%20Burrawang.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1390" data-original-width="2354" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCj6mg9RyPnt8RA2xhg48DHNfzeHgmN2ZK-pCdJEOAMti05TObvUYSLU7Xk8exXgPZjORFUbjU_8ckaJzL_RfctqN4TIdZ-DQr_8Q3Ez3GvO6Sw1AtLbq3lm8XkcIk3G57tmpv8nsYawRQJjmCHP7Cj5hjJR-h07DeypxuLBY_och8ocv_UUQbd5FLM30/w640-h378/2023-12-13%2013.07.29%20leaves%20Burrawang.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaves on red oak behind Burrawang pub</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXytaqR_sDEYnCsZwBjdV1VZQsiT08bkLOl7sVGoi92-6hmHDqFthQ-BuygISQKtZqNoUK9KjQ7UIy73OIIz2qz7y6tIGf0Xr-OKlw2D_wSYVaqjCm-0diGkLDyUD5ziDDcirxmFt_RLx0GDLdHIdlnKSmfEDoclT2lkUBbPdtV59czWHp07kn8B_rzpM/s3072/2023-12-13%2010.57.19.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2375" data-original-width="3072" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXytaqR_sDEYnCsZwBjdV1VZQsiT08bkLOl7sVGoi92-6hmHDqFthQ-BuygISQKtZqNoUK9KjQ7UIy73OIIz2qz7y6tIGf0Xr-OKlw2D_wSYVaqjCm-0diGkLDyUD5ziDDcirxmFt_RLx0GDLdHIdlnKSmfEDoclT2lkUBbPdtV59czWHp07kn8B_rzpM/w640-h494/2023-12-13%2010.57.19.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaves on red oak in Bowral, in park behind Bradman Oval</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiec7l89kESQYQWnJnWJcmI7U-rJT8pE8BuOta9NMlku0c2XU8VIyRWrCxCII212ssFIsrVWGcGTQEWnOOSUQASMufQqVz4V2XINBCEFB6I3xsXyQwFCev7QHl2VjN3QPFT9a8ZaMHRXqDww7HqLgGQgexfcHWPnxs86YCwwHYoYZb1eCi_5ntoYZ_kk1s/s2245/2023-12-13%2011.00.20%20Red%20oak%20fruits%20(bowral).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1772" data-original-width="2245" height="506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiec7l89kESQYQWnJnWJcmI7U-rJT8pE8BuOta9NMlku0c2XU8VIyRWrCxCII212ssFIsrVWGcGTQEWnOOSUQASMufQqVz4V2XINBCEFB6I3xsXyQwFCev7QHl2VjN3QPFT9a8ZaMHRXqDww7HqLgGQgexfcHWPnxs86YCwwHYoYZb1eCi_5ntoYZ_kk1s/w640-h506/2023-12-13%2011.00.20%20Red%20oak%20fruits%20(bowral).jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immature acorns on red oak in Bowral, in park behind Bradman Oval</td></tr></tbody></table><br><div>Onward then, but with humility. The leaves of the 'red oaks' are generally larger than those of the pin oak and those sinuses between the leaf lobes are more like a V than a U. That's what you'll read in the learned texts. You'll also find that the undersurface of the pin oak leaf has a tuft of tawny hair where the side veins on the leaf meet the mid-vein. I like to think of it as an unshaven armpit (and I may be indebted here to my friend Neville Walsh for this comparison...)</div><div><br></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_PJzwIKLcDtCK6XAKFJ9mXkT6dQJClh3gPi-rP-JSMh0pYu2PDjpnyczvLwgcc5r2ZGe3HnOuV5GiU0CkUGjlWD8HnhlfEcf6Ol01dahrXMU2EfTviYjy8p-z2zpUaQkkmY8FPIuaFfkV7EJvqXjKm28d77o6b1D8L71YSIu7_TleWtbtaLxKfgqYRWA/s3252/2023-12-13%2011.13.00%20Pin%20oak.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2287" data-original-width="3252" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_PJzwIKLcDtCK6XAKFJ9mXkT6dQJClh3gPi-rP-JSMh0pYu2PDjpnyczvLwgcc5r2ZGe3HnOuV5GiU0CkUGjlWD8HnhlfEcf6Ol01dahrXMU2EfTviYjy8p-z2zpUaQkkmY8FPIuaFfkV7EJvqXjKm28d77o6b1D8L71YSIu7_TleWtbtaLxKfgqYRWA/w640-h450/2023-12-13%2011.13.00%20Pin%20oak.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pin oak leaves in Bowral</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMiAyIfhDah1wbUMT3zpogskDQ_qVcXhCH9z5ndQR621Lxq35WInFtV4z5g_L9R1cKeNLqqgm33A_4-kNI-RvB0rxJK7E0AC3tXU0APwXPgdiiloGy5HKA3nG6ugoxvxQGDL5HmAWdyEedqN3ftEwEe7P4Nj2kksO7gvee7N8Ywa4SkuHjQdFzgNlM1Ls/s2656/2023-12-13%2011.17.10%20Pin%20oak%20armpits.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1539" data-original-width="2656" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMiAyIfhDah1wbUMT3zpogskDQ_qVcXhCH9z5ndQR621Lxq35WInFtV4z5g_L9R1cKeNLqqgm33A_4-kNI-RvB0rxJK7E0AC3tXU0APwXPgdiiloGy5HKA3nG6ugoxvxQGDL5HmAWdyEedqN3ftEwEe7P4Nj2kksO7gvee7N8Ywa4SkuHjQdFzgNlM1Ls/w640-h370/2023-12-13%2011.17.10%20Pin%20oak%20armpits.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hairy 'armpit' of pin oak in Bowral</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br></div><div>The northern red oak and scarlet oak have shaven armpits or - just to irritate the Victorian father (hey, that's me, literally!) sometimes a few tufts now and then, mainly in young leaves. Or are these leaves from hybrid plants? I'm thinking now that while the tree in Mittagong may not be a full-blooded northern red oak, the ones photographed in Burrawang and Bowral are very much so. </div><div><br></div><div>There are also differences in bark and acorn size (and probably more) but I'm sticking with leaves today. Here are the leaves of the northern red and the pin oaks for comparison.</div><div><br></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg931nA_3zIOc0-rwk8nqGBBOICDZEEJC67XEf7wY_6xgfKjoPq8fOQ84usd6ZzWWU1R3hKnFgBXwbu_wLT61X0b9AiBKXn3q_GKxxDTSPnADkRapKnIyKrdSuYeRHmyjTRENLTTC0bgSivo82QcNFhKuPMDCh2hkKie0Nc49y4rT_9ITjJufeXntLMlUU/s3460/2023-12-13%2017.38.36.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3460" height="554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg931nA_3zIOc0-rwk8nqGBBOICDZEEJC67XEf7wY_6xgfKjoPq8fOQ84usd6ZzWWU1R3hKnFgBXwbu_wLT61X0b9AiBKXn3q_GKxxDTSPnADkRapKnIyKrdSuYeRHmyjTRENLTTC0bgSivo82QcNFhKuPMDCh2hkKie0Nc49y4rT_9ITjJufeXntLMlUU/w640-h554/2023-12-13%2017.38.36.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red oak leaf (left) and pin oak leaf, from the top</td></tr></tbody></table><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuv6Y3wdYV7J_mx8Al9G1Jmb2tA_Am7gZogmbPbgL5IZZVvz4EvdbBpMl7BvKxjpvLsVnAT-KO3HfGEEeMQH3WbY3sRyea3u2kmjyMonuxwV47Ia7YBsHIuId9nQpEIFAanuvb91Ke9cXuge2PLFuTatTO16vbO4MDpzm-5PYu19THwpBuQpYwZiRFDQM/s3213/2023-12-13%2017.38.48.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2900" data-original-width="3213" height="578" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuv6Y3wdYV7J_mx8Al9G1Jmb2tA_Am7gZogmbPbgL5IZZVvz4EvdbBpMl7BvKxjpvLsVnAT-KO3HfGEEeMQH3WbY3sRyea3u2kmjyMonuxwV47Ia7YBsHIuId9nQpEIFAanuvb91Ke9cXuge2PLFuTatTO16vbO4MDpzm-5PYu19THwpBuQpYwZiRFDQM/w640-h578/2023-12-13%2017.38.48.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red oak leaf (left) and pin oak leaf (with hairy armpit), from the bottom</td></tr></tbody></table><br><div>But there I go docketing and systematising again.</div><div><br></div><div>What I should say is that the red oak growing behind the pub in Burrawang (at the top of the post) is a magnificent specimen, in stature and in the texture of its soft green canopy. Generally, though, the pin oaks in the area cope better with the stress of street life and little water.</div><div><br></div><div>As to that difficult-to-identify street tree in Mittagong, it has beautiful red-coloured new growth and one day may become a tree of stature. That should be enough.</div><div><br></div><div>If you need a lasso of some kind, all the plants photographed here are part of the red oak group in the genus <i>Quercus</i>. Their leaves are quite different to those of the English oak and its sort because the lobes - the ragged extensions on the sides of each leaf - are pointy rather than blunt. That much is true and, I think, helpful.</div><div><br></div><div>To finish, here are the leaves and acorns of the Mittagong which, the more I look at them the more I see them allied to the northern red oak rather than the pin oak ... Or perhaps the scarlet oak ...</div><div> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiboqZBr4plLWtEqOP5IYc2PC2GcE_keBcRZ0pkyB-cCEXMBO0zMtw02PebhqkGeCEQJ8i-u1w1gQy6KqvXvbHy2DGKs-7zpvlQAZb_TfDIxj5gO5ZEDI5Z6-TccHIp0WNSuzQYqQ5RFB6NWaowt6UP2c2YSzpCSKKkzyewqfuOawCzod318iHyKP2lJY8/s4000/2023-11-27%2016.43.37%20Quercus%20coccinea%20(Scarlett%20oak)%20-%20perhaps%20or%20hybrid.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiboqZBr4plLWtEqOP5IYc2PC2GcE_keBcRZ0pkyB-cCEXMBO0zMtw02PebhqkGeCEQJ8i-u1w1gQy6KqvXvbHy2DGKs-7zpvlQAZb_TfDIxj5gO5ZEDI5Z6-TccHIp0WNSuzQYqQ5RFB6NWaowt6UP2c2YSzpCSKKkzyewqfuOawCzod318iHyKP2lJY8/w640-h480/2023-11-27%2016.43.37%20Quercus%20coccinea%20(Scarlett%20oak)%20-%20perhaps%20or%20hybrid.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">oak in streets of Mittagong</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_FZQ_2ENaFhhBp0QlrYhfKwsUTS2vTBB8gBCQxf-uxXMMzrzuwDAySzT-Baf0YNNOFxrlaJE1Rzn_4JX-ZN4V6yI22shb5dStdvXqsxioyIQD6KXRa3boE9hClGdHEDV9G1A1NJ2OWoXIN-sds3Cfon8qdS77HLmxAx08FhiwK3oOPjMIavKsmFkXuns/s3091/2023-11-27%2016.44.05%20Mittagong.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2133" data-original-width="3091" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_FZQ_2ENaFhhBp0QlrYhfKwsUTS2vTBB8gBCQxf-uxXMMzrzuwDAySzT-Baf0YNNOFxrlaJE1Rzn_4JX-ZN4V6yI22shb5dStdvXqsxioyIQD6KXRa3boE9hClGdHEDV9G1A1NJ2OWoXIN-sds3Cfon8qdS77HLmxAx08FhiwK3oOPjMIavKsmFkXuns/w640-h442/2023-11-27%2016.44.05%20Mittagong.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">red new growth on oak in streets of Mittagong</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLey6mLTdwonbT18lIPKnDtTixmQYR19EJsioESW-EGi0L0K0ftOqXl0fFCUX9_94JUaQGsKtPHsLHhMh6EY55lwaENtOczFBKG70sK4gXa0sIbiTh2h0IzhVFLxDSAv-sGTZzq7Dn3EPJT1W3usnYN_nQ9ubby_L7kPnvOpL3RAlZQtaXuD-yrMacAhM/s3268/2023-11-29%2010.33.08%20fruits%20acorns%20Mittagong.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2376" data-original-width="3268" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLey6mLTdwonbT18lIPKnDtTixmQYR19EJsioESW-EGi0L0K0ftOqXl0fFCUX9_94JUaQGsKtPHsLHhMh6EY55lwaENtOczFBKG70sK4gXa0sIbiTh2h0IzhVFLxDSAv-sGTZzq7Dn3EPJT1W3usnYN_nQ9ubby_L7kPnvOpL3RAlZQtaXuD-yrMacAhM/w640-h466/2023-11-29%2010.33.08%20fruits%20acorns%20Mittagong.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immature acorns on oak in streets of Mittagong (larger than those in typical pin oak...)</td></tr></tbody></table><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB1TSAuQGMSuPgHvHV9Kh9CCtVYjn6UnG6FBuyFhQxeAzCgSw2JDpcwlGjiy3FGlueYMlaTC3wIprGxwurDBSJskdjgbWb9YLOqQjX_wwlte9ayZ4390Pvscpseya9Y_pesj8_n6pomz9R4d3c40vySudPMOvFvfpU8TQtX5y1Om97v6Jg7pd5owuE_cQ/s4000/2023-12-17%2009.13.40%20Mittagong%20street%20oak%20(possibly%20scarlet).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB1TSAuQGMSuPgHvHV9Kh9CCtVYjn6UnG6FBuyFhQxeAzCgSw2JDpcwlGjiy3FGlueYMlaTC3wIprGxwurDBSJskdjgbWb9YLOqQjX_wwlte9ayZ4390Pvscpseya9Y_pesj8_n6pomz9R4d3c40vySudPMOvFvfpU8TQtX5y1Om97v6Jg7pd5owuE_cQ/w640-h480/2023-12-17%2009.13.40%20Mittagong%20street%20oak%20(possibly%20scarlet).jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaves from oak in streets of Mittagong (larger than typical pin oak leaves, with barely any armpit hairs)</td></tr></tbody></table><br><div><br></div>Talking Plantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05778763864080365220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523231273885627613.post-38164938334282804532023-12-12T06:00:00.060+11:002023-12-12T06:00:00.252+11:00An English oak, of a small-leaved kind<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAsvwICkbPCgyjd_Sguro7w5fyV5yAwZxUx5lMv1YUKEZ5Qjx44THp4ABnk1KEyVuUSbk0eusEbAyK72Ao9ZyK6yC5Fpw-9-nrTg-DYBgW61ZV8pm2qlIPVnONNusdalJE9dW6CBvJoywrUJfB5m_3Zoim328BVtFYj4t0iRt75dfqDWFEX7VvkWDneSE/s2694/2023-12-10%2009.56.04%20Bowral.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1854" data-original-width="2694" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAsvwICkbPCgyjd_Sguro7w5fyV5yAwZxUx5lMv1YUKEZ5Qjx44THp4ABnk1KEyVuUSbk0eusEbAyK72Ao9ZyK6yC5Fpw-9-nrTg-DYBgW61ZV8pm2qlIPVnONNusdalJE9dW6CBvJoywrUJfB5m_3Zoim328BVtFYj4t0iRt75dfqDWFEX7VvkWDneSE/w640-h440/2023-12-10%2009.56.04%20Bowral.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">English oak (<i>Quercus robur</i>), Bowral, NSW</td></tr></tbody></table><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Nothing special today, just a small-leaved oak. An English oak*, <i>Quercur robur</i>, seen on the streets of Mittagong and Bowral where I'm spending most of December. It's interesting, perhaps, because it has rather small leaves. They do get a little larger on older branches, but always smaller that I'm used to.</div><p>There are so many oak hybrids, particularly in Australia between the English oak and Algerian oak (<i>Quercus canariensis</i>) that almost any size (and shape) leaf is possible. This is one extreme. For the record.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVNlafwiVsBi3aPIxQQMsaRKHCK2UP7duVR7l-cV5ASFZuQ2AHTn3mtLIe7N8q1qTXKKUAgj8hh2FGj44ueurXy6cdYgs1eiJ_6sNdBgIai_P4PpfR_jKbGAe6CxLo1rQmNRW-0C7FAvHLDeF1UBGw_RRPaX8R5T7elifmBPbtk3PV-VFgWP_pojuQJI4/s3583/2023-12-10%2009.55.43%20Bowral.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3583" data-original-width="3000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVNlafwiVsBi3aPIxQQMsaRKHCK2UP7duVR7l-cV5ASFZuQ2AHTn3mtLIe7N8q1qTXKKUAgj8hh2FGj44ueurXy6cdYgs1eiJ_6sNdBgIai_P4PpfR_jKbGAe6CxLo1rQmNRW-0C7FAvHLDeF1UBGw_RRPaX8R5T7elifmBPbtk3PV-VFgWP_pojuQJI4/w536-h640/2023-12-10%2009.55.43%20Bowral.jpg" width="536"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">English oak (<i>Quercus robur</i>), Bowral, NSW</td></tr></tbody></table><p>This observation will be the first in a series to accompany the writing of a book on oaks. Something I've been threatening to do for the last few years. </p><p>While my blog has been rather quiet of late, one thing I've been doing since leaving Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria in August is writing. For books mostly, with an occasional piece for <i>Gardening Australia Magazine </i>(including a short Q&A on their new <a href="https://www.gardeningaustraliamag.com.au/meet-tim-entwisle/" target="_blank">website</a>), a foreword for a book, a review or two, and contributions to scientific papers. </p><p>The lack of blog posts is not because I don't enjoy writing them, more because I <i>do </i>enjoy the writing. Too much. I can be too easily distracted by a plant in the street, a plant news story or a fascinating scientific article, and feel 'obliged' to post something here. </p><p>Instead, I'm looking for a way to make my blogging a little more <i>simpatico </i>with the book writing. At the moment, my book priority is a collection of essays - a fifty-fifty mix of previously published pieces (with some updates) and new stories - to be published by CSIRO Publishing. The working - and I hope final - title is <i>The Sceptical Botanist</i>. After that, I've committed to write something a little more ambitious, on 'the flower', starting with the titan arum and finishing who knows where!