Botany Nerds Ahoy
Jelly Flater wrote:
JF. Thanks heaps. Pongamia ( Indian name) is also found here in Oz.
Botanical name Pongamia pinnata (syn. Millettia pinnata)
Great potential as a fuel so we can fuck oil off. Gondwanan link obviously, Found here, South East Asia, sub continental India etc, Pacifuc Islands , all those land masses that were previously conjoined. AW
.
Disgraceful .AW
wow, thanks AW - I wasnt aware of all those 'native gardenias' - definitely some, the Randia's now changed to Atractocarpus, I have planted some of them at my place.
and yeah I hear you on the common names, ripe for confusion, hence my inclusion of the scientific name also. You mentioned the flower - funnily, that arvo after I updated here, I went for another walk and found a patch of the same Larsenaikia and spotted 1 flower on one of them - had a close inspection and was very pleased by the fragrance. Looked pretty similar to the old Randia fitzalani that I know...
ahh the old Pongamia - been seeing a few around the traps up here (including on Maggie) where it is a local native. But ahh, the potential, heard it many times, it's been touted as a saviour/money earner for all sorts of degraded lands (e.g., ex cane land Sunny Coast), but are there any examples of successful commercial production? A quick search just now - suggests trials in Hope Vale (FNQ), something at Emerald, and looks like the Burnett Mary Regional Group are involved in a collaboration with a Japanese company to put in a plantation near Miriam Vale (near Agnes) - should try to check that out on my way home... And just recently I heard Rio were looking into it for some mine rehab in East Arnhem, the cynic in me thinks that's only because it might be cheaper and easier than successfully restoring the native forest that was destroyed for the bauxite mining...
I think we need a bit of a colour coating on Swellnet, it’s got awfully dark over the past few days
Here we go. Cue, Monet!!!!
That is some serious purple!
Nice selection there AW
That’s not a native is it? It looks like a Hibiscus flower but not any colour I’ve seen. Foliage doesn’t look very Hibiscus like.
seeds wrote:That’s not a native is it? It looks like a Hibiscus flower but not any colour I’ve seen. Foliage doesn’t look very Hibiscus like.
Seeds, Goofyfoot. Hi guys.
Most photos from a church car park in Torquay yesterday when I attended a funeral.
The purple one is one of the many hibiscus like plants in Oz, it’s a native.
Alyogyne huegelii in the Malvaceae family ( Hibiscus and others ) SW WA, does well anywhere dry, most soils, doesn’t like humidity.
The Native Fuchsia is a cultivar, Correa reflexa ‘Fat Fred’, impressive plant.
The first two photos are of the amazing plant from the daisy family, Asteraceae, also a native, it’s the cultivar Ozothamnus diosmifolius ‘Red Gingham’, I love it. Found up the eastern seaboard from about Eden, not really in the tropics.
I used them in a garden I recently designed and constructed myself for a client in Geelong City.
When it’s about to flower it starts out red and the white flowers come second.
Being a daisy it’s seeds are wind dispersed, a great accent native plant.
The last plant with the coppery seeds is a native, Bursaria spinosa Sweet Box, Sweet Bursaria, bulletproof anywhere, tough as nails long lived.
It belongs in the Ranunculaceae family.
A bit of info.
The generic name Bursaria is taken from the Latin bursa, meaning purse.
Remember at school when we were younger there was always a bursars office, the one that handled finance and money.
Well, bursa was used because if you look closely at the coppery seed cases you can see they are hinged and look a lot like a miniature ladies purse, the seeds rattle on the inside, many come out when shaken.
There you go. AW
Do they flower before the pod?
seeds wrote:Do they flower before the pod?
Bursaria spinosa has beautiful white flowers all of Summer, smell nice and attracts a lot of birds and insects.
In fact, down here, it attracts the Eltham Copper Butterfly, so the plant plays a huge ecological role.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fanpsa.org.au%2Fplant_p...
Nice shots Alfred. Aloygyne huegelii and Correa reflexa?
Edit
Bugger, just saw the next post. Beat me to it.
blackers wrote:Nice shots Alfred. Aloygyne huegelii and Correa reflexa?
Blackers. Hi mate. You’re all over it , yes correct, albeit this Correa is a cultivar.AW
Edit. How impressive is that Ozothamnus.
