Christmas Bells

Christmas Bells
Christmas Bells - Blandfordia nobilis
Showing posts with label Acacia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Acacia. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 09, 2014

The mystery of the Acacia longifolia in my yard continues

I have written something about this plant, previously, although it is not apparent from the title.
My Bad!
http://peonyden.blogspot.com.au/2011/08/daffodils-tete-tete-in-flower-early-and.html
This year it is flowering even more early in the season.


Flowers starting to open yesterday 8 July 2014
Flowers of Acacia longifolia
Thing is, this plant occurs below Robertson, on the Sandstone Plateau. But it does not occur naturally up here on the basalt soil. I know I did not plant this plant here. In fact, I was tempted to remove it, but decided to leave it to grow, when I first recognised that it was not a Blackwood Wattle (which is completely normal here). I decided to let it grow, to see what species it is. Now that I know, do I let it grow on?
Flowers of Acacia longifolia.
This is one of the Acacias with flowers on "rods"
not in a ball-like structure.
It is now taller than the adjacent Blackwood self-planted seedling. It will probably grow quickly, and then die off. I hope so. Whereas Blackwoods are huge trees, and they live a long time. Landscape trees.
But I do not want two huge trees growing side by side, directly in front of my house. They will cut off the natural light in the house.

"Leaf " (phyllode) of Acacia longifolia
Note veins and short stem (pulvinus)
and location of the "gland"
close to the stem. (top right)


Pulvinus (stem) of the "phyllode"
(swollen stem which acts as a leaf)
Note the gland on lower edge of phyllode
and the slight change in angle of the edge of the phyllode.
Most of the Wattles with phyllodes have these glands.
The theory is that they are there to attract ants
which in turn would protect the Wattle from insects.
Possibly a remnant (archaic) structure.

Two main veins running more or less parallel,
Several minor veins also apparent.

In this photo, the two dominant veins are clearly evident.


Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Springing into Robertson

Spring has arrived in my garden and along the local roadsides. 

Sassafras flowers are sweetly scenting the air.
Doryphora sassafras has just started to flower
in the rainforest patches around Robertson.


Every few years the local Sassafras trees
flower prolifically.
Seems that this is one of those years.

Camellia "Bryan" (a Williamsii hybrid)

One of the Sasanqua types
I seem to have misplaced my files on the Camellias I bought.
Hopefully one day I will find my records.

Another Camellia for which I have no name (any more)
It is a very strong growing shrub
with lovely flowers.

Here is a close-up of the flower.

I love the irregular shape of the flowers
of this Camellia

Here is another flower of the same Camellia

"Blue Bush"
Acacia covenyi

"Blue Bush" is just starting to flower.
Acacia covenyi.I will need to get this plant
seriously reduced in height after flowering.


Saturday, September 01, 2012

More on the Snowfall. Small, but nice = Snice.

I have played with the wording for snow before, including my personal favourite word "snice". This is what I woke up to this morning.

Last night, the snow fell, after small hail had covered (and chilled) the ground.
That gave the snow a chance to settle.
Then the skies cleared and the snow froze - into "snice" (snow becoming ice).

Don't worry its not in the dictionaries yet (but it is in Wikipedia).
When we in Robertson take over the world's dictionaries, it will be.
If I keep using it, it might make it into the Macquarie Dictionary one day.

Ground covered with "snice" in hte early morning

Looking towards my neighbour's yard

Snice on Mahonia japonica

Close-up of "snice" resting on grass

A long view along my property noundary

"Snice" on hte flower head of the
South African Honeyflower
Melianthus major

Again, on Melianthus major
I love the leaves of this plant.

Melianthus major snap frozen

Yet another shot of
Melianthus major snap frozen with "snice"
Oh, and as it is Wattle Day, I will throw this in for good measure.
A spring flowering Wattle, in the snow.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Daffodils "Tete-a-Tete" in flower (early) and Spring Wattles

Last year I published photos of these lovely little Miniature Daffodils "Tete-a-Tete" on 27 August. It coincided with Daffodil Day.

This year, these same plants are flowering two weeks earlier than last year.
Miniature Daffodils "tete-a-tete"
They are lovely little flowers, which I always find to be "cheerful" plants. Linguistically, I should say the make me feel cheerful.

The other thing which also makes me feel cheerful, at this time of year, are the Wattles. In fact I had some assistance today to clean up several trailer loads of branches of Wattles which were damaged several weeks ago, in the heavy winds which caused havoc around Robertson. So, this is a photo from two years ago. But the flowers were just as spectacular this year.
Acacia decurrens in my yard.
But this next one is a puzzle. The only truly natural wattles in Robertson are the Blackwood Wattles - Acacia melanoxylon. This other plant, however, is self-seeded in my front yard, but does not actually belong here.

It is now well over 2 metres tall, but I have been waiting for it to flower, so I could identify it, before deciding whether or not to let it grow. I wanted to know what it was, and where it might have come from, before making that decision. 

Acacia longifolia grows commonly at my friend Jim's place, at Carrington Falls, on the sandstone plateau there, in the heavy, black soil. It is rampantly in flower down there at present. My plant is just starting to flower.
Acacia longifolia - a native wattle which is not natural in Robertson
The leaves of this species are very variable, as demonstrated by these leaves taken from three separate plants, all growing along the same roadside edge, at Cloonty Road, Carrington Falls.