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhn1ZO_ArQ7jKReyQBMd_MqgzpYjj9UKyJBmGFx3vT5tidSGuyoYrYNJOkxU9TUry98fZp0MV7zs7h4WquDkXZmoHscaYkQ9pvv9cpPjLJKOGl6AFavR6g1WLa4FSnLwMQAerhLhsrXPa8WVoBN7KNfTKhgQUE9LqYAtlP0r8ZJ7BIBJqSr2yzQHneUmE/s3000/2023-12-10%2011.12.30%20Mittagong.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2426" data-original-width="3000" height="518" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhn1ZO_ArQ7jKReyQBMd_MqgzpYjj9UKyJBmGFx3vT5tidSGuyoYrYNJOkxU9TUry98fZp0MV7zs7h4WquDkXZmoHscaYkQ9pvv9cpPjLJKOGl6AFavR6g1WLa4FSnLwMQAerhLhsrXPa8WVoBN7KNfTKhgQUE9LqYAtlP0r8ZJ7BIBJqSr2yzQHneUmE/w640-h518/2023-12-10%2011.12.30%20Mittagong.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">English oak (<i>Quercus robur</i>), Mittagong, NSW</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Always, though, I keep writing about oaks. I won't give away here my (idiosyncratic) approach to this book, except to say that I want to share the knowledge I've accumulated over the last four years. </p><p>The botanical love affair began when a 150-year-old white oak (hybrid) split and fell in Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne's Oak Lawn, two days after Christmas in 2019. It then flourished during the COVID pandemic, when I had a 'holiday' for a few years from travelling and public speaking.</p><p>These blog posts, if I keep them up, will be a mix of the mundane and profound, as I cobble together my book on the genus <i>Quercus</i>. Feel free to comment or add your own observations, here in the blog or below links in social media.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4r_6M3bmVVyWqwfzX4ySZcbUEZTHu3_2i_0J713wjoxFwQIqvusjOUm81LzTQxdyOCqLtWp7gh6jwd2ACDkDIg8mJyuENzM4ERpBudvA9U_YDdJNT7zSAdvKl09eDA2C66tKpnBA0UaTQpklhkhyphenhyphenJc3mbFGOzTdZHpNxPSwj6GV3js7ijgvdMwQOJ_Yo/s3180/2023-12-10%2011.12.41.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3180" data-original-width="3000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4r_6M3bmVVyWqwfzX4ySZcbUEZTHu3_2i_0J713wjoxFwQIqvusjOUm81LzTQxdyOCqLtWp7gh6jwd2ACDkDIg8mJyuENzM4ERpBudvA9U_YDdJNT7zSAdvKl09eDA2C66tKpnBA0UaTQpklhkhyphenhyphenJc3mbFGOzTdZHpNxPSwj6GV3js7ijgvdMwQOJ_Yo/w604-h640/2023-12-10%2011.12.41.jpg" width="604"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">English oak (<i>Quercus robur</i>), Mittagong, NSW</td></tr></tbody></table><p>*The astute among you will notice I've acquiesced to using lowercase for the first letter of each element of a common name, unless of course the word is a proper noun (such as 'English'). Despite a fondness for making these names stand out, I can see how a text is softened by not capitalising. Also, I'm having to follow editorial guidelines by book publishers and others which demand lower case, so best I get used to it. </p>Talking Plantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05778763864080365220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523231273885627613.post-46939578089158433202023-09-30T22:11:00.004+10:002024-01-19T19:55:53.753+11:00Culraven, Olinda, 29 September 2023<p>Pictures of the Edna Walling designed garden in Olinda, Culraven. Lynda and I were generously hosted by owners Hugh Taylor and Liz Dax, with daughter Phoebe off screen! Beautiful day and garden, and a swing!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHV7gbWrlGlIs6y2UNGlAsr-PTCxI6gAdhoGkM4bnhvyk3GYAaJ44BwbHFvDPlzio_J8Qjn-z4S3JlP6stVakuUldh_s9pBUoc3p6hr79-XR6FgpvRt9-a2_zo5E4OtV8I85T5UsiD97mFqYK6Mdc98Xr4xvZ7EXQkTunIobaYYvwHagydxzGGQZKryUk/s3924/2023-09-29%2012.06.05.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2863" data-original-width="3924" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHV7gbWrlGlIs6y2UNGlAsr-PTCxI6gAdhoGkM4bnhvyk3GYAaJ44BwbHFvDPlzio_J8Qjn-z4S3JlP6stVakuUldh_s9pBUoc3p6hr79-XR6FgpvRt9-a2_zo5E4OtV8I85T5UsiD97mFqYK6Mdc98Xr4xvZ7EXQkTunIobaYYvwHagydxzGGQZKryUk/w640-h466/2023-09-29%2012.06.05.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpGXSn4vtSU_zH1xHZMsu-2jWPkq5EKE23xpIaJk3o4ppqMyG6UGMRKWWR8ANiygEr03LDOBoeTX5EiQ6WI8CEmjtHb3LHJGS7gLcvxDhksTeSYlAuOVioK22fF6sOrTbOk20lusBk-zYHHKEWwdcFXP-YTZUReF1GyIgO8a8i7bgZrPvO6o85yqYO8Ts/s3724/2023-09-29%2012.09.54.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2765" data-original-width="3724" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpGXSn4vtSU_zH1xHZMsu-2jWPkq5EKE23xpIaJk3o4ppqMyG6UGMRKWWR8ANiygEr03LDOBoeTX5EiQ6WI8CEmjtHb3LHJGS7gLcvxDhksTeSYlAuOVioK22fF6sOrTbOk20lusBk-zYHHKEWwdcFXP-YTZUReF1GyIgO8a8i7bgZrPvO6o85yqYO8Ts/w640-h476/2023-09-29%2012.09.54.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiUZ5OcDSY1gwhRsfHEi0NG2H62ircOqurbLehFvWOpZdM06AFyLri_LzyF5gIW4rl02Xh3EfQGyaw4H-KqR6NHarfjr81IX7LV94nuiZjJOb1HQBBs4FIbTTffyIR0WWV_AlTG30YYmHqSl95Dg17m-ggTftbZiljtabNSHsDShQuCmBhcTkIOVLEeSk/s4608/2023-09-29%2012.23.02%20Hugh%20Liz%20Lynda.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiUZ5OcDSY1gwhRsfHEi0NG2H62ircOqurbLehFvWOpZdM06AFyLri_LzyF5gIW4rl02Xh3EfQGyaw4H-KqR6NHarfjr81IX7LV94nuiZjJOb1HQBBs4FIbTTffyIR0WWV_AlTG30YYmHqSl95Dg17m-ggTftbZiljtabNSHsDShQuCmBhcTkIOVLEeSk/w640-h480/2023-09-29%2012.23.02%20Hugh%20Liz%20Lynda.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD2HNwUDOXVZYa7AVJYjV738UlNmhlA9TiK1HV5IweM9nt2lYQO0PVRz0ut5vK-rsLdxm5rsBzvewXdkOuzO8sKwC4NtHW6FziwHX-lr32izLFYFIGsQesMvRohDT6jMPirtcvpNuEEv3YNyLu1XDus2Xk8gC1Sfh1S57GZb5pqlLFqhrtxC9SAF9Nlwc/s4608/2023-09-29%2012.24.02.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD2HNwUDOXVZYa7AVJYjV738UlNmhlA9TiK1HV5IweM9nt2lYQO0PVRz0ut5vK-rsLdxm5rsBzvewXdkOuzO8sKwC4NtHW6FziwHX-lr32izLFYFIGsQesMvRohDT6jMPirtcvpNuEEv3YNyLu1XDus2Xk8gC1Sfh1S57GZb5pqlLFqhrtxC9SAF9Nlwc/w640-h480/2023-09-29%2012.24.02.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMmODqhLD3IAG22rDp-_DUehR10x0uajm-tVk2-i0PdyTSvkOTu16Mqq1zNxNR7A4kCwOGMoF-o4CNgrMY1FsQo3ufay06hd9Y5I1Uinm1Sw515agwUYB3t0WPAjjObNxScZXpPTyKLrytRdaxyWA3rm1hqzqUlGFu8y5GX6EKhbyJG88f8HEDxjcSrgw/s3111/2023-09-29%2012.46.58.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2393" data-original-width="3111" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMmODqhLD3IAG22rDp-_DUehR10x0uajm-tVk2-i0PdyTSvkOTu16Mqq1zNxNR7A4kCwOGMoF-o4CNgrMY1FsQo3ufay06hd9Y5I1Uinm1Sw515agwUYB3t0WPAjjObNxScZXpPTyKLrytRdaxyWA3rm1hqzqUlGFu8y5GX6EKhbyJG88f8HEDxjcSrgw/w640-h492/2023-09-29%2012.46.58.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIIiZzN8jBc-zQs0VT6wbgz8ZWThBlENtPFblCefphM4DbrsUPA4SyY_CGEMwTUtkap_4S-XpyN2ybXEkuE_3SS78Fadl0EJNTtJ-iFEkz136qIu84OFBClNYuK441Bk10X5P7mHWdS8RmLbHl8sbrbAwtD3sjxy9Q9fJNRgL0iBM3cl5AjB4N2IhpDEI/s1200/Hugh%20and%20Tim%20on%20swing%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="946" data-original-width="1200" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIIiZzN8jBc-zQs0VT6wbgz8ZWThBlENtPFblCefphM4DbrsUPA4SyY_CGEMwTUtkap_4S-XpyN2ybXEkuE_3SS78Fadl0EJNTtJ-iFEkz136qIu84OFBClNYuK441Bk10X5P7mHWdS8RmLbHl8sbrbAwtD3sjxy9Q9fJNRgL0iBM3cl5AjB4N2IhpDEI/w640-h504/Hugh%20and%20Tim%20on%20swing%202.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_iIbjVIE7Ma3FQtZEnhQdWhkqToRRedA1blvSeb-YvP0n7tdIr3obRf9Z2Kj4Csb4sSATzEE-u6zzLrxx1J__wzeWTgHTxvTvAfzqZhiP6Fkmd9H8AJfgOwlqAuuJm-9eih_1JgaIxF8q6yTMxl0XDKUBEERPiq8c0d3QDRxKi3ix7bGe3AQj0UiFx2I/s2994/Hugh%20and%20Tim%20with%20Wollemi%20Pine.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2126" data-original-width="2994" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_iIbjVIE7Ma3FQtZEnhQdWhkqToRRedA1blvSeb-YvP0n7tdIr3obRf9Z2Kj4Csb4sSATzEE-u6zzLrxx1J__wzeWTgHTxvTvAfzqZhiP6Fkmd9H8AJfgOwlqAuuJm-9eih_1JgaIxF8q6yTMxl0XDKUBEERPiq8c0d3QDRxKi3ix7bGe3AQj0UiFx2I/w640-h454/Hugh%20and%20Tim%20with%20Wollemi%20Pine.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Talking Plantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05778763864080365220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523231273885627613.post-26655129892495248102023-09-30T22:07:00.001+10:002023-09-30T22:07:15.044+10:00Broughton Hall, 27 September 2023<p>A few pictures from a visit to Philip Hunter and David Musker's Broughton Hall, with Josh the horticulturist alongside David in this first picture.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicWKwvJz53F0w4gFh9iOu4nMdoD1RVdw_5UVOYqo8ebanXZhMeDcWsjComw_Ms0d6cKkJ6jPPDEl8crn2C40pgqindlnKbckQXmLMMEabuDd9JyaoLlq3Gle8f8gZHEoD7npA7zi-TRLy0MFKfR7DrTUcxgRg8fckhYYQdpxb39iYdpJufnehh4ajyGRs/s4608/Josh%20with%20David%20Musker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicWKwvJz53F0w4gFh9iOu4nMdoD1RVdw_5UVOYqo8ebanXZhMeDcWsjComw_Ms0d6cKkJ6jPPDEl8crn2C40pgqindlnKbckQXmLMMEabuDd9JyaoLlq3Gle8f8gZHEoD7npA7zi-TRLy0MFKfR7DrTUcxgRg8fckhYYQdpxb39iYdpJufnehh4ajyGRs/w640-h480/Josh%20with%20David%20Musker.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNYiaybRUzUdbIcSoFa01deNQM3Jxi7iqWxE_GQEg5milKJxi98vCxZZvkoLnDvOm-qz7IoUArScZVN4kuy2bWmDrF57Pb281ic2ieq6YHRxJ7q6KTjAiFzcmeDmUv07nevoqR2uNngPtRm6sGzBE0z0V4lWXM4BYwidhTFgJ6QMRqfEzaNsYSldlFWtA/s4608/David%20Musker%20(interviewee)%20in%20the%20garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNYiaybRUzUdbIcSoFa01deNQM3Jxi7iqWxE_GQEg5milKJxi98vCxZZvkoLnDvOm-qz7IoUArScZVN4kuy2bWmDrF57Pb281ic2ieq6YHRxJ7q6KTjAiFzcmeDmUv07nevoqR2uNngPtRm6sGzBE0z0V4lWXM4BYwidhTFgJ6QMRqfEzaNsYSldlFWtA/w640-h480/David%20Musker%20(interviewee)%20in%20the%20garden.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT2Z7LBWUFyTe5gfLseY541MN32x8kpZ0Rh_85asp8e47LFfizBrA9aClvdS1F-U0dyeBZiE6P66Dgd-zffr4pwjhGHUUHPmyRRXM2Pc9FNXASvHT4B5Hpt6r-3wSz5IG6Y8bS3h9_Xp214aCSAOpg5_CaG7zEBceGT6qiY1112XG5fPMe_yX8u4U0Rtc/s4608/2023-09-27%2012.38.40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT2Z7LBWUFyTe5gfLseY541MN32x8kpZ0Rh_85asp8e47LFfizBrA9aClvdS1F-U0dyeBZiE6P66Dgd-zffr4pwjhGHUUHPmyRRXM2Pc9FNXASvHT4B5Hpt6r-3wSz5IG6Y8bS3h9_Xp214aCSAOpg5_CaG7zEBceGT6qiY1112XG5fPMe_yX8u4U0Rtc/w640-h480/2023-09-27%2012.38.40.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMVs2HmqqJaKPiO72WPza3KD5OHABpfdEtZut3fl8sMWzzI1l3EmLjAjW0VXTme37mzegAk3izA3Sob0zBu313vB7QPgqAd7w6CfB8GsE-aBLACZpCMBJBzDaIMVM_axyp9UVrRXq0arDGzxT4RYdU_TvNfiyYJDepyX1NgtdMFnBQ4Lu7JPqSfGADTio/s4608/2023-09-27%2012.21.24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMVs2HmqqJaKPiO72WPza3KD5OHABpfdEtZut3fl8sMWzzI1l3EmLjAjW0VXTme37mzegAk3izA3Sob0zBu313vB7QPgqAd7w6CfB8GsE-aBLACZpCMBJBzDaIMVM_axyp9UVrRXq0arDGzxT4RYdU_TvNfiyYJDepyX1NgtdMFnBQ4Lu7JPqSfGADTio/w640-h480/2023-09-27%2012.21.24.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsGFb7eLITCAjFteS1X5U5-FzEUHZ0GoDZBBewd0eBes2CaheOHnx7uGAWwKKafJqw81Z9Z-qlGM7IBIKV31xMYIs63IR_pL93rNY6mCRqtrQlPxrbd_LAVp4tJeBStiUxy4OjpT8RlXoZWQYfNjGN-OKWaUemcN0U5hqV5y0srSpS7ujkda7SasjgKhQ/s4359/2023-09-27%2012.19.00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3269" data-original-width="4359" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsGFb7eLITCAjFteS1X5U5-FzEUHZ0GoDZBBewd0eBes2CaheOHnx7uGAWwKKafJqw81Z9Z-qlGM7IBIKV31xMYIs63IR_pL93rNY6mCRqtrQlPxrbd_LAVp4tJeBStiUxy4OjpT8RlXoZWQYfNjGN-OKWaUemcN0U5hqV5y0srSpS7ujkda7SasjgKhQ/w640-h480/2023-09-27%2012.19.00.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDclteQ0sDKt81fA2rQbm7wIDFZSyiOQBehuoueMxzP3GDurCcO6mhvShrtqzmuaGpCLNl5OCNiWZ9pQUs0zpSsbYH2TAklwiii3kfsq0OjpXNn6IVIqtEcQCjcL6C8zCGL8t_istgLHRjaMK5zlxjtMd_bK2VIQ6mvPfJIvSKrQmVNbMKjX7dNqXrFq4/s4608/2023-09-27%2012.16.54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDclteQ0sDKt81fA2rQbm7wIDFZSyiOQBehuoueMxzP3GDurCcO6mhvShrtqzmuaGpCLNl5OCNiWZ9pQUs0zpSsbYH2TAklwiii3kfsq0OjpXNn6IVIqtEcQCjcL6C8zCGL8t_istgLHRjaMK5zlxjtMd_bK2VIQ6mvPfJIvSKrQmVNbMKjX7dNqXrFq4/w640-h480/2023-09-27%2012.16.54.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Talking Plantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05778763864080365220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523231273885627613.post-71537398680634544152023-09-20T19:54:00.005+10:002023-10-01T07:25:42.324+11:00The world's largest - and stinkiest - flower in danger of extinction, scientists say<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/20/the-worlds-largest-and-stinkiest-flower-in-danger-of-extinction-rafflesia-aoe" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-original-height="837" data-original-width="1107" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjUBAJHKMXu-XKuUE7sBnIGgGgI_X8DwQbvx4QMZ4WocAV2QOnWRxepjxLRS4xuKLl8qdQ5ktydCkgXRN5za6zy5M4oj7nMW0yDPhaGhFqnEoxspnumHFJgS8wt6biS8Fkxkyvq7H_6s1cC5-QKC4DDVGFMr3g-OX5l01jvdH5gEEhgpTBNtNjETHv9C70" width="635" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">While I decide what to do with Talking Plants, a worrying news item with a screen shot you can click to get to the full story. You'll find more of these news links at <a href="http://talkingplants2.