If anyone is interested, WildTech plants in Heyfield, Victoria, go to their website, you can buy a tube for $3.75 plus postage.
I bought a dozen recently, cheap as, grow super quick, when they’ve finished flowering you can collect hundreds of seeds from one plant.
Nice, will give them a burl. I have a spot that needs something like that. Cheers.
We have similar Correas, like that via the big Green Hardware store. The interesting coloured variants didn't survive but that one did.
blackers wrote:Nice, will give them a burl. I have a spot that needs something like that. Cheers.
We have similar Correas, like that via the big Green Hardware store. The interesting coloured variants didn't survive but that one did.
Ozothamnus species are very tough , reliable, relatively long lived perennial shrubs.
The big green hardware store native plants are predominantly WA species, I rarely purchase from them. Sometimes you find a gem but it’s rare. AW
Hey AW, what’s your experience with Waterhousia floribunda planted close to the coast? Within 1km of the ocean.
Sandy soil, bore water irrigation.
Hope you get some waves today!
Hey AW
The Australian Marine Institute monitored the GBR between Aug 2023 and July 2024 and some good news on Hard Coral growth ( Zerohedge ) .
The Northern Reef had Hard Coral , go from 35.8% to 39.5% .
Central , 30.7 to 34% .
Southern , 34 to 39.1% .
Nice 4 me 2 read , that our treasure still has solid foundations !
Very impressed you surfed 4 4 hours !
You are a bloody legend with solid foundations , 2 !
Pop Down wrote:Hey AW
The Australian Marine Institute monitored the GBR between Aug 2023 and July 2024 and some good news on Hard Coral growth ( Zerohedge ) .
The Northern Reef had Hard Coral , go from 35.8% to 39.5% .
Central , 30.7 to 34% .
Southern , 34 to 39.1% .
Nice 4 me 2 read , that our treasure still has solid foundations !
Very impressed you surfed 4 4 hours !
You are a bloody legend with solid foundations , 2 !
PopDown. That’s all good news, but it’s constantly needs this monitoring, we influence the reefs with all manner of human behaviour.
Run off from the mainland is always a worry
Add in meteorological events, cyclones, elevated sea temperatures, we must always be vigilant .
Pops, I love the ocean, the more you are in it the better your well being, be it mentally or physically.
Aqueous immersion, nothing better.
It’s all about priority and effort.
Big breakfast for me early, 5-5.30am, load up big time on fuel, surf for hours.
No shit food.
Beautiful weather yesterday and today, good vibes from others in the drink, a little slow yesterday but plenty of waves, patience is a virtue!!.
Loving my R3 Patagonia wettie, warm as toast .
Over the last week I’ve met crew from the other side MP, from Argentina, Italy, NZ, France and Spain, all stoked to be surfing, friendly and enquiring, great vibes, all said they love surfing in Oz with Australians in the water. Good work us I say.
I’m just waiting for low tide to pass , incoming tide will provide a push like yesterday and we will have some half decent surf in warm sunlight. Life’s good, if you want it to be. All the best. AW
PopDown. Hi again.
Rude of me not to ask how you are doing.
So, How are you doing ?
What are you up to ? . I’ve been following your intrepid geographical wanderings. Good stuff. AW
AW don’t leave me hangin’ brother
Hello Alfred
Well done , priority and effort , are wonderful attributes for longterm success .
Great stuff 4 me to read !
I am back in Melbourne , looking 4 a place to live .
Going to have my achey shoulder , looked at , again .
My mate in Sydney said that , due to my football days , my body is Old .
Said to take up kneeboarding , really !
I want 2 keep surfing and might get one of your wetsuits :) .
I wore my steamer at Byron , putting it ON was a workout , with no zip :) !
My daughters are just back from travels 2 , so it's our favourite Italian Rest 2nite , 4 a catchup .
goofyfoot wrote:Hey AW, what’s your experience with Waterhousia floribunda planted close to the coast? Within 1km of the ocean.
Sandy soil, bore water irrigation.
Hope you get some waves today!
Goofyfoot. Hi mate, sincere apologies, completely missed your post.
Hope you and yours are all well. Cracker of a day.
