What a great day of planting, and thanks to all our volunteers

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What a perfect day we had for our planting activities on Friday, 29 May! The sun was shining and we had lots of help. Our regular core was enhanced by 8 willing helpers from Conservation Volunteers Australia, led by Tricia Curtis. We also had drop-in help from Yankalilla Council (Corey, Warren (& partner Alison) & Peter) and Zac from Sealink. In total, about 550 seedlings were planted, including over 44 local species of trees, shrubs, grasses and ground covers. Our cakes and bikkies were a hit as always. On Saturday we planted another 50 “delicate” plants, and set up our direct seeding trials in donated wire cages. Hopefully the cages will keep the rabbits out! The seedlings were grown from locally collected seed, mostly by Carolyn & Liz, but we did get some help from John at Fleurieu Natives. Thanks to everyone who contributed to a very successful weekend. All we need now is a good rain every few weeks!!

Next Activities:  Sat 2 Aug 10-4 & Sun 3 Aug, 10-1. Tools & cake provided.

For information contact Carolyn 0423 213 481

Weed of the Month – June 2014

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ATHEL PINE

(Tamarix aphylla)

              (Photos: C.Schultz; tree; close-up showing flower)

This tree was widely planted for its shade in the 1970s, but has now been listed as a “Weed of National Significance”. It is a threat to the pastoral industry, because of its invasiveness (it has already spread along 600 kms of the Finke River of NT), and its ability to dry up waterholes and rivers. It also out-competes native plants which provide food and shelter for birds, reptiles and other animals. The trees can grow to 15m tall. Though not a true pine, the tree does produce dull green leaves similar to pine needles. Light grey trunks of younger trees darken to black as the tree matures. Sprays of pinky-white flowers are followed by bell-shaped fruits containing lots of seeds. These seeds have a built-in parachute … fine hairs, to help the wind spread them. Buried broken branches can also grow into new trees.

Plant of the Month – June 2014

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AUSTRALIAN BINDWEED

(Convolvulus angustissimus)

       

   (Photos: E. Cousins, C. Schultz, Cape Jervis)

This is a low-growing creeper, only about 15cm high, but with a spread up to 1.5 m. Convolvulus is from the Latin for “to twine around”; angust is for “narrow”, and issimus for “greatest degree”, perhaps a reference to the multi-lobed leaf shape on mature plants? The leaf shape actually changes along the stem as plants mature: young leaves are smooth and almost shield-shaped, but after a year leaves are narrow and branched. The trumpet-shaped flowers are pink when open, but last only a day, like many other forms of convolvuli. Luckily, the flowering period can be quite long, from early spring to mid-autumn. The black, hard seed normally matures from October-May, after the papery fruits turn brown and brittle.  Extracts obtained by boiling the whole plant were used by Aboriginals to treat diarrhoea and stomach ache (Greening Australia); as well, taproots were used as a food source when the yam daisy was out of season.

Plant of the Month – May 2014

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COMMON EUTAXIA

or SMALL-LEAVED BUSH PEA

(Eutaxia microphylla)

    

(Photos: E. Cousins, Cape Jervis)

Like many plants growing in the windy coastal conditions of Cape Jervis, this is a shortie! It only grows to about 15cm tall, but can spread to about 1.5m, with many branches. So it makes a great groundcover. Add to that its drought tolerance, and its showy display of flowers, and you have a garden winner! The leaves are very small, at most 7mm long, and arranged along the stems in pairs. The ends of the branches are spiky. You might think at first glance this bush is a Pultenaea, because of the pea-flower shape. However, where the leaf stalks join the stems, there are no little papery bracts (stipules), which are common to Pultenaeas. The flowers are a combination of red and yellow-orange; look for them in spring time.

Weed of the Month – May 2014

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SEA SPURGE

(Euphorbia paralias)

    

(Photos: C.Schultz; close-up with flower; in situ, Cape Jervis)

This is a stiff, pale green shrub, growing up to about 60cm tall around Cape Jervis.  Originally from areas around the Mediterranean, you’ll find it along the sea shore or on sand dunes here. A plant can produce up to 5000 salt-tolerant seeds, which spread on ocean currents from beach to beach. The plants then compete with (and displace) native plant species, and change the actual structure of the beach. Consequently sea spurge is a transformer weed. The transformations it causes also have repercussions for birds such as the Hooded Plover, which like open beaches for nesting.

 

Leaves vary in length from 5 to 20mm. The older leaves around the lower part of the stem hang down untidily as they brown off. Further up the stem, the leaves change shape, getting broader, but they are still tightly packed.  The stems themselves are fleshy, and quite thick (often over 2 cm). These stems die off annually to reshoot from a woody crown. Broken stems can release a toxic sap; be careful you don’t get this on your skin or in your eyes. The yellowy-green flowers are tiny, as you can see from the photo above (compare to the fingertip in the background).