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Talking Plant Too</a>, although as you'll see I haven't been updating that blog much recently!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">My next few posts will be of gardens and interesting places I visit. Just pictures, not much text.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We'll see how this evolves....</div></div>Talking Plantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05778763864080365220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523231273885627613.post-10314509602630018292023-08-01T06:00:00.008+10:002023-08-01T06:00:00.145+10:00Happy plant with mostly unhappy consequences<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Before I entertain you with the Chilean Tree of Wizards, a<i> word from the author</i>. As most of you know, I finish up at Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria this week, having announced a few months ago my intent to do more writing and talking in praise of plants. Contrarily, perhaps, I'm going to curtail my blog posting (again; last time it ended up being a two-month sabbatical). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">While I enjoy blogging - it keeps me writing and I find out new things about plants which I can then share - it can be a little too appealing. Somewhat addictive. From now on then, no regular fortnightly post. I'll keep the blog live, and I might post interesting news stories or photographs, but less of these plant portraits. That way I can do more of my <i>other </i>writing. That's the idea anyway.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Back to today's story, the last of my regular transmissions. Thanks to everyone for taking the time to read these stories, and for your feedback, encouragement and (much appreciated) corrections!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeQSTBUjlfSMakaPt5krhdfcYsc7wfFD5DhjiSjVBzc_qVxqwakqma8F1z3gPKiy7MrSr9XS5KybHpuhANHUoJIZX8R4m-01RQA2zez0nkzD_CTVfUcuwcH0JLtHc31GC6eBcFTm_-UBLqiCpX_hLKxUYZj0W3Zf4CNlFfKYbP14oFsTSNQEha45s1/s4000/2023-02-17%2010.32.20%20Latua%20pubiflora.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeQSTBUjlfSMakaPt5krhdfcYsc7wfFD5DhjiSjVBzc_qVxqwakqma8F1z3gPKiy7MrSr9XS5KybHpuhANHUoJIZX8R4m-01RQA2zez0nkzD_CTVfUcuwcH0JLtHc31GC6eBcFTm_-UBLqiCpX_hLKxUYZj0W3Zf4CNlFfKYbP14oFsTSNQEha45s1/w640-h480/2023-02-17%2010.32.20%20Latua%20pubiflora.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Behold the purple bell-flowers of the Tree of Wizards, a plant for sorcerers and shamans perhaps but to handle with extreme care. All parts of the plant are 'extremely poisonous' and even within our protected nursery at Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne we label the plant as one to avoid touching. </p><p>As with so many potent plants, <i>Latua pubiflora</i>, is in the family Solanaceae, nestled alongside mandrake and deadly nightshade, but also the edible 'toes' (toma- and pota-). The genus name, <i>Latua</i>, <a href="https://doctorlib.info/herbal/encyclopedia-psychoactive-plants-ethnopharmacology/63.html" target="_blank">is</a> from the Mapuche word <i>latúe</i>, meaning 'that which causes death'. In Chile, it's said, the toxicity of the plant is such that people avoid even mentioning it.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvNzCCQGndb3gse9ov0hBVOSLaoQEHciX5U04UNSKZ01VJ_d3uig8vPEjY0sOiI9tcpXXbQoVP-iCGmnDqotYOIeSKV4O2a_IXC7MXD_nuAX8X4sPUIeb5KfDSE04RHzinKUKwJKlwvKfP2NN_kI7Yyb9Jpr34W8xjDKnhLV3fbdcLIW5wm72T_MjT/s4000/2023-02-17%2010.32.44.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvNzCCQGndb3gse9ov0hBVOSLaoQEHciX5U04UNSKZ01VJ_d3uig8vPEjY0sOiI9tcpXXbQoVP-iCGmnDqotYOIeSKV4O2a_IXC7MXD_nuAX8X4sPUIeb5KfDSE04RHzinKUKwJKlwvKfP2NN_kI7Yyb9Jpr34W8xjDKnhLV3fbdcLIW5wm72T_MjT/w640-h480/2023-02-17%2010.32.44.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>There is only one species of <i>Latua, Latua pubiflora</i>,<i> </i>named fairly obviously after the fine hairs that cover the outside of its hummingbird pollinated flowers. Flowers photographed here (without hummingbirds) in February this year. They are just one of the attractive characteristics of this species, which according to <a href="https://doctorlib.info/herbal/encyclopedia-psychoactive-plants-ethnopharmacology/63.html" target="_blank">some</a> is made even more beautiful - due to larger leaves - when grown in shade. </p><p>In nature plants can be thorned or thornless, and these two variations are sometimes treated as separate varieties. As you can see, our plants are thorny. The leaves are not particularly large, suggesting our shade is not particularly shady. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUAxWiVlrI2asz0L6GpkHSuJ9z82bwQhKBU9qSQKyLN3LTlr8njoSIfX9rFKor3kdLXuFPLp4Yx2ZQKFn2OiCizqMvN3av8LuLPVJbX9B_lZhw4HcC47tZR-3lFjKWVIFoFyzyKv0CgqR7ZpBS5LsYFZu-RY65pjbM4PFY3SZ4xY-e932DVfqGYltX/s4000/2023-02-17%2010.33.30.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUAxWiVlrI2asz0L6GpkHSuJ9z82bwQhKBU9qSQKyLN3LTlr8njoSIfX9rFKor3kdLXuFPLp4Yx2ZQKFn2OiCizqMvN3av8LuLPVJbX9B_lZhw4HcC47tZR-3lFjKWVIFoFyzyKv0CgqR7ZpBS5LsYFZu-RY65pjbM4PFY3SZ4xY-e932DVfqGYltX/w640-h480/2023-02-17%2010.33.30.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>In Chile, the fruits are small, yellow-green, tomato-like berries, and full of seeds. I don't think our plants set fruit or seed, possibly due to the paucity of hummingbirds in our shade-house.</p><p>I'm not going to document or debate the medicinal or recreational use of the plant, except to repeat the fact that it is extremely poisonous. From the size of the entry for this species in <a href="https://doctorlib.info/herbal/encyclopedia-psychoactive-plants-ethnopharmacology/63.html" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>, I can assume there is plenty of interest and perhaps intrigue in the plant.</p><p>From that extended essay I discovered that the flower colour is best described as magenta, even though sometimes described as red or violet (or here, as purple). I also discovered that while it was originally a plant of rainforests, it has readily adapted to land clearing and now survives, and perhaps thrives, on cultivated farmland. All within a narrow latitude range in the mountains of southern Chile.</p><p>Given it almost weediness between 40 and 43 degrees south in South America, it might be happy in Tasmania or the South Island of New Zealand. In a pot, in a shade-house, and cared for by our expert nursery staff at Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, it also seems rather content.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglAjhJyDgCuSbZ989eWPw8jtpfWVUgW9YuGJHjpZY6KOmohn9B65Db5qX3AiOV7xQgYuwrieMW21_ZaWgXNsvY5uWT50EtVi2qfYEzwdQi1ECAqMBpuhRPnCF0C0x7L9fJx7SE_y4RL9YyJjfHX0yjW6ydITf2q5emDWkf-3yuwRVee0kGJxl1aUYU/s4000/2023-02-17%2010.34.23.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglAjhJyDgCuSbZ989eWPw8jtpfWVUgW9YuGJHjpZY6KOmohn9B65Db5qX3AiOV7xQgYuwrieMW21_ZaWgXNsvY5uWT50EtVi2qfYEzwdQi1ECAqMBpuhRPnCF0C0x7L9fJx7SE_y4RL9YyJjfHX0yjW6ydITf2q5emDWkf-3yuwRVee0kGJxl1aUYU/w640-h480/2023-02-17%2010.34.23.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Talking Plantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05778763864080365220noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523231273885627613.post-10249115284516926702023-07-25T06:00:00.002+10:002023-08-01T08:41:36.702+10:00Subdued Orchid Tree from South America<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUIwFrUv6DPHkQbxzc5qpHAy6ZTINKaFtKzwQvpwIR6LpGp95U1RT4sy-zJrSECrJuT-M3JXpSCJyw92YAd-HkfzFMe15ZCvxvA96FbYteKHS15Q7j8Awc4SxDEL3yGBJlNFFV1T2YP1AJskPFh_F7yFgMos84Rt6luxude5h7lxJWUNHhLkczKfXJ/s3804/2023-02-20%2011.12.09.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2664" data-original-width="3804" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUIwFrUv6DPHkQbxzc5qpHAy6ZTINKaFtKzwQvpwIR6LpGp95U1RT4sy-zJrSECrJuT-M3JXpSCJyw92YAd-HkfzFMe15ZCvxvA96FbYteKHS15Q7j8Awc4SxDEL3yGBJlNFFV1T2YP1AJskPFh_F7yFgMos84Rt6luxude5h7lxJWUNHhLkczKfXJ/w640-h448/2023-02-20%2011.12.09.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Whenever I travel to tropical cities in Australia or overseas, I expect to find Hong Kong Orchid Trees on the streets or in public parks. The large, pink-purple flowers, with those distinctive cloven leaves, are a memorable addition to planted landscape in warm and humid climates.</p><p>Strickly, the Hong Kong Orchid Tree - the floral emblem of Hong Kong - is <i>Bauhinia </i>x <i>blakeana</i>, a hybrid between what is sometimes simply called the Orchid Tree, <i>Bauhinia variegata, </i>from China through to India, and the Purple Orchid Tree or Butterfly Tree, <i>Bauhinia purpurea</i>, from India and thereabouts. These two species are also widely planted, in the tropics. </p><p>It is a surprise then, perhaps, to be featuring an Orchid Tree from Melbourne Gardens. We have seven specimens of what is commonly called the Brazilian Orchid Tree, <i>Bauhinia forficata</i>, native to Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1W5AQ41R_C-eqmQ8GtOZh_aGdP0EFEw_-i057bOyCpUqCCbXk9IS-DejBVFpSkFSfdUUEmNlY88FZ4F6mWXr73x85azBb4uswZ6j8OBr-1n6vor_s43a2mRHidQ42wHg8ussMviivxiJ3dYqcrVYjEnIw4SOUhWLhS1fFyxoMtvN1rLV2wBmhQM3O/s3591/2023-02-20%2011.13.11.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2714" data-original-width="3591" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1W5AQ41R_C-eqmQ8GtOZh_aGdP0EFEw_-i057bOyCpUqCCbXk9IS-DejBVFpSkFSfdUUEmNlY88FZ4F6mWXr73x85azBb4uswZ6j8OBr-1n6vor_s43a2mRHidQ42wHg8ussMviivxiJ3dYqcrVYjEnIw4SOUhWLhS1fFyxoMtvN1rLV2wBmhQM3O/w640-h484/2023-02-20%2011.13.11.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>The species name means 'scissor shaped' or more simply forked and refers (I'm assuming) to the leaf, which does often look like the two halves are slightly overlapping, like scissors. They are also more divided and the two halves are a little more elongate that you find in the Hong Kong Orchid Tree, which is sometimes called Cow's Foot due to the rounded shape of their leaves.</p><p>I can't say I'm an expert on the leaves <i>or </i>flowers of Orchid Trees. Prior to writing this post, I had assumed there were just a handful of species, and just as naively, that they all came from China (or thereabouts). </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFp3cS7PnwlIq1VSEJ7kZQsIrFLPmGOdcEO8S8Tf9sedZfwMKz_IjjvRxAEff2OuTQoK3cnJt11KMMrvqARdtYdEUiWWxfxldnfLeayPOgbghG6U723wrWdvXM3Cttw2ck5S7Xgr1QVhgeiX40b1ux3oxBmPSrCQfUvxYwD5cU1ieFqTUAcs4lsy2v/s4608/2023-02-20%2011.12.51.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFp3cS7PnwlIq1VSEJ7kZQsIrFLPmGOdcEO8S8Tf9sedZfwMKz_IjjvRxAEff2OuTQoK3cnJt11KMMrvqARdtYdEUiWWxfxldnfLeayPOgbghG6U723wrWdvXM3Cttw2ck5S7Xgr1QVhgeiX40b1ux3oxBmPSrCQfUvxYwD5cU1ieFqTUAcs4lsy2v/w640-h480/2023-02-20%2011.12.51.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>It turns out <i>Bauhinia </i>is a rather large genus, although estimates of number of species vary from 100 to 300, or if you include various genera excised from <i>Bauhinia </i>recently, perhaps over 400. It's in the pea family, Fabaceae (think <i>Caesalpinia </i>rather than members with the butterfly-like flowers) and grows naturally in tropical and subtropical regions throughout the world.</p><p>Unlike the two species and the hybrid I mentioned at the top, the Brazilian Orchid Tree has white flowers, which along with the leaf shape makes it easy to recognise among the few I know. Although, there are white flowering variants of both parent species of <i>Bauhinia </i>x <i>blakeana.</i></p><p>While I'm impressed by the willingness of this tropical/subtropical South American species to grow and flower in Melbourne, I can't say the overall impression is quite as memorable as the more colourfully flowered species. Or maybe it was the tropical light.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim2s2iPFwKO94oKzcziQ4aPCocUYQ8WndVHlp1cIL0LGStqH-ql8HK-h8hUYhO1i0_9Izf1Z8q36V-EXPuMXZohg5bw6dqA9Mloi7mZkszLsHZk9zILQGWBJhsfUiuKFNWsooOJw9ifdEyCtV1DkZvAEn5slo2s09Jbnf6dEDgS9Rc0J_E2L_8azOJ/s3239/2023-02-20%2011.12.45.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3005" data-original-width="3239" height="594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim2s2iPFwKO94oKzcziQ4aPCocUYQ8WndVHlp1cIL0LGStqH-ql8HK-h8hUYhO1i0_9Izf1Z8q36V-EXPuMXZohg5bw6dqA9Mloi7mZkszLsHZk9zILQGWBJhsfUiuKFNWsooOJw9ifdEyCtV1DkZvAEn5slo2s09Jbnf6dEDgS9Rc0J_E2L_8azOJ/w640-h594/2023-02-20%2011.12.45.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Note: As my Sydney correspondent Simon Goodwin reminds me, the genus name </i>Bauhinia <i>has great significance too, honoring the French botanist brothers, Johann and Gaspard Bauhin. As Simon observes, a rather apt name for a genus distinguished by twinned leaflets... Thanks Simon for this addition, and (in this penultimate of my regular blog posts) for your attention to detail and much appreciated corrections when I go astray! Neville Walsh, my Victorian colleague and friend, has also provided wise counsel and many a correction along the way - keeping me honest and moderately accurate. Thanks too...</i></div>Talking Plantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05778763864080365220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523231273885627613.post-31149873000673984272023-07-18T06:00:00.000+10:002023-07-18T06:00:00.167+10:00Native heart turner looks sharp<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuJwQVKQDYLX61qiMGVyIZA-7eOUoFrg4vHA62UVgIZso-2ipnDSLcEMBRhozB6ChbuCkRxe2i6_vyE1irBwrxeT_sPK8W7zqGpVajtcb1f_oYuSD7mSjeIKZDqwSP7VSYsKD7NH_-NdJYp0xgvG6aCBNMkvs_vb26ukb7BRZkdpPGqvex-Ujvb4Q5/s4290/2023-01-19%2007.15.48.