The top leaf is 230mm long.  The shortest leaf is approximately 130mm. These were all mature leaves - the longest ones on each branch I selected from. In other words, the shortest one was not just a small (undeveloped) leaf, on the end of a branch.
Acacia longifolia leaves - very variable in length.
Acacia longifolia - note "pulvinus" and gland at base of leaf.

"pulvinus: the swelling at the base of the petiole, often capable of changing form to bring about movement of leaf, sometimes glandular or responsive to touch. A similar swelling near the apex of a petiole is referred to as an upper pulvinus."

Flowers of this species of Wattle are in a "rod" formation.

Here is a better image of the flowers of another specimen of A. longifolia growing at Ulladulla - in flower last Saturday.
Acacia longifolia - flowers
I have tagged this post as "Spring 2011", even though that is technically incorrect. It looks, smells and feels like Spring, so damn it, I am going to call it a Springtime post.

Tuesday, September 01, 2009

Wattle Day 2009

I have previously posted about "Wattle Day" as 1 September (or 1 August for Queenslanders).

Today I shall publish some images of four of the six wattles which are in flower on my property today. Today's images are all "cultivated" species - which are readily available at commercial nurseries, especially those which specialise in Australian Native Plants. These plants are regarded as "screening plants" (not trees) and can easily be trimmed to shape with a "Long-handled Pruner" (or "Lopper") Such a tool can be bought economically from Nurseries, hardware stores, etc. Beware cheap, weak-handled devices, though.

These are all "shrubby Wattles" not trees, and not ones liable to grow too quickly, then die out in a few years. That is a feature which annoys many people who plant inappropriate species of Acacias.

Acacia pravissima - the Wedge-leaved Wattle, or Ovens River Wattle..
Here are some leaves and buds
Here is a spray of buds - which will open soon.
I like this local plant, which grows wild around Mittagong.
It has very narrow leaves (phyllodes).
I believe this is Acacia elongata
The flowers are bright golden balls, but they are spaced along the stem.
Here are the flowers - up close.
This is a wonderful garden variety
Acacia fimbriata variety "dwarf"
Dense sprays of flowers are a feature of this variety.

This year, I shall settle for republishing something Peter Garrett has published today to celebrate Wattle Day, 21 years after the Golden Wattle was officially declared to be Australia's National Flower - which happened on Wattle Day, 1 September 1988.

The history of the event is interesting, as is the association with Hiroshima, of which I was not aware.
GARRETT MEDIA RELEASE: OUR GOLDEN WATTLE COMES OF AGE [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]

OUR GOLDEN WATTLE COMES OF AGE

Environment and Heritage Minister Peter Garrett today led celebrations marking the 21st anniversary of the declaration of the golden wattle as Australia’s official national flower.

At the Australian National Botanic Gardens in Canberra, Mr Garrett joined former Governor–General Sir William Deane to open a new exhibition Celebrate Our Wattle. The exhibition documents the place of wattle in Australian art, botany, history and culture, with a particular focus on the use of wattle by Indigenous Australians.

“Twenty-one years ago today, Mrs Hazel Hawke planted a golden wattle in these national botanic gardens, proclaiming the wattle Australia’s national floral emblem,” Mr Garrett said.

“The wattle has long been valued by Indigenous Australians and it has been part of Australia’s identity ever since Sydney first declared Wattle Day on the first day of spring in 1901.

“After Prime Minister Andrew Fisher incorporated the wattle into our Coat of Arms, it soon became a symbol of remembrance with Australian mothers sending small sprigs to their sons serving overseas in World War 1 to remind them of home.

“It has been a poignant symbol of loss and respect at ceremonies mourning the young Australians who died in the Swiss canyon disaster and later, the victims of the Bali bombing.

“The wattle features on our highest national ward, the Order of Australia, and the green and gold have been our official national colours since 1984.”

It is said that a wattle was the first plant to bloom in Hiroshima after the atomic bomb was detonated in 1945. To mark National Wattle Day, Hiroshima’s Acacia Appreciation Society sends the Gardens hundreds of yellow ribbons as a gesture of friendship. Visitors are encouraged to take ribbons home and attach them to their favourite trees.

The Celebrate Our Wattle exhibition features an embroidered sculpture of golden wattle, commissioned by the Friends of the Gardens and created by embroiderer Lynne Stone, who lost her home in the devastating Marysville fire in February this year.

“The original sculpture Lynne was working on was destroyed in that terrible fire, along with most of her possessions, so her beautiful golden wattle sculpture is a moving symbol of loss and recovery,” Mr Garrett said.

Celebrate Our Wattle runs at the Australian National Botanic Gardens until 11 October.
For more information visit www.anbg.gov.au/anbg/

Back to my Blogging - for the botanically minded, the Golden Wattle is Acacia pycnantha.

Here is another plant, which unfortunately, I do not have the species name for, any longer.Here is the bush seen against a background of a neighbour's Cypress tree. This plant is growing on a raised bank of soil. It is only about 2.5 metres tall.
I bought all today's plants at Wariapendi Nursery, at Colo Vale, north of Mittagong.
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