Weed of the Month: March 2014

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HOREHOUND

(Marrubium vulgare)

  

(Photos: http://rurification.blogspot.com.au/2011/01/horehound-candy.html , http://www.herbosophy.com.au/horehound-marrubium-vulgare/, http://kaweahoaks.com/html/horehound.html  )

This plant is originally from temperate climate areas such as Eurasia and Europe. It is now a weed of pastures, and apparently affects the flavour of meat from grazing animals forced to feed on it, since it contains a bitter alkaloid. Maybe this same alkaloid is the reason it was used in some beers and cordials? The plant also invades areas of disturbed native vegetation. Horehound grows to about 60+ cm high, with stems that are four-sided.  Grey-green on top, whiter underneath, the oval-shaped leaves of horehound sit opposite each other on these stems; they look woolly, and really crinkly, with lots of deep veins. The edges of the leaves are quite scalloped. The flower heads form dense groups around the stems, near where the leaves come off.  If you have ever worn cloth garden gloves when removing these flower heads, you’d know how clingy the fruit or burrs are…not a good idea! No wonder they get carried easily by animals in their fur.

Plant of the Month: March 2014

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PLANT OF THE MONTH: MARCH

Pussytail

(Ptilotus spathulatus)

     

(Photos: E. Cousins, Cape Jervis)

A rarity around the Cape Jervis area, but if you do see it, you’ll understand where its common name comes from … those oh-so-fluffy flowers! They also give rise to the other common names Cat’s Paw or Lambtails. The creamy-yellow flowers in the photo above are about 5cm high. They appear on twining stems coming from a basal rosette of green leaves, seen in the second photo. You can also see in that photo that the leaves at the base are darker on top, and lighter underneath. These are about 6cm long; the leaves on the twining stems are much smaller. The entire plant ends up being about 40cm wide, but only about 5-10cm high. The tap roots are an Aboriginal food source. Drought tolerant, moderately frost hardy… another ornamental plant for your coastal garden?

Plant of the Month: January 2014

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Minnie DAISY

 (Minuria leptophylla)

    (Photos: E. Cousins, Trig Point, Cape Jervis)

You could easily think the name of this daisy was the mini, rather than the Minnie, given its size! You can see from the insect on the flower in the second photo that the flowers are only about 1-2 cms across. On the coast around Cape Jervis, the plant itself grows to ankle height only, with narrow, shiny green leaves. Flowers are white, with a bright yellow centre; sometimes the flowers are shades of pink or purple. You won’t find this plant out for much longer this year. It has already produced it seeds … two different kinds in the one flower head! Soon the leaves will die back in the heat and dryness of summer, but watch carefully for it reshooting in autumn.  Yes, this is another one of our summer dormant perennial plants.

Weed of the Month: January 2014

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ONION WEED

(Asphodelus fistulosus)

        

(Photos: http://vro.dpi.vic.gov.au/dpi/vro/vroimages.nsf/Images/weeds_onion_weed_plant/$File/onion_weed_sa.jpg, http://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porrassina )         

The numbers of this weed have been increasing over spring-early summer on the verges of Flinders Drive, towards the ferry terminal. Several of our volunteers have removed heaps near the bench seat and traffic sign. The plant grows to shin high, and is easily identified: the leaves have the same round, hollow, fleshy look of normal onions. However, it doesn’t produce a bulb like a ‘normal’ onion, because it isn’t really an onion. The flower stems produce star-shaped flowers (white with a stripe of reddish-brown), along the length of the stem. These are followed by berry-shaped fruit containing numerous seeds, thought to be viable for years. The plant can proliferate in disturbed agricultural land as well as on the road verges, and have a preference for drier regions. For small outbreaks, remove flowering stalks and seed heads, and dispose of carefully. The remainder of the plant can be dug up with its roots, and turned upside down to dry out and die. Large outbreaks are much harder to deal with, so be vigilant!

Plant of the Month: December 2013

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SWEET APPLE-BERRY

 (Billardiera cymosa)

(Photos: http://biocache.ala.org.au/biocache-media/dr691/17395/a2d533e4-9a34-41f1-bffe-844e149635f7/Billardiera_cymosa_ssp._pseudocymosa_flowers_&_leaves_501386_311011_DW.jpg; http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5052/5488696358_7dd031dc28_o.jpg)

 

Named after Jacques de Labillardiere, a French botanist who visited Australia, this plant can be seen twining its way through low growing bushes on the coastal reserve at Cape Jervis. It’s not a very tall or invasive climber, and would look pretty in a home garden, maybe on a trellis.  The leaves are fairly narrow, and the flowers are bell-shaped, with five purple petals. These occur in groups of about 7 at the end of the branches. The mature fruit are edible; their tiny black seeds have an aniseed flavour, with over-ripe ones being sweet to some palates. Ripe ones that fell to the ground used to form part of Indigenous bush tucker. Edible fruit and easy propagation are two more reasons for growing them in your coastal garden!