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2716" data-original-width="4290" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuJwQVKQDYLX61qiMGVyIZA-7eOUoFrg4vHA62UVgIZso-2ipnDSLcEMBRhozB6ChbuCkRxe2i6_vyE1irBwrxeT_sPK8W7zqGpVajtcb1f_oYuSD7mSjeIKZDqwSP7VSYsKD7NH_-NdJYp0xgvG6aCBNMkvs_vb26ukb7BRZkdpPGqvex-Ujvb4Q5/w640-h406/2023-01-19%2007.15.48.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>This is a relatively recently planting of <i>Verticordia mitchelliana</i>, on Howson Hill, in the Australian Garden at Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne. </p><p>Like all <i>Verticordia</i> species, it's from the western side of Australia, <a href="https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/browse/profile/6097" target="_blank">from</a> sand plains and sand lakes east of Perth. Thanks mostly to the work of Western Australian botanist Alex George, <a href="https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/nuytsia/article/167" target="_blank">published</a> in 1991, there are over 100 species of <i>Verticordia</i>. </p><p>They only grow naturally in Western Australia and Northern Territory, but are very popular in the gardens of Australian native plant enthusiasts. And with good reason, as you can see from the flowers of this species.</p>Featherflower is a name applied to the genus generally. The feathery part of the flower is the beautiful fringe of hairs on the outer ring of floral parts, the sepals - typical of nearly all <i>Verticordia </i>species. The petals are overlapping around the base of the long style (the receptive female part of the flower).<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisxoHgZNNFvc_D9P434SaC9rGFyRMFxmNEXPEq8lYAo_0xc05BcDwRAGGYjvUApt8QFXx9D0vyTsZlv9vKfFp5oXoWC7DUogj_bcG5NDzE7SLEFEt6RYseo_bhRtOxdIwIFWnaMIWn6yASBSYQmspyuyHLVUc3CFMFHPgy8_oM5FjxMHhpEcYgJKD3/s4392/2023-01-19%2007.15.21.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2729" data-original-width="4392" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisxoHgZNNFvc_D9P434SaC9rGFyRMFxmNEXPEq8lYAo_0xc05BcDwRAGGYjvUApt8QFXx9D0vyTsZlv9vKfFp5oXoWC7DUogj_bcG5NDzE7SLEFEt6RYseo_bhRtOxdIwIFWnaMIWn6yASBSYQmspyuyHLVUc3CFMFHPgy8_oM5FjxMHhpEcYgJKD3/w640-h398/2023-01-19%2007.15.21.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><p>The common name for the species, <b>Rapier Featherflower</b>, is even more apt. A rapier, you'll recall, <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rapier" target="_blank">is</a> a straight, two-edged sword with a narrow blade, and here it is a reference to that elongate, protruding style. The feathery sepals become an elaborate guard to the rapier.</p><p>The scientific name is less useful in a botanical sense, although in part rather romantic. 'Verto' is Latin for 'I turn', and 'cordis' means heart - hence 'turner of hearts', a title applied to a 2002 <a href="https://uwap.uwa.edu.au/products/verticordia-the-turner-of-hearts?variant=727232715" target="_blank">book</a> on the genus written by Elizabeth George. This phrase was used classically to refer to the goddess of love, Venus, who considered the myrtle (namesake of the mytle family, Myrtaceae, to which <i>Verticordia</i> belongs) to be a sacred plant (according to James Baines, in his handy reference book, <i>Australian Plant Genera</i>).</p><p>The species name is more dutiful, honouring Sir James Mitchell, Premier of Western Australia when the plant was first collected by botanists, in the 1930s.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3HumDG1IcakDWRzlxVjWOvxxQw0SxyCKkqQb8KFbstvauuXsUYKSTzrX1wVe51rgsUe2zA4-rxJXbY21xXpK319bHpxJw1oluvDkc9TCfWC7aUDdc9ATJz6TrfPFlCv_3cyZ_GdJ4eQk_JY88MnyUEdKESTuSuzV0znXE4FFK6bCyS7Uf1PkE1h1R/s3679/2023-01-19%2007.15.54.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2177" data-original-width="3679" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3HumDG1IcakDWRzlxVjWOvxxQw0SxyCKkqQb8KFbstvauuXsUYKSTzrX1wVe51rgsUe2zA4-rxJXbY21xXpK319bHpxJw1oluvDkc9TCfWC7aUDdc9ATJz6TrfPFlCv_3cyZ_GdJ4eQk_JY88MnyUEdKESTuSuzV0znXE4FFK6bCyS7Uf1PkE1h1R/w640-h378/2023-01-19%2007.15.54.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>You can see from the succulent leaves, this is a plant adapted to arid conditions, so it should do well in Melbourne's increasingly hot and dry climate. Elizabeth George, author of <i>Verticordia: The Turner of Hearts</i>, <a href="https://anpsa.org.au/APOL2006/dec06-2.html" target="_blank">encourages</a> us to grow all Featherflowers, saying their reputation as being difficult to grow is unwarranted.</p><p>Her advice is prepare some free-draining (sandy) soil in full sun. Mulch lightly but keep it away from the stems. Then water deeply but infrequently (perhaps weekly). </p><p>And yes, as with most Australian plants and again contrary to reputation, you can prune, but lightly and during active growth. Tip pruning by pinching off the growing tips between thumb and first finger nails is always fun and helpful.</p><p>Unusual for me to provide some gardening advice but there you go. It's worth a try.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZctC8r_zezxTWVzvRhPqPg-XxPaOxG46lb4mrsqleDYfc9QtTkzeCFG7IwGothGZeRWQKN8GgseNsvhWpjCMd6fCrrPkt6TLS_476e470TP-Ytz-PU81FRa_1XgvYNY2pudr2nQN-VBNYmQozyzK_8uLGNwDJ0ZSixAYCKxxD31ssCSuUZQKgUijq/s3035/2023-01-19%2007.15.16.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2589" data-original-width="3035" height="546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZctC8r_zezxTWVzvRhPqPg-XxPaOxG46lb4mrsqleDYfc9QtTkzeCFG7IwGothGZeRWQKN8GgseNsvhWpjCMd6fCrrPkt6TLS_476e470TP-Ytz-PU81FRa_1XgvYNY2pudr2nQN-VBNYmQozyzK_8uLGNwDJ0ZSixAYCKxxD31ssCSuUZQKgUijq/w640-h546/2023-01-19%2007.15.16.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></div></div>Talking Plantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05778763864080365220noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523231273885627613.post-51777442891299067242023-07-11T06:00:00.000+10:002023-07-11T06:00:00.144+10:00Unnamed hibiscus blooms favour the late morning it seems<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOklxxYW1L4JITUI9V9Y-OD8J8hGYMphcCGFoLZtAgVbS4xJyCpzGKU0rQf5xD9tJpQ8r-Jl9cJoZMDDFbO1lBoDdaIJQYcHkQHYRaP1qDmgjjlUdlD7d7WPBgPt5tfw5Mf-1TiRXfQcKIXSaRoLdjQ-ECkQdTMhohkxm1VcYSzZdkpLoACHpQXS-5/s3400/2023-01-19%2009.43.36.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2158" data-original-width="3400" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOklxxYW1L4JITUI9V9Y-OD8J8hGYMphcCGFoLZtAgVbS4xJyCpzGKU0rQf5xD9tJpQ8r-Jl9cJoZMDDFbO1lBoDdaIJQYcHkQHYRaP1qDmgjjlUdlD7d7WPBgPt5tfw5Mf-1TiRXfQcKIXSaRoLdjQ-ECkQdTMhohkxm1VcYSzZdkpLoACHpQXS-5/w640-h406/2023-01-19%2009.43.36.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>Around the edge of Ian Potter Lakeside Precinct lawn, in the Australian Garden at Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne, you'll find a few species and cultivars of native hibiscus. Mostly large shrubs with colourful purple or pink flowers, and always attention grabbing when they bloom in later summer.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFVwPmS8NAzsFKNp31m4WPZv088CrxVTcJCFiVWPwF4a3Bu4Zu8wNIILkeBspOXxbl70wE6Bu9UkS1boQxyCGDTrn9sQCgFtTeVuLiqDLcgg0VSTIOF1kNL2EECEVDLFd-d4hEbOJI5Nwvwo9UA65JMPqIkyJpdllnzYMrQ8X0KnTbmQjmnqbmzPW8/s3359/2023-01-19%2007.37.10.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2588" data-original-width="3359" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFVwPmS8NAzsFKNp31m4WPZv088CrxVTcJCFiVWPwF4a3Bu4Zu8wNIILkeBspOXxbl70wE6Bu9UkS1boQxyCGDTrn9sQCgFtTeVuLiqDLcgg0VSTIOF1kNL2EECEVDLFd-d4hEbOJI5Nwvwo9UA65JMPqIkyJpdllnzYMrQ8X0KnTbmQjmnqbmzPW8/w640-h494/2023-01-19%2007.37.10.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>My featured plant today is one with furry, mostly kangaroo-paw shaped leaves. The label says '<i>Hibiscus </i>sp. Baramabah Creek', suggesting taxonomists haven't quite had the courage (or necessary evidence) to describe it as a new species.</div><div><br /></div><div>The name used in the <a href="https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://id.biodiversity.org.au/node/apni/2899131" target="_blank">Atlas of Australia</a> and the Queensland Herbarium <a href="https://apps.des.qld.gov.au/species-search/details/?id=18405" target="_blank">is</a> '<i>Hibiscus </i>sp. (Barambah Creek P.Grimshaw + PG2484)': Ecologist Paul Grimshaw is the collector and 2484 is the collection number he gave to his gathering of this (potential) new species. </div><div><br /></div><div>Baramabah Creek is about 200 kilometres north-west of Brisbane, in southern Queensland. I can't find much about this plant, but I <a href="https://anpsa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/hibiscus3.pdf" target="_blank">gather</a> it was collected by Paul Grimshaw in the last couple of decades and has become popular due its large pretty flowers and the absence of thorns. While not under threat at the moment it is <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/gardening/how-to/gold-stars/10370394" target="_blank">known</a> from only four natural populations. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL6bnaRP8NIHB2M0KGx4xkQF4nY6DR739dfYY9Qff5UoTyqgXxrIn4Es4s46sRkl8T8z8Mc1PqX4AStMTbd8dLRlXqQobGiS70evoIT_5UsAHD9fjD_23jKQdoPd0zqZgug0Fsp3S4V8XtmT58J1rGRZOiulg-tuzPU7iKjfO54_B72EJTQIPJGG-x/s4299/2023-01-19%2007.37.01.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2672" data-original-width="4299" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL6bnaRP8NIHB2M0KGx4xkQF4nY6DR739dfYY9Qff5UoTyqgXxrIn4Es4s46sRkl8T8z8Mc1PqX4AStMTbd8dLRlXqQobGiS70evoIT_5UsAHD9fjD_23jKQdoPd0zqZgug0Fsp3S4V8XtmT58J1rGRZOiulg-tuzPU7iKjfO54_B72EJTQIPJGG-x/w640-h398/2023-01-19%2007.37.01.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>The large flowers and thornless stems make <i>Hibiscus </i>sp. BC - if I may call it that - a popular selection for breeding with other native hibiscus species, such as <i>Hibiscus heterophyllus</i>. One of the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/gardening/how-to/gold-stars/10370394" target="_blank">products</a>, 'Aussie Pearl', also grows in the garden flanking the Lakeside Precinct.</div><div><br /></div><div>You might have noticed my photographs show only closed or partly opened flowers. That's because I inevitably take my walk around Cranbourne Gardens early in the morning, and as with at least some other native hibiscus, the flowers open late morning. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBEf_Y9QSji8Iug5JEBTOFPzY-o909qmqS8lUleU_e9vlOz4ztHun-DFbkNOQOu_mU3IP8T9l6Zxl5OzKYlJkTuEN_r1xVXYSIkLi6ixlAnCeSKHZkCWy9zNbMbEzZIaperaKnNb4XAUA8MGDk-y6bNOR68ljkPA9455zt33iEx8hPz36n5Zz_YB8D/s4181/2023-01-19%2007.38.25.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3052" data-original-width="4181" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBEf_Y9QSji8Iug5JEBTOFPzY-o909qmqS8lUleU_e9vlOz4ztHun-DFbkNOQOu_mU3IP8T9l6Zxl5OzKYlJkTuEN_r1xVXYSIkLi6ixlAnCeSKHZkCWy9zNbMbEzZIaperaKnNb4XAUA8MGDk-y6bNOR68ljkPA9455zt33iEx8hPz36n5Zz_YB8D/w640-h468/2023-01-19%2007.38.25.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>As an aside, hibiscus from elsewhere are often described as opening their flowers in the early morning, so are Australian species a little different in this regard? I might be extrapolating unreasonably here so do set me straight.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, I was excited to find what I think is the same 'species' in Fritsch Holzer Park, in Hawthorn East, but again found myself there at the wrong time of day. Still, always good to have a few plant observations on the 'to do' list (not quite the 'bucket list'...). By then, it may have a proper name.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKvwfzoMF3qHXehlhO7VM34WuQWIDTbgGyO5ku_fNEt_NXNLxZBD9I2gstvEq-ZCRWURG9pbQAsKdf2XpUQk105-hs0QJVMwWtuimW5TEOwot_T188D2ydoXx6fmP6YKbYUsFov8YiAYpJgaM5tjluiqPXiEIQQ2e6hvuKIxajBeeGBQtcozUPzaUf/s2528/2023-01-26%2010.01.13%20Fitsch%20H%20Park.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2113" data-original-width="2528" height="534" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKvwfzoMF3qHXehlhO7VM34WuQWIDTbgGyO5ku_fNEt_NXNLxZBD9I2gstvEq-ZCRWURG9pbQAsKdf2XpUQk105-hs0QJVMwWtuimW5TEOwot_T188D2ydoXx6fmP6YKbYUsFov8YiAYpJgaM5tjluiqPXiEIQQ2e6hvuKIxajBeeGBQtcozUPzaUf/w640-h534/2023-01-26%2010.01.13%20Fitsch%20H%20Park.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Fritsch Holzer Park</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>Talking Plantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05778763864080365220noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523231273885627613.post-30938168521562373422023-07-04T06:00:00.002+10:002023-07-04T07:36:00.104+10:00Local lily thrives roadside or seaside<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4UUhRdVPDo03qHfAdwJZQTANSldw72hJuFTxMXa77cOxsDnikSkZ6Svgh5UDE6W2u-gFtyU98xZACws_KjZNL0vtktQDmYBrw1wbw9NF6liKKbZXBo5mmIwx9CF6Rf8q7eIlD7hO-iJE83P_bFDwlvyQ36f339_06jQWqBSd08AXuPmAMHf3lK49U/s3828/2023-01-19%2007.08.15.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2080" data-original-width="3828" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4UUhRdVPDo03qHfAdwJZQTANSldw72hJuFTxMXa77cOxsDnikSkZ6Svgh5UDE6W2u-gFtyU98xZACws_KjZNL0vtktQDmYBrw1wbw9NF6liKKbZXBo5mmIwx9CF6Rf8q7eIlD7hO-iJE83P_bFDwlvyQ36f339_06jQWqBSd08AXuPmAMHf3lK49U/w640-h348/2023-01-19%2007.08.15.