Welcome to Calgaroo the newsletter of the Parramatta Hills Group of the Australian Plants Society.
Copies of this newsletter can be found at this website and contain accounts of bushwalks undertaken in The Hills District and surrounding areas with lists of the plants sighted on the walks, accounts of speakers at our meetings, other Australian plant related topics and activities of interest to members. Use the “Search” box to explore the site for topics of interest.
Information on the Group’s current activities can be found at www.austplants.com.au/Parramatta-and-Hills
February 2024February 1, 2024A DAY WITH THE PROPAGATORS – Perhaps you haven’t known just what goes on with the people who join together in the service known as propagation. In the Parramatta-Hills Group of APS, the second Wednesday of most months finds a happy group of propagators gathered at the Hills Council nursery at North Rocks, north-west Sydney. […]
November 2023November 1, 2023Red River Gums – Their roots reach down deep into the water table (usually > 10 m), drawing water to the surface that no other plants or animals can reach. By maximising their water use, they grow quickly and produce excesses of food in the form of leaves, nectar, pollen, wood, flowers and sap. […]
October 2023October 1, 2023Pittosporums – are they really weeds?
Many people regard Pittosporums as a nuisance weed. They say they take over and don’t allow other more desirable plants to grow, so they should be eliminated. But are there other considerations?
There are two types of Pittosporums growing in this area – Pittosporum revolutum and Pittosporum undulatum. They are both natives. Pittosporum revolutum is a small shrub (mostly to 1.5m tall) that presents no problems. There are many in Carrs Bush (Fagan Park) and I like them, especially when the big yellow seeds open to show red flesh, advertising to all that “dinner is served”. […]
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Our Group’s floral emblem is Eucalyptus parramattensis. One of its common names is the Calgaroo, a name we have taken for our monthly newsletter. It is also called the Parramatta Red Gum.