HOTTENTOT FIG

(Carpobrotus edulis)

(Photos: C. Schultz, Cape Jervis, Yellow flowers, ‘teeth’ on leaves and possible hybrid flower)

At first glance, you might think this groundcover is our native pigface, Karkalla. There is that triangular cross-section of the succulent leaves,but this one has ‘teeth’, or a rough edge, to the sharper side, whereas Karkalla is smooth. Its large yellow flowers are the biggest giveaway to its identification though. Unlike our local pink-flowered pigface, this is an invasive introduced species …in fact, it is so invasive it is listed in the Invasive Species Database for 24 countries! Unfortunately, the plant hybridizes with the local pigfaces, where they come into close proximity, and this leads to other problems e.g. swamping local species genetically. One particular concern is that Karkalla is a food source. Although the hottentot fig is also edible, what happens with the hybrids?

KARKALLA
(Carpobrotus rossii)

(Photos : C. Schultz)

This S.A. member of the pigface family is probably well-known to you all. The triangular cross-section of the succulent leaves is a bit of a giveaway, as are those bright pink flowers you see standing out on the edges of sandy beaches. You might notice a difference in some flowers. This is because there are both male and female forms. The male form at up to 6 cm across is larger than the female one, and has stigmas fused into a central column. The stigmas of the female flower, though, are open and recurved in the centre. As well as binding sandy soil the plant has other uses: the fruit and leaves were an indigenous food source, and the juice from those fleshy leaves has been used to soothe problems such as blisters, burns and stings…even scurvy! Way to go, Karkalla!!

SMALL-FLOWERED MARSHMALLOW

(Malva parviflora)

(Photos: E. Cousins, clumps along roadside, close-up of leaf; Cape Jervis)

Originally from the Mediterranean, this weed is now widespread around Australia. It likes disturbed sites such as the roadside pictured above, or vacant urban blocks. Around Cape Jervis, it grows up to about 50cm tall, but can grow to 150cm in other, more hospitable areas. The leaves look a little like those of geraniums and can be much the same size, up to 9cm. They have 5-7 lobes, have rounded teeth around the margins, and pronounced ribs underneath. You can’t see them in the photo above, but there are fine hairs on the leaves. Clusters of small (1cm) pink flowers will appear at leaf junctions. Fruits, also small, dry to brown segments. The weeds at Cape Jervis weren’t flowering when the photos were taken, but with so many plants around you probably won’t have much trouble finding some to look for flowers and fruit yourself!

PINK FAIRY

(Caladenia latifolia)

This is a small, pretty, erect orchid 15-30cm tall; you can find it around from August to October. The flowers have 5 outer petals, with a 6^th petal in the centre being modified to form a tongue with three lobes. Two of these lobes are rounded, the middle (third) one is that pointy bit of the tongue. The outer petals are bright pink (hence the name!); the tongue petal, though, is multi-coloured. There is an orange tinge to it, and some orange bumps (these are glands) while a fringe on the tongue is white. The outer edge of the flower is a bit hairy, but the long, lance-shaped leaves are REALLY hairy all over, front and back! The stem holding the flower up high is also hairy. We’ve seen these orchids at Cape Jervis, but also in the Adelaide Hills. Maybe there are some near you!

KIKUYU

(Pennisetum clandestinum)

(Photos: E. Cousins, a patch of kikuyu, one stem, close-up of sheaf and hairs on leaf; Cape Jervis)

Kikuyu is well-known by many as a hardy grass for lawns. This hardy African perennial can withstand the backyard cricket matches, and survive just about any summer. It’ll also spread readily along roadsides or over vacant land with a two-pronged attack: using above-ground creeping stems (called ‘stolons’) and below-ground ones (called ‘rhizomes’). The stolons form a mat with short, folded leaf blades and many joints. Each leaf forms a sheaf around the stem before branching off; leaves can be slightly hairy, and get coarse as they age.  Although essentially prostrate, put a barrier in its way, such as a fence or tree stump, and the kikuyu will climb all over and possibly through it! The stolons and rhizomes are extremely effective at spreading kikuyu (more so than its seed), one reason kikuyu has been labelled an environmental weed in S.A.

DWARF GREEN-HOOD

(Pterostylis nana)

(Photos:E. Cousins, flower spike, front and side views)

You often find these in colonies, flowering from July to October, so start watching for them now!   Look for a rosette of leaves at the base. You will find 4-8 thickish leaves, all with smooth edges and short little stems. The leaves are oval in shape, up to 2cm long, grey-green and often flat on the ground. The lovely green and white striped flowers are on stems up to 10cm tall, but they themselves are only 1-1.5cm long. They are held erect on the stalk. Parts of the flower have great names. The green hood, for instance, is called the ‘galea’, and those long ears or wings sitting either side of the galea are called ‘lateral sepals’. And just in case you are wondering, the bump at the stem end of the flower is the ovary. These look absolutely delightful when you find them in the bush…just don’t tread or kneel on them when you go to take a photo!

COASTAL UMBRELLA BUSH

(Acacia cupularis)

(Photos:C. Schultz, habitat, phyllodes;  https://www.anbg.gov.au/cgi-bin/phtml?pc=dig&pn=849. flowers)

This little wattle should be flowering shortly; look for it from July into early summer. Although it can grow to about 2m, don’t expect it to be more than 75cm high at Cape Jervis, even though it likes sandy soils and limestone! It is a rounded shrub with an open growth habit. Older branches are grey, younger ones more reddish-brown. The phyllodes (foliage, not true leaves) are about 7cm long and very thin (4mm wide) with a central tip. There is a central rib, and if you look carefully, you might see 2 or 3 small glands on the edges. It takes about 20 little golden flowers to form a flower ball, with 2 or 3 balls grouped together on short stalks. Long, thin brown seed pods follow the flowers in summer. The seeds inside are small at 3-5mm. The pods look ‘nipped in’ between the seeds, and break open readily at these points.  

FLINDERS RANGES WATTLE

(Acacia iteaphylla)

(Photos: E. Cousins, growth habit, phyllodes and glands, flower clusters; Cape Jervis)

Originally from the Flinders Ranges and Eyre Peninsula, this shrub is now a bit of a pest in parts of Australia, and indeed has been declared an environmental weed in some…probably because its seeds remain viable for long periods, and germinate readily! Being from an arid region, it is also very hardy. It is fast growing to about 2-4 m tall, with upright branches and attractive bluey grey-green foliage. The foliage is not made up of true leaves, but like many acacias, phyllodes (see 2nd photo).These are very narrow and long (50-100mm), with a little gland at the base. They occur alternately along the stems. The perfumed, lemon-yellow flower balls occur in clusters, mainly in spring. These are followed by blue-green seed pods that go brown in maturity. Pretty shrub, but can be a problem!

WINDMILL GRASS

(Chloris truncata)