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><b>Krinon </b>was a word used in Ancient Greece for a white lily. Today, with a little 'Latinisation', we apply this name to the members of the genus <i>Crinum</i>. As I've mentioned <a href="http://talkingplants.blogspot.com/2010/01/crinum-so-show-and-fragrant-they-border.html" target="_blank">before</a>, we have one rather well-known species of Krinon native to Australia, <i>Crinum pedunculatum</i>. It's also known as <b>Swamp Lily</b>, in recognition of its favoured habitat - poorly drained, clay soils. </p><p>As with the Gymea Lily (<i>Doryanthes excelsa</i>; and also <i>Doryanthes palmeri</i>), the strappy leaves and flowers seem quite out of place in the Australian bushland. Nothing subtle about leaves to three metres long and paper-white flowers about 10 cm across. </p><p>There are one hundred species of <i>Crinum</i>, mostly in Africa but <a href="https://www.publish.csiro.au/sb/pdf/SB21038" target="_blank">with </a>13 native to Australia. The Swamp Lily, <i>Crinum pedunculatum</i>, can be found in near coastal wet areas of northern Australia - as far south as Jervis Bay - and in New Guinea and other Pacific Islands. Typically it grows along stream banks and in swamps. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUmX3f84uZ2ijxceLKOETMluVpPCPHAy-X6M9KAVE-CXZc_ErSt3bNYB8b_z_mTK5LwcrMFmj1OwTds50knSFbRv6QMWq-Mh3dzRYPE5rld9m5cLh26SSoASnnLvjkkHnUbdoTUzEg9TGSgyaU06AvNCIizlL5IohyjclyaoL32lS_lmg-Mo8pumiw/s4318/2023-01-19%2007.09.16.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2751" data-original-width="4318" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUmX3f84uZ2ijxceLKOETMluVpPCPHAy-X6M9KAVE-CXZc_ErSt3bNYB8b_z_mTK5LwcrMFmj1OwTds50knSFbRv6QMWq-Mh3dzRYPE5rld9m5cLh26SSoASnnLvjkkHnUbdoTUzEg9TGSgyaU06AvNCIizlL5IohyjclyaoL32lS_lmg-Mo8pumiw/w640-h408/2023-01-19%2007.09.16.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Sometimes <i>Crinum peduculatum </i>is considered a variety (var. <i>pedunculatum</i>) of the more widespread <i>Crinum asiaticum. </i>While the differences are rather minor (mostly in the size of the plant and flowers), most Australian floras accept it as a good species.</p><p>The flowers of all <i>Crinum </i>are wonderfully simple to dissect, mentally. There are six petals (technically 'tepals' because they are (n)either petal nor sepal), fused into a tube at the base, with six elongate male parts (stamens) protruding skyward. The ovary is embedded below stamens and tepals, topped by a thin receptive style.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw7ntRJJG9KA_3UMtz2EVQjPaxvZSTlMu0XnntfxJxy7zzTLKsWl-OjtnbwhBHr3g2FSFg-nfcbeLw2Pi4ZXUWfD-M82-V2WB0LLet-qJiHeagTq3uiEgWHnN9I_wxwHcNagdeGVbhw-3qjxcTVE9o1ycWGzQWxc9YuEXtlQTl9CMbGvgLK588Vid2/s2265/2023-01-19%2007.08.53.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1239" data-original-width="2265" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw7ntRJJG9KA_3UMtz2EVQjPaxvZSTlMu0XnntfxJxy7zzTLKsWl-OjtnbwhBHr3g2FSFg-nfcbeLw2Pi4ZXUWfD-M82-V2WB0LLet-qJiHeagTq3uiEgWHnN9I_wxwHcNagdeGVbhw-3qjxcTVE9o1ycWGzQWxc9YuEXtlQTl9CMbGvgLK588Vid2/w640-h350/2023-01-19%2007.08.53.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>In the Swamp Lily, the flowers are white, and the tepals narrow, curving outwards, and up to about 8 centimetres long. The pollen-bearing anthers, at the end of the stamens, are straight (rather than strongly curved as they are in another similar looking species, <i>Crinum flaccidum</i>), and the style looks like a stamen with the top broken off...</p><p>Like Gymea Lily, Swamp Lily is a good roadside planting - from Queensland to Victoria (and beyond!) - needing little care or attention once established. In sun or shade: in the Australian Garden we have a clump in full sun at the top of the Rockpool Waterway, and another in a shaded nook of the Gondwana Garden. My pictures are from the waterway.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4FwrJkYazeZ-jffsUeUfT-_Yew0clGZ_rHbxI-cLZZX6PiA_qLLAJBs5Q6yKJIfLv8hSaw_ivENbYeFfQ6FN6mdF_5iD4euTdzNlrijbu_Snw5if8gf9MEFl9vTJrfQWhUMplLgu7VYR3wxj6l-_KCpyGWSpM13q8BP9gMPJ87HzX6e_lzEqpWMAj/s4608/2023-01-19%2007.08.32.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4FwrJkYazeZ-jffsUeUfT-_Yew0clGZ_rHbxI-cLZZX6PiA_qLLAJBs5Q6yKJIfLv8hSaw_ivENbYeFfQ6FN6mdF_5iD4euTdzNlrijbu_Snw5if8gf9MEFl9vTJrfQWhUMplLgu7VYR3wxj6l-_KCpyGWSpM13q8BP9gMPJ87HzX6e_lzEqpWMAj/w640-h480/2023-01-19%2007.08.32.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Swamp Lily has <a href="https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:5933dff" target="_blank">also</a> been used to reduce turbidity in estuarine areas. In the Brisbane River, for example, mass plantings now intercept waves so that 'calm-wind' conditions are maintained at all times. That means more transparent, appealing, water.</p><p>So the Swamp Lily is a very practical Australian plant, despite looking more exotic than it is - which will be a pro or a con, depending on your floristic patriotism. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn4bav8liaaE61Y4Czeiz1NIjRIfwvbN4bCBrhtFKm5p5550GPJDEQc8-hW4Ji3CXvi11KsTMQKPn06J-BimmSF6AqFGHvJotWH4c8k0oc-ya0Ae1M5oMqLNpFo1Y0NC__IxD_NsLt852l2cZ1WJcYlAy1HF4EFFuc3xmzHplVmGV6kJRlxOdQW7T0/s2820/2023-01-19%2007.09.37.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1698" data-original-width="2820" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn4bav8liaaE61Y4Czeiz1NIjRIfwvbN4bCBrhtFKm5p5550GPJDEQc8-hW4Ji3CXvi11KsTMQKPn06J-BimmSF6AqFGHvJotWH4c8k0oc-ya0Ae1M5oMqLNpFo1Y0NC__IxD_NsLt852l2cZ1WJcYlAy1HF4EFFuc3xmzHplVmGV6kJRlxOdQW7T0/w640-h386/2023-01-19%2007.09.37.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Talking Plantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05778763864080365220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523231273885627613.post-23738600350160220102023-06-27T07:42:00.003+10:002023-06-27T07:42:46.288+10:00Emblemic banksia from the west <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiremJG7HWV-D7RabajYPZkoIJSbXf93QYJbCiIoP8vwzMpdqvcxTxNr0SKsSnOEcNVpcMx8QDcwllgVkJJyc4zrSbuuos6YsWHrGA2EzdQvOcMDwuC7i1gTWeDVaaWeriwLPHrM9LdTk6akjrFG-FSDUKJODVkGs3MhTrNKrZRPLmWjb30h_wF-upL/s3582/2019-09-27%2008.05.10.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2837" data-original-width="3582" height="506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiremJG7HWV-D7RabajYPZkoIJSbXf93QYJbCiIoP8vwzMpdqvcxTxNr0SKsSnOEcNVpcMx8QDcwllgVkJJyc4zrSbuuos6YsWHrGA2EzdQvOcMDwuC7i1gTWeDVaaWeriwLPHrM9LdTk6akjrFG-FSDUKJODVkGs3MhTrNKrZRPLmWjb30h_wF-upL/w640-h506/2019-09-27%2008.05.10.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Having suggested back in <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/it-s-time-to-ditch-victoria-s-floral-emblem-here-s-what-it-could-be-20221215-p5c6kf.html" target="_blank">January</a> it was time to ditch the Common Heath, <i>Epacris impressa</i>, as Victoria's floral emblem in favour of a banksia, I've been wondering if I picked the right one. I suggested the Silver Banksia, <i>Banksia marginata</i>, because I felt it was the most 'Victorian' - by which I mean it was widespread in the State and more often here than elsewhere.</p><p>Others have suggested the Old Man Banksia, <i>Banksia serrata</i>, which I have to admit was my first thought. I discounted it though as one more closely associated with Botany Bay and therefore New South Wales.</p><p>In any case, it's odd that a banksia has not been used yet for any State floral emblem. I should note here that the Gold Coast, a region, does identify with the Wallum Banksia, <i>Banksia aemula</i>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGkIIrff23uLM0pIv4-bhX42zVTqmE5Vj8pxbuAeogxFkYdvD7JUdXNQpkwTIhIMd7LY1IGpDbKqDC2aB5DcAJOSvQRfW3UM3etdvphM12Pb8zx7yyo_HhYuHhV_ZUa9t9dnjHjqjnwB3rqrWE-0DDmjJtzzT4BTT0qiLcjCxKR_5D4SSK9TgwCExz/s3825/2019-09-27%2008.04.53.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2335" data-original-width="3825" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGkIIrff23uLM0pIv4-bhX42zVTqmE5Vj8pxbuAeogxFkYdvD7JUdXNQpkwTIhIMd7LY1IGpDbKqDC2aB5DcAJOSvQRfW3UM3etdvphM12Pb8zx7yyo_HhYuHhV_ZUa9t9dnjHjqjnwB3rqrWE-0DDmjJtzzT4BTT0qiLcjCxKR_5D4SSK9TgwCExz/w640-h390/2019-09-27%2008.04.53.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>But I'm digress too much. This post is about a Western Australian banksia that I found among my photographs when trying to decide which banksia I thought we should appropriate for Victoria. Certainly not this one given it only grows near Esperance, in the fast south-west of Western Australia.</p><p>I'm featuring it because it displays all those characteristics we love about banksias, in spades. While the flowers are your more classical - and rather common - yellow, the flowering heads have beautiful form. The flowers themselves are softly hairy, as the species name - <i>pilostylis </i>(softy hairy styles) - implies.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSZbDPpf6OvWg4asWsbxWORpXVVHiXfEg7P0eGt2wkLq_b2AFYS9gE1Jcz0_VjOtgxeVAoHRbeddQ644YfS8cqWW2nA8Y2PJj75iGD1EbQWf5HgpORN2TJ_qX0Mz0WrA_o8VHWAqQlqnz_Ql_nw2FseZYB6KuEYWzlfHupPVXrCLvormKst2wFyWue/s1580/2019-09-27%2008.05.10b.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="728" data-original-width="1580" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSZbDPpf6OvWg4asWsbxWORpXVVHiXfEg7P0eGt2wkLq_b2AFYS9gE1Jcz0_VjOtgxeVAoHRbeddQ644YfS8cqWW2nA8Y2PJj75iGD1EbQWf5HgpORN2TJ_qX0Mz0WrA_o8VHWAqQlqnz_Ql_nw2FseZYB6KuEYWzlfHupPVXrCLvormKst2wFyWue/w640-h294/2019-09-27%2008.05.10b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />When young the flowering heads of <i>Banksia pilostylis </i>are candle-like. Expanding as the flowers open into a neatly clipped bottlebrush.<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9h5aORbk1N4LujERiwdLN3m9VgdDxpQ0xvIATL5h0m2XKsP3g38SBHGBBrmw87Ts-Pf3d1OrI0ysuZ7cldiPB2cAYmCffmJH6B3_n9hzsIuDpZoJUl1JYAqZSuFXVxY6GHbOWk1FGQDOlgmhfXw812p45GjpFzASA0wlK0aCiQ6nFA1ZZNVbAMkr6/s3492/2019-09-27%2008.05.24.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="2959" data-original-width="3492" height="542" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9h5aORbk1N4LujERiwdLN3m9VgdDxpQ0xvIATL5h0m2XKsP3g38SBHGBBrmw87Ts-Pf3d1OrI0ysuZ7cldiPB2cAYmCffmJH6B3_n9hzsIuDpZoJUl1JYAqZSuFXVxY6GHbOWk1FGQDOlgmhfXw812p45GjpFzASA0wlK0aCiQ6nFA1ZZNVbAMkr6/w640-h542/2019-09-27%2008.05.24.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRofRfVPlUu7roaOvJ1Ncn8E1u3fjyZILuXLxCggHIfitrF2YzswN9PSHbjgLYzWLPfW8T7GSsBUlE8PjqrGCVOgi4xUd4xiAMyEPf-PQcPHQRpN9eft3UJ3qM6UTpw4SAHa6TODGANrJAaMYhYfa4PICbktJqQyOm0qEJOTz3HYW93NmXqKVWbjUQ/s2849/2019-09-27%2008.05.39.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2572" data-original-width="2849" height="578" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRofRfVPlUu7roaOvJ1Ncn8E1u3fjyZILuXLxCggHIfitrF2YzswN9PSHbjgLYzWLPfW8T7GSsBUlE8PjqrGCVOgi4xUd4xiAMyEPf-PQcPHQRpN9eft3UJ3qM6UTpw4SAHa6TODGANrJAaMYhYfa4PICbktJqQyOm0qEJOTz3HYW93NmXqKVWbjUQ/w640-h578/2019-09-27%2008.05.39.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>The young leaves are, as they often are, coloured differently and hairy. The older leaves a lovely blue-green. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpqoL4Vih_9z5TJJA5DQimeUxYH1kY1Jsn75nSokRflrvtlaAj9lcLt0rsTuZ9ZHF22smQazjHk9H4nPX_NxCC2rmnIAhm_-uHE4XEbP3uj_A8PY-IczTacqFVUh1JYnrFMq8-P6BQCxolKVjY4RmgMc1Epy01I1EvKU3-hQMVvUqi_-XwyZiM4lQP/s3466/2019-09-27%2008.06.15.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2390" data-original-width="3466" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpqoL4Vih_9z5TJJA5DQimeUxYH1kY1Jsn75nSokRflrvtlaAj9lcLt0rsTuZ9ZHF22smQazjHk9H4nPX_NxCC2rmnIAhm_-uHE4XEbP3uj_A8PY-IczTacqFVUh1JYnrFMq8-P6BQCxolKVjY4RmgMc1Epy01I1EvKU3-hQMVvUqi_-XwyZiM4lQP/w640-h442/2019-09-27%2008.06.15.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>It's a compact shrub, <a href="https://www.bgpa.wa.gov.au/about-us/conservation/plant-of-the-month/2453-november-2017" target="_blank">with</a> flowers from at least October through to January. My pictures were taken at Kings Park in Perth, in late September 2019. Better still, these flowers will attract (at least in southern Western Australia), 'honeyeaters and other small nectar loving creatures'.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We don't grow this species at either Melbourne or Cranbourne Gardens, but it <a href="https://www.gardeningwithangus.com.au/banksia-pilostylis/" target="_blank">should</a> do well in sandy soil in coastal or near-coastal Victoria. Not well enough to become our floral emblem of course, but the more banksias we grow the better, right?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj-X8SMEhbcihyW6jh8-pD0tT0bWFsSYan4Fnapmjgfe07CFbpYCETL4QV3cGKug_cnbSPeEATcVr-SdpwRhmIvJEBtzuH6F45sgQ-TXVFD9UGG4ObpAMdstkwMmKMwFGr9YM3vcr_KGMGgbd8PuVqQCw9ligZGNWuyInOgRudXyxuKUfGDOv0ZryW/s4032/2019-09-27%2008.06.10.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="4032" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj-X8SMEhbcihyW6jh8-pD0tT0bWFsSYan4Fnapmjgfe07CFbpYCETL4QV3cGKug_cnbSPeEATcVr-SdpwRhmIvJEBtzuH6F45sgQ-TXVFD9UGG4ObpAMdstkwMmKMwFGr9YM3vcr_KGMGgbd8PuVqQCw9ligZGNWuyInOgRudXyxuKUfGDOv0ZryW/w640-h366/2019-09-27%2008.06.10.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p>Talking Plantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05778763864080365220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523231273885627613.post-53077670368833568032023-06-20T06:00:00.000+10:002023-06-20T06:00:00.131+10:00Native Fuchsia obscure but Wilsons Grevillea a cop out<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiscLjPFv4wudI-Rru6HCyN_zgqlpx06uMDozSiZfA7rUK3CCt0v-DVvFQ7Od-4OKtqYccP44p3VakDW_HE5opFxzDPgY94WF_9SLGgUHM-xaezRJaJqMvmhvNgAXEoVQrf_SQoTlRm_SDYl8LzVbHAM9oGPwRLYngwbw1Vdt4Y3YCzsFTFVF6ZIVm8/s4590/2020-11-12%2007.20.53.