I’ll start by stating Waterhousea floribunda is no longer.
A fair few years ago now the ‘Lilly Pilly ‘ group was reclassified and reorganised.
All are placed in the genus Syzygium, so no longer is there Acmena, Waterhousea and so on.
To follow Latin nomenclatural proper writing,
Waterhousea floribunda translates now to Syzygium floribundum.
Culturally, no problems near the coast, sandy soil no problems, annually I’d place organic matter around the root plate area. Irrigation is fine , bore water would only be a problem if salt (sodium chloride PPM -parts per million) is elevated, easily checked by getting a water sample tested. Or do the old taste test yourself to ascertain how salty that water may be.
Bore water is drawn from much greater depths than the the plants roots would grow to..
Remembering, globally, trees or large shrubs roots rarely grown more than 900mm (3ft) below surface level, it’s a complete nonsense that plants roots grow almost through to China. Hope that helps. AW
Edit GF. I surfed with two guys from your coast this week on separate occasions, absolute gentleman.
Thanks AW.
I am going to give them a go. Need to screen a section of the boundary and I think they’re an attractive tree.
Thanks also for the reminder re the naming of them. That’s just old habits calling them that and mostly me being lazy not using the right name.
Hope you have been scoring over that side.. ripper day coming up
Spotted this portly fella on a walk through melaleuca swamp today. Haven’t seen one in years.
I’d assume it would have been predominantly these swampy areas behind the dunes the whole length of the Sunny Coast once.
seeds wrote:Spotted this portly fella on a walk through melaleuca swamp today. Haven’t seen one in years.
I’d assume it would have been predominantly these swampy areas behind the dunes the whole length of the Sunny Coast once.
Seeds. Howdy.
How nice seeing animals in habitat, air temperature is beginning to climb, reptiles attempting to take advantage.
That guy would be the commonly called Pink- tongued Lizard, which in real biological terms is actually the Pink-tongued Skink. Nice find. AW
Hi AW
I didn’t see its tongue. I assumed it was a blue tongue.
Do blue tongue exist up here?
How did you discern it was a pink tongue?
seeds wrote:Spotted this portly fella on a walk through melaleuca swamp today. Haven’t seen one in years.
I’d assume it would have been predominantly these swampy areas behind the dunes the whole length of the Sunny Coast once.
Have a couple in residence at my place in garage. Periodically they scare the crap out of me!
Yeah heaps of blueys on the Sunny Coast, one lives in our garden/rock wall. Had to help one across the road outside my house recently before a car pancakes it. Hissing, blue tongue out the whole way. I'm trying to help you! Got her into a nice hidden bit of garden all good. Surprisingly lots in suburbia.
seeds wrote:Hi AW
I didn’t see its tongue. I assumed it was a blue tongue.
Do blue tongue exist up here?
How did you discern it was a pink tongue?
Seeds, much lighter, paler and greyish skin. AW
Thanks AW.
Sprout, I thought so even though I haven’t seen pink or blue for years. AW had me questioning myself.
andy-Mac and yourself are fortunate to have them in residence. I’d bet they keep the cockroaches at bay.
Just the wrong habitat out in Pootown I guess.
Hey all.
seeds and aw - that's definitely a blue-tongue that one. Pink-tongues are much sleeker, and have darker patterns, and in my experience are typically nocturnal. More feisty too.
I can't tell from the photo but as far as I know the biggest difference is in the tails, the blue tongues have shorter and thicker tails than pink tongues.
As for cockroach killers, best I've had was some green treefrogs living in some self-watering hanging pots with the hole in the side. Lethal and very accurate.
Friendly buggers too.
Here’s some. Blue Tongue Skin
Loads of olive complexion.
Having looked at both online I have seen the blues with light complexion.
One thing stood out is the tail difference as pointed out by Tubeshooter. This definitely had a shorter fatter tail.
seeds wrote:Having looked at both online I have seen the blues with light complexion.
One thing stood out is the tail difference as pointed out by Tubeshooter. This definitely had a shorter fatter tail.
Well. It’s looks like a better borrow your Dunce hat and go and sit in the corner.
Better lift my game I think.
Shattered.
Thanks for providing all that circumstantial evidence. Nothing like being there on the spot with the animal.
