to download a pdf copy of this file – PLANT OF THE MONTH January_final
Plant of the Month – December 2012
Satin Everlasting or Coast Everlasting
(Helichrysum leucopsideum)
One of our own! This native of South Australia is a perennial, growing about knee-high. Most perennial plants grow all year, but this one may die back to root stock in summer at Cape Jervis and other really dry places.
The flower heads appear in late spring to early summer, and like all everlastings, the flowers stay bright for quite a long time. The petal-like white bracts on the flowers have a satiny texture, hence its common name. These bracts spread out and bend backwards as the flowers age. The leaves are dark green on top, woolly underneath.
They like sandy or gravelly soils, dry places…and our coast. Look out for this one in the neighbourhood.
image. C. Schultz
Weed of the month – December 2012
Cyclops (Acacia cyclops)
Why cyclops? In ripe seed pods, each shiny black seed is surrounded by a ring of red, like a blood-shot eye. Cyclops was a mythical Greek giant who only had one eye. The old seed pods are really twisted…one way to identify this plant. The open pods often hang on the tree for years. The flowers are round, unlike those on Acacia longifolia ssp. sophorae, which can look similar if you only look at the leaves.
Cyclops thrives on limestone and sandy soils, and is very hardy even when exposed to salty winds. It survives these harsh conditions by growing in a dome shape, with dense foliage that often reaches to the ground. This allows soil to build up at the base, providing the plant with stability. Native to W.A., this plant is now a weed in S.A. due to its high rate of survival and its large dense spread allowing it to crowd out local plants.
Exterminate, Exterminate! This can be done by chopping at ground level – no poisoning required. Along with olive, it is a major target of our efforts at Cape Jervis.
http://www.australianseed.com/index.php/cName/australian-native-acacia/osCsid=01c0550ab08ac6df3e83487ff03b16ca; http://geographelandcarenursery.mysouthwest.com.au/Nursery%20List/Acacia%20cyclops)
Activity weekend 1st & 2nd Dec 2012
Cape Jervis Coastal Community Group – Working weekend
Come for part or all of any of the weekend’s activities 1st & 2nd Dec 2012.
Saturday 1st Dec
10.00 AM – 12.30 PM
Removing tree guards for re-use (by CJCCG and Friends of Heysen Trail greening group) near Lands End (trig point)
12.30 PM – 2.00 PM
BBQ Lunch (provided)
2.00 PM – 4.00 PM
Woody weed lopping (cyclops) and seed collecting
Sunday 2nd Dec
10.00 AM – 12.00 Noon
Seed Sowing
Please contact Carolyn (carolyn.schultz165@gmail.com) or Liz (liz.cousins1@gmail.com) for directions.
Weed of the Month: November 2012
Perennial Veldt Grass (Ehrharta calycina)
This grass was encouraged to emigrate from South Africa for use as a fodder crop. Unfortunately, it likes our shores so much that it is now invading local ecosystems, presenting a major threat to our local native plants.
It’s a hardy blighter: it likes the poor, sandy soils around Cape Jervis, is resistant to drought, and its seed will germinate in most conditions. The massive amounts of seed each plant produces germinate quickly compared to native species, so it doesn’t give the natives much of a fighting chance! You can fight back against this bad guy by using herbicide in winter, or by manually removing plants in summer.
Photo Source: (http://florabase.dec.wa.gov.au/browse/profile/347; 22-8-12)
Plant of the Month: November 2012
Silver Goodenia (Goodenia willisiana)
Although this is classed as rare in the Southern Lofty region, you’ll be able to find this little beauty between the Cape Jervis township and the ferry terminal, if you look carefully.
It’s a small perennial, with soft, hairy leaves and pretty yellow flowers. The leaves are narrow (up to 1 cm), but can be quite long (to 9 cm). The yellow flowers have 5 petals, and are held up on thin stalks.