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1887" data-original-width="4590" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiscLjPFv4wudI-Rru6HCyN_zgqlpx06uMDozSiZfA7rUK3CCt0v-DVvFQ7Od-4OKtqYccP44p3VakDW_HE5opFxzDPgY94WF_9SLGgUHM-xaezRJaJqMvmhvNgAXEoVQrf_SQoTlRm_SDYl8LzVbHAM9oGPwRLYngwbw1Vdt4Y3YCzsFTFVF6ZIVm8/w640-h264/2020-11-12%2007.20.53.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>I post this as much for the painterly image above as for the plant itself. You'll find this rosy-flowered species growing naturally on the sands and gravels north of Bunbury, in Western Australia. So rosy, that my camera struggled in the Australian Garden at Cranbourne to get the colour-balance sorted. You know what reds are like to photograph.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnyiN3W1v6Sz5kMerVPRW9_-oV3cUV0B2S6YA6YXQ4N_s00z7cxHvE1LEQRkBI3ubYohMawHoi_o_k5YPc-oZIvLsXjIF4iVmLYEUrdtWLQWV9I3l7jA_fUdGLycTEHMI7nO51BhAJXsr6D_SUYppLBF_wLUcU8KxN1jDKilBc5vA0U4UHbQHbSape/s4225/2020-11-12%2007.20.59.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3169" data-original-width="4225" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnyiN3W1v6Sz5kMerVPRW9_-oV3cUV0B2S6YA6YXQ4N_s00z7cxHvE1LEQRkBI3ubYohMawHoi_o_k5YPc-oZIvLsXjIF4iVmLYEUrdtWLQWV9I3l7jA_fUdGLycTEHMI7nO51BhAJXsr6D_SUYppLBF_wLUcU8KxN1jDKilBc5vA0U4UHbQHbSape/w640-h480/2020-11-12%2007.20.59.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>This is <i>Grevillea wilsonii</i>, commonly known as <b>Native Fuchsia</b>, or sometimes less imaginatively, Wilson's Grevillea. Although <i>Fuchsia</i>, as you will no doubt be aware, is a quite different looking plant, and flower, and is not native to Australia; there are a couple of <i>Fuchsia </i>species in New Zealand but mostly they are found in Central and South America.</p><p>Native Fucshia is also a name applied to other Australian plants, such as many species of <i>Eremophila </i>(aka Emu Bush), which have flowers more closely resembling those of a true <i>Fuchsia</i>. A better match still are the flowers of many <i>Correa </i>species, and yes, they are too sometimes called Native Fuchsia. For what it's worth, none of these genera - <i>Grevillea</i>, <i>Eremophila</i>, <i>Correa</i> and <i>Fuchsia</i> - are closely related and each is in a different plant family. </p><p>But back to today's Native Fuchsia. Its genu <i>Grevillea </i>is found almost entirely in Australia, with just a handful of species in nearby islands such as Papua-New Guinea, New Caledonia and Sulawesi. Of the more than 350 species of <i>Grevillea </i>in Australia, over half grow naturally in Western Australia.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjb_gHSQcz5SusKM4n-GWinTj3QboGMhKFuHc5uJLF5a8PM5Usylz8TBeoqR1QXtya7T6yQBb5PexAn6tt1kkr8rW2MgUv0APEDQwrBx2kefcV1R93yG6smTlEyJSmK5-Cm2z2sjLj1-LITwX0jbfAlHCmmUNeOQWi99PxUH2z4x7Aym05NN62joO/s3620/2020-11-12%2007.21.07.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2829" data-original-width="3620" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjb_gHSQcz5SusKM4n-GWinTj3QboGMhKFuHc5uJLF5a8PM5Usylz8TBeoqR1QXtya7T6yQBb5PexAn6tt1kkr8rW2MgUv0APEDQwrBx2kefcV1R93yG6smTlEyJSmK5-Cm2z2sjLj1-LITwX0jbfAlHCmmUNeOQWi99PxUH2z4x7Aym05NN62joO/w640-h500/2020-11-12%2007.21.07.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>This Native Fuchsia, as I said, is from north of Bunbury, on the Swan River plain in south-west Western Australia. That's also where you'll find many other <i>Grevillea</i> species. This particular one <a href="https://www.dcceew.gov.au/sites/default/files/env/pages/9956603b-17a1-4fe2-b47a-3addcd924fc0/files/flora-australia-17a-proteaceae-2-grevillea.pdf" target="_blank">grows</a> in Jarrah (<i>Eucalyptus marginata</i>) forests or woodland on the iron-rich (lateritic) soils south of Perth.</p><p>I don't know that the flowers of this species are more (or less) like a <i>Fuchsia </i>than any other <i>Grevillea</i> but they are more separated in the flower cluster so perhaps that inspired the comparison. Or maybe it's just the bright red colour - so difficult to capture in pixels - of the flowers. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1z42nXHd9hhobajyncdX33QICYLwPfwY318Af6YPH1m3dEG9Q0pEJHvyz31lssd9PEwBL-YXEKb2dBu2_3363RPyJJcyY7Xga-wA8AZRFJYhXuvLUTFAVJHHPq8uewX9gVouAp03t6OherN1SAaohXH2H_zvuJPOP8CaSS09amdzOgOEoLB9dRNn/s1470/2020-11-12%2007.20.39.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1211" data-original-width="1470" height="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1z42nXHd9hhobajyncdX33QICYLwPfwY318Af6YPH1m3dEG9Q0pEJHvyz31lssd9PEwBL-YXEKb2dBu2_3363RPyJJcyY7Xga-wA8AZRFJYhXuvLUTFAVJHHPq8uewX9gVouAp03t6OherN1SAaohXH2H_zvuJPOP8CaSS09amdzOgOEoLB9dRNn/w640-h528/2020-11-12%2007.20.39.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>The botanical name honours the surgeon Dr Thomas Wilson, who made nine voyages from the UK to Australia on convict ships, saving convict lives <a href="https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/wilson-thomas-braidwood-2806" target="_blank">through</a> his prescription of cleanliness, lime juice and wine. On one of these trips, in 1829, he stopped off at Swan River and collected plants for botanist Allan Cunningham in Sydney. It was Cunningham (briefly Director of Sydney's Botanic Gardens) who honoured him in the species epithet.</p><p>In <a href="https://www.publish.csiro.au/bt/pdf/BT07147" target="_blank">nature</a>, as on Howson Hill in the Australian Garden at Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne, Native Fuchsia is a sprawling shrub, with tangled foliage, up to about a metre tall. And like many grevilleas, it has a long flowering period, often from June through to December. These pictures were taken in early November.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit24xGRqIvxPkkZVkSn37jj9sIlrsIXRqTWJmxfniAX2MSpS8_5zFfXPbE0cvGXSnw1V4COTR-08fWk6BYWd6O87mhhiuCWzumWjJVth2kZ4FoF3yf9iw3_8RGuYH87hOgwwzNB_dTYurVHoq_rHuCQ5eVhM0sxYrEL7Fp3AHrZ2zbOWAmqyH9MPbR/s2456/2020-11-12%2007.20.31.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1999" data-original-width="2456" height="520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit24xGRqIvxPkkZVkSn37jj9sIlrsIXRqTWJmxfniAX2MSpS8_5zFfXPbE0cvGXSnw1V4COTR-08fWk6BYWd6O87mhhiuCWzumWjJVth2kZ4FoF3yf9iw3_8RGuYH87hOgwwzNB_dTYurVHoq_rHuCQ5eVhM0sxYrEL7Fp3AHrZ2zbOWAmqyH9MPbR/w640-h520/2020-11-12%2007.20.31.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>If you want to grow Native Fuchsia from seed, you <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwisi6T0vPD6AhUciGMGHbAgCws4KBAWegQIBhAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Facademic.oup.com%2Faob%2Farticle-pdf%2F86%2F4%2F771%2F7984186%2F860771.pdf&usg=AOvVaw0ltF3JBcpwRZdQ9bAvV7gU" target="_blank">should</a> remove or break the seed coat <i>and </i>add smoke or smoke water. Otherwise, it can be grown from cuttings or grafted onto a robust rootstock. A hybrid with (the yes, unimaginatively named) Johnson's Grevillea, <i>Grevillea johnsonii</i>, is called 'Bon Accord' is <a href="http://www.australisplants.com.au/ornamentals/info/graftedGrevilleaCatalogue.pdf" target="_blank">sold</a> as a grafted plant.</p>Talking Plantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05778763864080365220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523231273885627613.post-71362302343061255692023-06-13T06:00:00.003+10:002023-06-13T06:00:00.138+10:00Monstrous fruit worth the trouble for some<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjORrWOBzxOeY0zTfFCTQnc2hbT3Uw7i6ufWKLDDhpQ-yzGPZ0KHk84W-M5_x3lnnG-pX8iT1FbFcNr-aC2th3jU8vtBi_q5jbQhcRJO3j1ab4QH4hCfmlAN-o-9CIYXZqzbazcYaGBEmV8GalN0pKJ0LA1MVj3bb9VAgYYH7nCVNRb1O2a2N3T9hIS/s3840/2022-12-04%2016.29.45%20Monstera%20deliciosa.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2576" data-original-width="3840" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjORrWOBzxOeY0zTfFCTQnc2hbT3Uw7i6ufWKLDDhpQ-yzGPZ0KHk84W-M5_x3lnnG-pX8iT1FbFcNr-aC2th3jU8vtBi_q5jbQhcRJO3j1ab4QH4hCfmlAN-o-9CIYXZqzbazcYaGBEmV8GalN0pKJ0LA1MVj3bb9VAgYYH7nCVNRb1O2a2N3T9hIS/w640-h430/2022-12-04%2016.29.45%20Monstera%20deliciosa.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>It's hardly the same as eating a Japanese fugu (Puffer Fish) - which might kill you if not cooked appropriately - but eating the fruit of a <i>Monstera deliciosa</i> (Fruit Salad Plant or Swiss Cheese Plant) does carry some risks. </p><p>This fruit, and the collection of flowers before it, are clustered around and slightly embedded into a fleshy stem. We call this a <b>spadix</b>, and the white bract that partly encloses it during flowering, a <b>spathe</b>. You find this kind of floral arrangement in all members of the Arum Lily family, Araceae, including the Swiss Cheese Plant.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDhMqfv3E6YjUzz7_O7jojR-jjv8Md8yxIweC3GWCjnW4G5psCu9F2Gl0PyYoNrI8azPDqTxiLJSOw7nchhFT1xTZIosIx2WQEFxe0ScoIi_6vVfr7uDATbPTRfkMPxmjEzwugZtPgftRMa87arVZrYBoG2dCiyo5TgXDUgvV6cDw_57dSiJovudNW/s2938/2022-12-04%2016.32.04.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2727" data-original-width="2938" height="594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDhMqfv3E6YjUzz7_O7jojR-jjv8Md8yxIweC3GWCjnW4G5psCu9F2Gl0PyYoNrI8azPDqTxiLJSOw7nchhFT1xTZIosIx2WQEFxe0ScoIi_6vVfr7uDATbPTRfkMPxmjEzwugZtPgftRMa87arVZrYBoG2dCiyo5TgXDUgvV6cDw_57dSiJovudNW/w640-h594/2022-12-04%2016.32.04.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>The fruit looks a bit like a giant green ear of corn. However, the unripened 'kernels' contains shards of calcium oxalate which <a href="https://www.childrens.health.qld.gov.au/poisonous-plant-fruit-salad-plant-monstera-deliciosa/#:~:text=Symptoms%3A%20All%20parts%20of%20the,difficulty%20breathing%2C%20swallowing%20or%20speaking" target="_blank">can</a> cause a burning pain on the lips, tongue and throat. This can lead to difficulty in breathing, swallowing or talking. Even when eaten ripe, some people develop a short-lived rash. <div><br /></div><div>You should also avoid the small flecks of black you can see in some of these pictures, which can be irritating inside the mouth, although it's hard to avoid a few of these. Oh, and watch the sap from the leaves and stems...<p></p><p>On the positive side, the ripened fruit tastes like bananas or pineapple. Others say custard apple. </p><p>I hadn't tried it until Michael Chong, a member of the Friends of Wilson Botanic Park Berwick, dashed home before I was about to give a talk to the group as part of their Annual General Meeting and brought back two ripening fruits. How could I refuse?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIfM4LmrMZFd4m3wZba9WX5gP1xmShB5OR15-moRmdebvVcjtpgmi60f2jS_JPF6n624ZyDGTVfBEo4ckRFcHVgtz-USAIYGrneXI-EyaOT-FB3FEjkl3CYLUsgNI3J32cye3wef9HPpAEwmAp3yBIUsdnNq5rgzM6Kycr8l24B7_fvZHluVXtVEJS/s2327/2022-12-04%2016.30.38%20Tony%20Duncan.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1976" data-original-width="2327" height="544" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIfM4LmrMZFd4m3wZba9WX5gP1xmShB5OR15-moRmdebvVcjtpgmi60f2jS_JPF6n624ZyDGTVfBEo4ckRFcHVgtz-USAIYGrneXI-EyaOT-FB3FEjkl3CYLUsgNI3J32cye3wef9HPpAEwmAp3yBIUsdnNq5rgzM6Kycr8l24B7_fvZHluVXtVEJS/w640-h544/2022-12-04%2016.30.38%20Tony%20Duncan.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>In an earlier <a href="http://talkingplants.blogspot.com/2017/07/monster-swiss-cheese-plant-in-search-of.html" target="_blank">post</a> about why the Swiss Cheese has holes in its leaves, I suggested you only eat the fruit with some careful planning. I can now confirm that with some guidance, you can enjoy what to some is a flavoursome tropical fruit.</p><p>The key is to wait until the green hexagonal (or sometimes pentagonal) scales loosen to reveal the pulp beneath, then dig in with a spoon. One fruit had already popped a few of the outer scales, revealing the off-white pulp beneath. The second fruit had one or two kernels loosening and would be good to eat in a day or so. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ms2EG3XX0nLivP1uSIyuMFGUXHmVqEuES1bzDQ0y7wshmXf-HuEAuNEdT3Ni_5So58JSEV9V3e8PT4bbI1f3i7X_L-e-tD3CTONfp3Y_eXEDfneLGoTdFrFyBGq3kbuiBdCL2xgdSswi_EeP4E48-iDqlNn-7P4NIb69EDQtmyl8gjl_71ZhVCs9/s3402/2022-12-04%2016.29.48.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2408" data-original-width="3402" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ms2EG3XX0nLivP1uSIyuMFGUXHmVqEuES1bzDQ0y7wshmXf-HuEAuNEdT3Ni_5So58JSEV9V3e8PT4bbI1f3i7X_L-e-tD3CTONfp3Y_eXEDfneLGoTdFrFyBGq3kbuiBdCL2xgdSswi_EeP4E48-iDqlNn-7P4NIb69EDQtmyl8gjl_71ZhVCs9/w640-h454/2022-12-04%2016.29.48.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Was it any good? For me, too flavoursome (I don't like bananas and tolerate pineapples) and sweet (a bit sickly but then I'm more a savoury guy), but not unpleasant. And not at all irritating - unlike me when someone leaves a banana skin in a nearby bin, or car.</p><p>I took it home (thanks Michael) and we ate some more it progressively ripened. I <a href="Alternatively, the whole fruit can be ripened for eating at one time by standing the base in water and keeping it in the dark for a few days" target="_blank">gather</a> you get more of it to ripen in one hit by placing the fruiting stalk in water and keeping it in the dark for a few days. I was happy to have small doses every few days.