Identification from afar is fraught with danger.
I’m sobbing like a baby biologist. AW
Haha I’m sure you’ll survive old mate.
Those pinkies I saw online sure have a long pointy tail which leads me to believe that I’ve never seen one.
The darker coloured blues is what I’m used to seeing also.
Never seen a dark or olive one like that AW, what a beauty. All the blueys I've ever seen since a kid (Brisbane/SC) look lighter, exactly like seeds pic. I'll get a photo of my resident one next time she pops up. Must have evolved differently in various regions.
Sprout wrote:Never seen a dark or olive one like that AW, what a beauty. All the blueys I've ever seen since a kid (Brisbane/SC) look lighter, exactly like seeds pic. I'll get a photo of my resident one next time she pops up. Must have evolved differently in various regions.
Sprout . Hi mate.
M brains not working too well tonight, all those surfs last week, I dunno.
Different morphologies, Blue Tongued Lizards have different morphs in different geographical locations.
An analogous example is Litoria ewingii. Southern Tree Frog down here, comes in a light brown morph or a green one. Same applies to myriad other biological organisms. AW
Wonderful. Thanks, love the information you provide in this thread.
“ Eastern blue tongues have dark bands behind their eyes. Northern blue tongues lack dark bands behind the eyes, and have light orange-yellow spots along their sides.”
Possibly a Northern in my pic.
Pictures of Eastern are the ones I’m used to seeing.
We have a resident blue tongue in our backyard, comes out to say hello now and then, cute as. Heaps of sleepy lizards or shingle backs over west and Yorkes, one got run over by the car in front and we stopped to check it out. As it died dozens of ticks jumped off like rats from a sinking ship and ran off in all directions. You need to be careful dodging the sleepiest on loose gravel roads. They are so common here but I believe they are worth big bucks OS.
Shingle Backs. They are cool looking with their tails shaped like their heads.
Only skink with that anti predation trick?
Hey Seeds
Are Shingle Backs , Stumpy Tails ( I could google it :)?
They have a big , thick , head looking Tail , but surprised they can , Drop it , what a cool trick .
Wouldn't B a Stumpy Tail , until it grew back .
Just drop it !
Cool lizard , a Stumpy imho , very Dino .
Buggered if I know Pop.
I’ve heard the name Stumpy Tail.
You reckon they can drop that donger? That’d be amazing. Likely you, as I, have seen little skinks do it.
Maybe they just get their Parson’s Nose eaten first and run away.
That’s the first bit I go for on a roast chook and as you know these bird creatures evolved from these scaly creatures.
@popdoown, stumpy tail, sleepy, are both common names for shingle back lizards. They are closely related to blue tongues, mate with only one female for life and give birth to live quite large babies, no eggs. They wiggle their tails when threatened so the predator thinks it their head. I don't think they drop their tails though, but I could be wrong.
old-dog, amazing that they are monogamous and have live babies.
I’ve no idea about blue tongue pink tongue in regard to that.
re the ticks, are they more susceptible because of the bigger scales making access to the skin easier for ticks?
^ I'm regularly tweezering ticks out of bluetonge's ears, poor bastards. sometimes 6 or more in an ear. good tick lizard comment this morning, old-dog, it made me go on a bit of a google of dinosaurs and ticks.
Hey Old Dog and Seeds
I googled them and saw they are the same .
I didn't read they mate 4 life , with one chick , gosh , crazy lizards .
I did read they have red eyes and bright Pink mouths , which looks scary , with the Blue Tongue , 2 predators , like Kookaburra's ( not sure about that : ) ,
And No eggs !
Eats lots of Grassy stuff , so bloody slow .
Ticks can catch them ffs !
Can only catch a snail , or beetle .
My source had no mention of dropping its Loaded Tail .
Maybe more for decoration and to minimise getting smacked in the head .
I don't think this lizard has changed much , recently .
AW , would know if it"s a bloody Dino , like me .
Pop, ticks catch us every now and then.
If they are in plague proportions it’s nuts.
Years ago in Guy Fawkes National Park the monogamous sexy weekend got hijacked real fast with dozens of them.
After 2 hours a very unsexy retreat to Coffs with bites everywhere.
Seems a keen interest for some, so why not.