Australian National Botanic Gardens
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Australian National Botanic Gardens
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A weekly news sheet prepared by a Gardens' volunteer.
Numbers in square brackets [] refer to garden bed Sections.
Plants in flower are in bold type.
4 June 2004
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Melaleuca 'Hot
Pink' - click for larger image
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‘Tis the first week of winter with many flowers to view along the Main Path. So a selection of plants are mentioned along this walk. Starting at the far end of the Café building, Leptospermum squarrosum [Section 12] displays open pink flowers along the branches of this upright arching shrub. Melaleuca ‘Hot Pink’ [Section 11] is appropriately named with flowers highlighting the open woody shrub. Emu bushes include Eremophila maculata subsp. maculata [Section 302] which has cheery yellow bugle shaped flowers over a small shrub, while Eremophila subfloccosa subsp. subfloccosa [Section 302] with grey green foliage firmly wrapped along its branches allows a small vivid green flower to peep through.
Possum Banksia, Banksia baueri [Section 30,27], yet small, bears many lovely woolly grey flower spikes while the Heath Leaved Banksia, Banksia ericifolia var. ericifolia [Section 30] is a much older shrub with much slimmer dazzling golden flower spikes over the larger shrub. Opposite, Adenanthos obovatus [Section 30] is very small with red-yellow fine tubular flowers with long arching styles seen along the many upright stems. Banksia ‘Birthday Candles’ [Section 30 and elsewhere] has many upright golden flower spikes over this spreading dwarf shrub while Banksia integrifolia subsp. integrifolia [Section 30] stands tall with silver-backed leaves and lemon flower spikes. A similar prostrate form is at its base. Crossing the road, Hakea cycloptera [Section 24] is upright with a bare trunk, needle sharp leaves and pink lacey flowers to adorn. Grevillea irrasa subsp. didymochiton [Section 26] has red spider flowers dangling over this large dense shrub and opposite, Grevillea ripicola [Section 24] is a dense spreading shrub dotted with orange-red flowers in terminal clusters. Crossing the road, Crowea exalata [Section 112] is a shapely shrub well covered with pink star flowers, while opposite, Philotheca difformis subsp. smithiana [Section 112] has tiny white flowers scattered over the smaller compact shrub.
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Grevillea baueri
subsp. asperula - click for larger image
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Following the winding path through the Sydney Flora Region, Bursaria spinosa var. spinosa [Section 191S] in the gully, is a spiny erect shrub with dense heads of white fragrant flowers. Grevillea baueri subsp. asperula [Section 191S] is well covered with deep red buds and a few mature spider-flowers. Prostanthera porcata [Section 191S] has lemon tubular flowers scattered over the shrub, while opposite, at the ‘look-down’, Epacris impressa [Section 191P] arranges its tubular red and pink flowers along the wiry stems. The dashes of blue nearby are flowers of Dampiera stricta [Section 191P]. The very small tufted plant with pink ‘trigger’ flowers on bare upright stems is Stylidium graminifolium [Section 191P]. Behind the circular seats Crowea saligna [Section 191U] bears pink waxy flowers over the small shrubs.
Crossing the spaceous Eucalypt Lawns towards the Rock Garden Hakea laurina [Section 20] continues to show off its many globular deep red flowers on an upright tree, while, just as attractive, the Bird’s Beak Hakea, Hakea orthorrhyncha [Section 20], edging the lawns, grows its red flowers along the old wood below the foliage. The Rock Garden has an abundance of flowers including Solanum sturtianum [Section 15S] bearing deep purple flowers on grayish foliage and Dampiera linearis [Section 15D] with blue flowers over a small shrub.
The Rain Forest is pleasant, green and cool, followed by the ramp down to the Visitors Centre, where Prostanthera phylicifolia [Section 210] bearing mauve flowers and Alyogyne ‘Westcoast Gem’ [Section 210] tipped with hibiscus flowers overlooks the smaller shrubs.
So many lovely flowers to admire … Barbara Daly.