</p><p>If you are careful, this is something you can try at home. The plants are readily available to grow indoors but you'll need to take it outside to get fruit - just check it isn't a potential weed in your local area. The species grows naturally in tropical forests from southern Mexico to Panama, and in cultivation in Australia, it will fruit from the tropics right down to at least Melbourne.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitTYlTkjDniwz1Zklb_thc3UhDGaJUcjcgH_4d8JPSDQfgXz1OwlbR8Ja6cpGmU_a-puNl6Z9ZlM9MYap_w9DInCJ-SmkIurrzDQeZSj4ZCMa3inI1U0ainREBFO7q3otIij14rKfILgJtMne5wPgovZZKCqwpQsoHNO2Za5a-Ga6MVkcjTU-lHJ0-/s1981/2017-03-03%2015.35.34.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1285" data-original-width="1981" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitTYlTkjDniwz1Zklb_thc3UhDGaJUcjcgH_4d8JPSDQfgXz1OwlbR8Ja6cpGmU_a-puNl6Z9ZlM9MYap_w9DInCJ-SmkIurrzDQeZSj4ZCMa3inI1U0ainREBFO7q3otIij14rKfILgJtMne5wPgovZZKCqwpQsoHNO2Za5a-Ga6MVkcjTU-lHJ0-/w640-h416/2017-03-03%2015.35.34.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>And the two fruits, a week later.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKZv9RVcPlZzlO6VJkBHRNcPJRz4YL4b_ZoxqckKq32jBx61kyH0xkr_fD0o2ffMo4mXyx-wXJl0Ma_uiJSOV5wzpw1DRfdi76CU990cdDZBCv8ermV9aH_RINW2aeR-HtcpPKArs3vFlGD1Y9QC5n15nPGvj13ChgJXeUElnLoq_mwVu6MIigMvhn/s3969/2022-12-08%2006.09.55.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2380" data-original-width="3969" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKZv9RVcPlZzlO6VJkBHRNcPJRz4YL4b_ZoxqckKq32jBx61kyH0xkr_fD0o2ffMo4mXyx-wXJl0Ma_uiJSOV5wzpw1DRfdi76CU990cdDZBCv8ermV9aH_RINW2aeR-HtcpPKArs3vFlGD1Y9QC5n15nPGvj13ChgJXeUElnLoq_mwVu6MIigMvhn/w640-h384/2022-12-08%2006.09.55.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Note: as foreshadowed last week, weekly until Tuesday, 1 August 2023. Then he rested.</i></div>Talking Plantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05778763864080365220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523231273885627613.post-85945473749932197272023-06-06T06:00:00.003+10:002023-06-06T06:00:00.142+10:00Cotton Bush has tail wanting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghtvxzRXnAJK0AWM9cu9nutIKQ90LdfLwEeg0rcvMQNIvr8GhaB8FGehkQyquFyfNBvc4yxLWVFQM6lSHioYFEf8jJVrlI0y77mDbfN3uqaq1YbPMla2VpwtiCNd9zw5_SGYYXzdOuHsWBEDrsGr7NsCj2vd44oqCJizZI7v_xQMx0lg9pMEaUows1/s3941/2022-10-27%20-%2008.23.33.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2310" data-original-width="3941" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghtvxzRXnAJK0AWM9cu9nutIKQ90LdfLwEeg0rcvMQNIvr8GhaB8FGehkQyquFyfNBvc4yxLWVFQM6lSHioYFEf8jJVrlI0y77mDbfN3uqaq1YbPMla2VpwtiCNd9zw5_SGYYXzdOuHsWBEDrsGr7NsCj2vd44oqCJizZI7v_xQMx0lg9pMEaUows1/w640-h376/2022-10-27%20-%2008.23.33.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Back to the mainland! The Australian <b>Cotton Bush</b> is a species of <i>Ptilotus</i>, a genus of more than 100 mostly Australian species - there is one species in Timor Leste and nearby Indonesian islands. <div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Ptilotus </i>are commonly called <b>Fox, Pussy, Hairy, Rabbit </b>or <b>Lamb Tails</b>, on account of the often feathery, clearly tail-like, terminal clusters of flowers. Or sometimes the name <b>Mulla Mulla</b>,<b> </b>from an (unknown) First Nations language in the west is used.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwPD4LCWrX0AKy_R_niugCFI2KzCiFdsNJzJT84YlvIe2Ji2bK0P2HJIeDnmhEZb98kESr_bRawo35YlezeJt1Tw2yCXmUHJsBrlyS881zJxHQLOFF5gGjTdjJk57_-2vElMYbhtApEosDBt8vp91_Ip9kJar3jT1RNAboFwMUtEfSzUExbXFQdgMd/s3335/2022-10-27%20-%2008.24.06.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2134" data-original-width="3335" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwPD4LCWrX0AKy_R_niugCFI2KzCiFdsNJzJT84YlvIe2Ji2bK0P2HJIeDnmhEZb98kESr_bRawo35YlezeJt1Tw2yCXmUHJsBrlyS881zJxHQLOFF5gGjTdjJk57_-2vElMYbhtApEosDBt8vp91_Ip9kJar3jT1RNAboFwMUtEfSzUExbXFQdgMd/w640-h410/2022-10-27%20-%2008.24.06.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><div>The leaves and stems of <i>Ptilotus </i>are mostly (but not always) 'softly' hairy, but <i>Ptilotus obovatus</i> is particularly woolly and greyish white. The flowers too can be partly obscured by white tufty hairs, but don't form the elegant 'tails' of many other species. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHm9gkeRV7I8UekhXrFWN1iFYtZUZRR7dvahWCRXd2qfnlscE22dWGrAGDWFZRNSpM8UustZrweb0kE-Xa9TFPgyD6KoUzl9z6fmuK_oANVbUp7no3EZktVXfP97a0_34Fn3cnVEcBSlef6reDqu0rvk68C3ZllM_SQPOXM6LA4bTNdpBO8RrSE4wm/s3795/2022-10-27%20-%2008.23.55.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="2528" data-original-width="3795" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHm9gkeRV7I8UekhXrFWN1iFYtZUZRR7dvahWCRXd2qfnlscE22dWGrAGDWFZRNSpM8UustZrweb0kE-Xa9TFPgyD6KoUzl9z6fmuK_oANVbUp7no3EZktVXfP97a0_34Fn3cnVEcBSlef6reDqu0rvk68C3ZllM_SQPOXM6LA4bTNdpBO8RrSE4wm/w640-h426/2022-10-27%20-%2008.23.55.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><div><div><br /></div><div>Like most species, though, Cotton Bush grows in Western Australia. In this case it also extends through inland South Australia and Northern Territory across into eastern Australia - to New South Wales, Queensland and, barely, Victoria. </div><div><br /></div><div>In Victoria it is <a href="https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/flora/taxon/38fb2d65-e078-44a5-9398-c50691d8259d" target="_blank">known</a> only from a few places in the far north-west corner of the State, and then only in recent decades. Before that we had only a couple of pre-1900 herbarium records and assumed it had become extinct (or been mislabelled - the locations were vague regional names).</div><div><br /></div><div>In South Australia, where this species is particularly common and widespread, there <a href="http://www.flora.sa.gov.au/cgi-bin/speciesfacts_display.cgi?form=speciesfacts&name=Ptilotus_obovatus" target="_blank">are</a> lots of local names for the Cotton Bush, including: <b>Silver Mulla Mulla</b>,<b> Silver-tails</b>,<b> Smoke Bush</b> (a name more commonly applied to <i>Conospermum</i>, in the Proteaceae family), <b>Silver Bush</b>, <b>White Fox Tail</b>, <b>Flannel Flower</b> (and name more commonly applied to <i>Actinotus </i>in the Apiaceae - carrot - family) and <b>Goldfield Clover</b>. Most of these reference the colour and texture of the leaves, with a passing nod to the (stumpy) flowering spikes. </div></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-QWbE5A_Ew64QfX8DmppO5epBs_ooVz7fhXfvx9YWuMxiD_JWyiH879kKM4F4F-1DNqKTe7nvI9cXAcMymVFJ-3eSORG62hxSVrhmYsCMMPg68n6qEAHqdiIvimjXKIwXaYw1oMeNOdYP5C5zELfqhvFgHxyhtktOfcKc6iVMFj9cOdlu24Xglso-/s3346/2022-10-27%20-%2008.23.42.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2089" data-original-width="3346" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-QWbE5A_Ew64QfX8DmppO5epBs_ooVz7fhXfvx9YWuMxiD_JWyiH879kKM4F4F-1DNqKTe7nvI9cXAcMymVFJ-3eSORG62hxSVrhmYsCMMPg68n6qEAHqdiIvimjXKIwXaYw1oMeNOdYP5C5zELfqhvFgHxyhtktOfcKc6iVMFj9cOdlu24Xglso-/w640-h400/2022-10-27%20-%2008.23.42.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><i>Ptilotus </i>is in the plant family Amaranthaceae, which includes spinach, beet and quinoa, along with some garden favourites such as the namesake <i>Amaranthus. </i>The flowers of other genera in this family are often arranged in spikes, sometimes resembling those on the more elegant species of <i>Ptilotus</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Less than a third of <i>Pilotus </i>species <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tony-Bean-2/publication/267544701_A_synopsis_of_Ptilotus_Amaranthaceae_in_eastern_Australia/links/54a9bbbf0cf256bf8bb95fb3/A-synopsis-of-Ptilotus-Amaranthaceae-in-eastern-Australia.pdf" target="_blank">are</a> found in Eastern Australia, and Cotton Bush itself was first described from a plant growing near Shark Bay in Western Australia. Across its range it grows in many habitats, from clay plains to rocky hillsides. The plants I photographed in the Australian Garden are freshly planted on Howson Hill, in what we hope is now well drained but well-watered sand. </div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge8p1_yUfpnSNs286eaI8EMSPJ4rMbyX5A8IQRg-0BPXG2HEwP2BskD0bILv5qKNfC4kXvACIlagA9QtnMJLtlgpxyn_M0CHf70xZaytamCZsx9hIxVg_5CoTs9YGRYl2Aaz82dUN1Ulh4r15uyBUy-79afRYxiEZMZj2QpS_QiGIXUcrNrSkxPK3i/s3602/2022-10-27%20-%2008.23.23.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2523" data-original-width="3602" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge8p1_yUfpnSNs286eaI8EMSPJ4rMbyX5A8IQRg-0BPXG2HEwP2BskD0bILv5qKNfC4kXvACIlagA9QtnMJLtlgpxyn_M0CHf70xZaytamCZsx9hIxVg_5CoTs9YGRYl2Aaz82dUN1Ulh4r15uyBUy-79afRYxiEZMZj2QpS_QiGIXUcrNrSkxPK3i/w640-h448/2022-10-27%20-%2008.23.23.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Note: This was such fun, I'll return to weekly as I head towards my final days at Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria (finishing 3 August 2023). After that, all bets are off!</i></div>Talking Plantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05778763864080365220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523231273885627613.post-32362241356279678042023-05-23T06:00:00.000+10:002023-05-23T06:00:00.159+10:00Winter Bark not so old<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJpTPaC7MYsMgctCCBn-IbzGp1YgmqoSPZFvp-Zqn3MqI16gg13tHFk-IsUEKwMAqBvOSQjaE9s-F63HkTS_b_joOwMT-oiU8sQzV5QwphkjTW3ejFCW2vjb4iHiSgWdFAHcy3dxouBuYV1PG4jMjI6P2vJxuw6Vk0hzpHg5CrP4VIF6eKb0o8Nn5S/s3892/2022-11-12%20-%20IMG_4370.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2657" data-original-width="3892" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJpTPaC7MYsMgctCCBn-IbzGp1YgmqoSPZFvp-Zqn3MqI16gg13tHFk-IsUEKwMAqBvOSQjaE9s-F63HkTS_b_joOwMT-oiU8sQzV5QwphkjTW3ejFCW2vjb4iHiSgWdFAHcy3dxouBuYV1PG4jMjI6P2vJxuw6Vk0hzpHg5CrP4VIF6eKb0o8Nn5S/w640-h436/2022-11-12%20-%20IMG_4370.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p>Finally from Tasmania, a garden plant you'll find in cooler climate gardens throughout the world - Winter Bark, <i>Drimys winteri</i>,<i> </i>at Crawleighwood, near Hobart. This public garden and nursery is packed with plants from all over the world, but particularly those with a Gondwanan connection (mostly southern hemisphere).</p><p>The Winter Bark has that connection through South America and is often - inaccurately - described as 'primitive' because the flowers have very simple whorls of male, female and display parts, and the wood lacks specialised water-carrying cells called vessels. It shares all these features with other members of the plant family Wintereaceae, which branches off early in your typical flowering plant tree of life. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNshIaHu0UAqgB6gRVPy4rB7hj6p-IL9cW0ikwwrEsVgQN4GMF7kljVwrZgVSxDdGM5ZWtABCfU3hMbUGiJyiLFgPFBp6La79c3Og_FXterieI5HsgSymhNOa07eo8CipgMl_8Be8GVUZco6aNHUsYNRa7WdWtvqaDAbXJmarE9eZMnxbl8zVbjjX7/s3155/2022-11-12%20-%20IMG_4367%20Drimys%20winteri.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3155" data-original-width="2389" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNshIaHu0UAqgB6gRVPy4rB7hj6p-IL9cW0ikwwrEsVgQN4GMF7kljVwrZgVSxDdGM5ZWtABCfU3hMbUGiJyiLFgPFBp6La79c3Og_FXterieI5HsgSymhNOa07eo8CipgMl_8Be8GVUZco6aNHUsYNRa7WdWtvqaDAbXJmarE9eZMnxbl8zVbjjX7/w484-h640/2022-11-12%20-%20IMG_4367%20Drimys%20winteri.JPG" width="484" /></a></div><p>Calling the genus or the family primitive is no longer considered either helpful or accurate. That's because all flowering plants in existence today are just as old, or young, as all other species of flowering plant. Even saying they are 'basal' is misleading because all that means is that their branch has less diversity, so we show it as an off-shoot rather than the main shoot - we like our trees of life to be symmetrical or at least taller than wide it seems.</p><p>What we were trying to convey with that term 'primitive' or 'basal' is they have not changed as much as other flowering plants, perhaps displaying features we consider to be early innovations for the group. For example, the lack of xylem vessels found in most other woody flowering plants has been interpreted as a kind of evolutionary dead-end. Even this is probably <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/2666192" target="_blank">incorrect</a>, and it can be argued that the Winteraceae 'lost' those xylem vessels from an earlier ancestor rather than failing to take them up as an evolutionary advantage.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJRSW3fbHEsI9KcX19wFXZsE8DO7-eIfBZuahy_LJK5VtKrhT8lBpND8ZDJLbvHWMwwjbXJsE50fvITMnZGLM-hFcReie814RwRA6WTZDPazrcruofQ2ySTzTPFN9QozjdkiVtuBKM0VbVOFBOWhyMfJ7X12qctit8iuTiSSrsqdEmlWzFVzYX0jtx/s3728/2022-11-12%20-%20IMG_4368.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2451" data-original-width="3728" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJRSW3fbHEsI9KcX19wFXZsE8DO7-eIfBZuahy_LJK5VtKrhT8lBpND8ZDJLbvHWMwwjbXJsE50fvITMnZGLM-hFcReie814RwRA6WTZDPazrcruofQ2ySTzTPFN9QozjdkiVtuBKM0VbVOFBOWhyMfJ7X12qctit8iuTiSSrsqdEmlWzFVzYX0jtx/w640-h420/2022-11-12%20-%20IMG_4368.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p>Species and genera alive today are all of the same age and if we want to search for ancestral character states (such as absence of vessels) we need to look across the whole tree for shared and derived features. A complicated business.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzSxo6czNp9c6621W0DqRVBDk66kLpfPssDflOpTr_n9AEDKAkiacPB8TDTMaFe06qAEZuMrejWkKjSew-vJsIsbrAqKmFPm1WfDe6Z9R879BzNhy2wxtTEKHJc5EmkZ3QIfdF_lUp5P3O8dRCfZpEF99G3zNOWPUgs9k960ojyr49h18Nl_x-V4P-/s2716/2022-11-12%20-%20IMG_4369.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1964" data-original-width="2716" height="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzSxo6czNp9c6621W0DqRVBDk66kLpfPssDflOpTr_n9AEDKAkiacPB8TDTMaFe06qAEZuMrejWkKjSew-vJsIsbrAqKmFPm1WfDe6Z9R879BzNhy2wxtTEKHJc5EmkZ3QIfdF_lUp5P3O8dRCfZpEF99G3zNOWPUgs9k960ojyr49h18Nl_x-V4P-/w640-h462/2022-11-12%20-%20IMG_4369.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p>We can still contemplate Winter Bark for what it is today. <i>Drimys </i>is - today at least - a small genus of about eight species. All species are woody evergreens, with that wood of course lacking vessels. Originally a Gondwana family, they are now restricted to Central and South America. There were some species originally referred to this genus from Australia and further north - such as the Pepperbush or Mountain Pepper - but these are now considered to be a separate genus called <i>Tasmannia</i>.</p><p><i>Drimys winteri</i> is from Chile and Argentina. I gave it a <a href="http://talkingplants.blogspot.com/2015/06/chilean-mock-holly-depends-on-edible.html" target="_blank">passing</a> mention when I posted with great excitement about visiting the Monkey Puzzle Tree in one of its natural locations, the Huerquehue National Park near Pucon, in southern Chile. I also saw it further north, near where with nearly equal enthusiasm I <a href="http://talkingplants.blogspot.com/2015/05/wine-palm-very-ugly-tree.html" target="_blank">reported</a> on seeing Chilean Wine Palms in their habitat. </p><p>In Chile <i>Drimys winteri </i>is called Canelo. In English-speaking countries, it's mostly known as Winter Bark; that bark was <a href="https://hortflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/taxon/ad8d2a14-5340-11e7-b82b-005056b0018f" target="_blank">once</a> used to treat scurvy, as well as stomachache, toothache and other internal and external irritations. Like all members of the Winteraceae, this is an aromatic plant - from the leaves to the bark - with a peppery aftertaste. </p><p>To finish up, here are a few pictures I took in Chile back in 2015.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOoGaGXJYL9C4mH9KEULAQB9I2VwNiGLiN7JbFX6pQCfffb8rOB6Dppu-7AohMhiQsXjrPMzpk6uT_2LPXHEMClh7U4kcHqH8NkkYxeRRHfyBEauSb1wp5C1oyus_vT85QitXWxVzorFiJWRoy2x8Palt08yFeNWM9ZE08kkX-FLlJIyhB_dP24xVL/s3648/P4095665%20Huerquehue.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOoGaGXJYL9C4mH9KEULAQB9I2VwNiGLiN7JbFX6pQCfffb8rOB6Dppu-7AohMhiQsXjrPMzpk6uT_2LPXHEMClh7U4kcHqH8NkkYxeRRHfyBEauSb1wp5C1oyus_vT85QitXWxVzorFiJWRoy2x8Palt08yFeNWM9ZE08kkX-FLlJIyhB_dP24xVL/w640-h480/P4095665%20Huerquehue.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winter Bark in Huerquehue National Park, near Pucon, Chile</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijG7yVlHDJ-I5oKHj6BmRelWqq3ZboQPXvRBKpzcD1ncnu1el7e35Ogde3BKgg6gDfhuPeFbHchHa8EJW6dSGvOyjqNf42FrMyQT3XUwCZbrAOWiKnexLdJe7e4xQyLQeajYUySRNqqNT-UukN5_0Bd6ZHFgFqOiuHlc4diSjSzt2ZfiTlpS0pqbRI/s3648/P4095644%20Pucon,%20Huerquehue.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijG7yVlHDJ-I5oKHj6BmRelWqq3ZboQPXvRBKpzcD1ncnu1el7e35Ogde3BKgg6gDfhuPeFbHchHa8EJW6dSGvOyjqNf42FrMyQT3XUwCZbrAOWiKnexLdJe7e4xQyLQeajYUySRNqqNT-UukN5_0Bd6ZHFgFqOiuHlc4diSjSzt2ZfiTlpS0pqbRI/w640-h480/P4095644%20Pucon,%20Huerquehue.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winters Bark habitat in Heurquehue, with Monkey Puzzle Trees.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX8fR--qj6xUrO_DJ6wR_HrTI3D-HoUFBPwY9-Lu9clWrjg4khizFXvqhdG1e9wXd6-k01J0RvjQAkaqQ7Pl-9QMTFXp4hOmqQNnmmatiU8bA-TSsGMAhCbucig2SCVnqz-ATqYt2OrPYO2-OKNWTTpScE1zjQ-TTCB3q09n3uG9lE6adUhV_K4xV0/s2688/2015-04-07%2012.42.43%20Drimys%20winteri%20Canelo%20(at%20Palmas%20de%20Ocoa).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1520" data-original-width="2688" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX8fR--qj6xUrO_DJ6wR_HrTI3D-HoUFBPwY9-Lu9clWrjg4khizFXvqhdG1e9wXd6-k01J0RvjQAkaqQ7Pl-9QMTFXp4hOmqQNnmmatiU8bA-TSsGMAhCbucig2SCVnqz-ATqYt2OrPYO2-OKNWTTpScE1zjQ-TTCB3q09n3uG9lE6adUhV_K4xV0/w640-h362/2015-04-07%2012.42.43%20Drimys%20winteri%20Canelo%20(at%20Palmas%20de%20Ocoa).jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winter Bark (Canelo) at Palas de Ocoa</td></tr></tbody></table><p>And, because I can, a planted specimen in Killarney, Ireland, from 2010. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqGRYCyaft4bRcAG4oTQo4FjwO1X_UnO7HztwempeozKsa6XQvFucnKQnSsgLpoL_JAGVw-2YwuWVbcwCnNaV8zIpST45uJV5D69t9pWHZfGteZgxJJ9Lx4VWD2a8x-dDNqXi3V5dq3Ks_XWV2Ux0HNqRSTAEWT1CCxKHMgfKlbqJL9K4ljnSzKWy4/s3648/20100612-035%20(Killarney).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqGRYCyaft4bRcAG4oTQo4FjwO1X_UnO7HztwempeozKsa6XQvFucnKQnSsgLpoL_JAGVw-2YwuWVbcwCnNaV8zIpST45uJV5D69t9pWHZfGteZgxJJ9Lx4VWD2a8x-dDNqXi3V5dq3Ks_XWV2Ux0HNqRSTAEWT1CCxKHMgfKlbqJL9K4ljnSzKWy4/w640-h480/20100612-035%20(Killarney).JPG" width="640" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMO0r47Jlxe_O-Boz_0_TQv-iuxlCdBrnKLhkVmkjSxmMf-HjgETrZa61kfGuReINTMPFcQWqulW4FoSIh-_fTyVbzhRWCvzK3-orMNQtdzh-iejIAwbWQ0BFiiGFUSzh_dZBSY64de_CPLJVAP6O8nHC99S_EVAMKqPT1hZy676DR-0aqQ61D2zne/s3648/20100612-034%20Drimys%20winteri%20(Killarney,%20Muckross%20House).JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMO0r47Jlxe_O-Boz_0_TQv-iuxlCdBrnKLhkVmkjSxmMf-HjgETrZa61kfGuReINTMPFcQWqulW4FoSIh-_fTyVbzhRWCvzK3-orMNQtdzh-iejIAwbWQ0BFiiGFUSzh_dZBSY64de_CPLJVAP6O8nHC99S_EVAMKqPT1hZy676DR-0aqQ61D2zne/w640-h480/20100612-034%20Drimys%20winteri%20(Killarney,%20Muckross%20House).JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Above two pictures from Muckross House, Killarney</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Talking Plantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05778763864080365220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523231273885627613.post-24260308725042089702023-05-09T06:00:00.007+10:002023-05-09T06:00:00.149+10:00Oddly named hawthorn in a pond<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii1dDUWqrQlwMhyjDp9dyuraGeDZxJy7GJVenP8QYUZvXsDfBodJBdLOhzOvfoIJj5FbCX3o08vq3ewkhnpcC8apsD_kIlV-5c_2qBZWmABWUmwfv_IEDo8fbkWMrtdp051mojniLzpiRtgP2KISFNS4BPpF1fT3CED_5D7A2BNK1LjHmhYiA2pWXV/s2472/2022-11-08%20-%20IMG_4054%20Old%20Wesleydale%20(Deb%20&%20Scott%20Wilson).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1874" data-original-width="2472" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii1dDUWqrQlwMhyjDp9dyuraGeDZxJy7GJVenP8QYUZvXsDfBodJBdLOhzOvfoIJj5FbCX3o08vq3ewkhnpcC8apsD_kIlV-5c_2qBZWmABWUmwfv_IEDo8fbkWMrtdp051mojniLzpiRtgP2KISFNS4BPpF1fT3CED_5D7A2BNK1LjHmhYiA2pWXV/w640-h486/2022-11-08%20-%20IMG_4054%20Old%20Wesleydale%20(Deb%20&%20Scott%20Wilson).JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p>Flashback to November 2022. After a day of driving past hawthorn hedges such as these, flowering white and occasionally pink, the Australian Garden History Society pre-conference tour group to northern Tasmania visited a garden with its aquatic namesake, the Water Hawthorn. We were at Connorville, the home of Roderic and Kate O'Connor, a marino farm just off the east of the Central Plateau in Tasmania. </p><p>There were plenty of terrestrial plants to enjoy but I didn't recognise this distinctive white-flowered, floating aquatic. Stuart Reed suggested Water Hawthorn, and he was right (as he often is). It's <i>Aponogeton distachyos</i>. Also <a href="https://pondinformer.com/water-hawthorn-aponogeton-distachyos/" target="_blank">know</a>n as Cape Hawthorn, Cape Pond Weed or Cape Asparagus. Or <a href="https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/flora/taxon/4e7b22fc-49e0-4c18-a4c2-25d0e87513e8" target="_blank">in</a> Victoria, Cape Pond-lily, where it has become established in natural areas after escaping from ponds and irrigation channels such as these.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNV7qfinubMYe1fIwEnPzyHAgrhaxY8DxH4PZZRH47bghw891vfabvWQpouwmTcHK-9UkELDUuarquM9EG-OyF-hOPwF4FKNhDSPXYi8KwmtUWwuJcxQkCaRxIAT1xihZFrPX1WPAsfKFdoYGK7m1kqoC5ik8p6GxpC_YYwlGAp-KSszcB5c9iC571/s3105/2022-11-08%20-%20IMG_4115%20Water%20Hawthorn%20(Aponogeton).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2112" data-original-width="3105" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNV7qfinubMYe1fIwEnPzyHAgrhaxY8DxH4PZZRH47bghw891vfabvWQpouwmTcHK-9UkELDUuarquM9EG-OyF-hOPwF4FKNhDSPXYi8KwmtUWwuJcxQkCaRxIAT1xihZFrPX1WPAsfKFdoYGK7m1kqoC5ik8p6GxpC_YYwlGAp-KSszcB5c9iC571/w640-h436/2022-11-08%20-%20IMG_4115%20Water%20Hawthorn%20(Aponogeton).JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p>Clearly from the common names, it's from the Cape, in South Africa, but well established (and weedy) in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The 'Hawthorn' component of at least two common names is curious. Perhaps the white flowers from a distance reminded someone of a hawthorn bush or hedge?</p><p>In South Africa, where also known as Waterblommetjie, the flowers and buds <a href="https://pza.sanbi.org/aponogeton-distachyos" target="_blank">are</a> added with the potatoes in the final stage of a mutton stew, creating a 'local delicacy'. I <a href="https://www.homequestionsanswered.com/what-is-a-water-hawthorn.htm" target="_blank">gather</a> the young shoots and roots can also be eaten. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYaoW20nqOa-d5_x7bwj_mCKa2MnbHIoKVF6wEcE31GGnTWDKczINHLZmD5wOJFQP2YkNXPTGp5hGnauXANHFl7rA8s8LJe_rIChXWdBXwxJtyG4sJynKzI0JpAorbnPY75CGdZc7u7O5izY7cSKGBVJicL1S4W1djLGnXqUlrojOf9ss9SlqqDPKY/s3765/2022-11-08%20-%20IMG_4117.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2202" data-original-width="3765" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYaoW20nqOa-d5_x7bwj_mCKa2MnbHIoKVF6wEcE31GGnTWDKczINHLZmD5wOJFQP2YkNXPTGp5hGnauXANHFl7rA8s8LJe_rIChXWdBXwxJtyG4sJynKzI0JpAorbnPY75CGdZc7u7O5izY7cSKGBVJicL1S4W1djLGnXqUlrojOf9ss9SlqqDPKY/w640-h374/2022-11-08%20-%20IMG_4117.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p>As you can see the oval leaves float on the water surface, looking a bit like the native Swamp Lily, <i>Ottelia ovalifolia</i>.</p><p>But the chunky flowering stalk is quite different, emerging in winter and spring, the perfect time for a hearty stew. That white structure is a collection of flowers, with the flowers themselves a bit obscure in these pictures. You can see the anther-bearing stamens on this close up at least.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBmhx0aoeZrkYNYI9VMQ3ny48LELQURftq7PP-28RBomaINSukT2omBx__ySVmmUJMTsFebKtKuMue2RkpfllmZ2-QMJcxxZWX9MLmJjDyW8CNs1j3GuUDBQ2LUbt4zc4ibjUubaZTK8e5zDMutSan777mvevwVHgwXlkNG5OzkXmzHybpl3O3_XmD/s2896/2022-11-08%20-%20IMG_4118a.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1982" data-original-width="2896" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBmhx0aoeZrkYNYI9VMQ3ny48LELQURftq7PP-28RBomaINSukT2omBx__ySVmmUJMTsFebKtKuMue2RkpfllmZ2-QMJcxxZWX9MLmJjDyW8CNs1j3GuUDBQ2LUbt4zc4ibjUubaZTK8e5zDMutSan777mvevwVHgwXlkNG5OzkXmzHybpl3O3_XmD/w640-h438/2022-11-08%20-%20IMG_4118a.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2X4cky_zZNSuAtSIqGaeADtmafJNgzoivXZe9Z0AZTFm2mfQYWRmT36vZi32vXtw9OO5p6wE6Npxkocc_2XpCqtNStXI6gTGfPQ6hUKi2SujXf2EdkCrq2GdWvdCRx5p7rmu5qw0-yAKWP1fape-E7Pwe3cEao3tScdV4exyhshrubDq7nvrBLBN-/s971/2022-11-08%20-%20IMG_4118b.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="794" data-original-width="971" height="524" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2X4cky_zZNSuAtSIqGaeADtmafJNgzoivXZe9Z0AZTFm2mfQYWRmT36vZi32vXtw9OO5p6wE6Npxkocc_2XpCqtNStXI6gTGfPQ6hUKi2SujXf2EdkCrq2GdWvdCRx5p7rmu5qw0-yAKWP1fape-E7Pwe3cEao3tScdV4exyhshrubDq7nvrBLBN-/w640-h524/2022-11-08%20-%20IMG_4118b.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>The white teeth-like structures, in two rows, are sometimes called bracts but in <a href="https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/flora/taxon/4e7b22fc-49e0-4c18-a4c2-25d0e87513e8" target="_blank">VicFlora</a> we consider them 'perianth' (a general term for sepals and petals), with one 'tooth' per flower. </p><p>The flowers are sweetly perfumed - like vanilla it's <a href="https://www.homequestionsanswered.com/what-is-a-water-hawthorn.htm" target="_blank">said</a> - but I didn't get any hint of that in the middle or a rather hot November day for Tasmania. I spend most of time in the shade of a nearby Hawthorn hedge, continuing to mull over the borrowing of this common name for an entirely different looking plant. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBnLFOWBwz0P-xbY98IYiVg8iBAdYPqJ_qWY-8fZG652oWYc7q-wMuCIYSuDJryv94-wN1gy_8gSFIV9ufpAd2v9ghYwDhQXTCAqh3Pug8Wa4VGSG5EJLMGkq56wWL7Juqwg9vnIQ6bkqMjVHAvE2AUYn9Pb1TW2_WXUaJvJ6k9cX-FmH8JwQiAT81/s4059/2022-11-08%20-%20IMG_4116.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2244" data-original-width="4059" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBnLFOWBwz0P-xbY98IYiVg8iBAdYPqJ_qWY-8fZG652oWYc7q-wMuCIYSuDJryv94-wN1gy_8gSFIV9ufpAd2v9ghYwDhQXTCAqh3Pug8Wa4VGSG5EJLMGkq56wWL7Juqwg9vnIQ6bkqMjVHAvE2AUYn9Pb1TW2_WXUaJvJ6k9cX-FmH8JwQiAT81/w640-h354/2022-11-08%20-%20IMG_4116.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />Talking Plantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05778763864080365220noreply@blogger.com1