July 2016


Volume 43, No 7

Our Activity in July

The activity for this month is a visit to the Australian Botanic Gardens, Mt Annan, on Saturday, 23 July 2016, at 11am to see the Seed Bank where seeds of Australian native plants, some very rare, are stored in conditions in which they are preserved until required.

There will be an opportunity to see much more of the Gardens after lunch (bring your own lunch and drink or buy from the Gardens shop).

As you will be aware, we have sought those who intend to visit the Gardens so that we could forward numbers and prepay the fee now being charged. As indicated your Committee has agreed to meet the cost of entry from Group funds since this is a learning experience about seed collecting and maintenance until sown of which all native plant enthusiasts should be informed. We are expecting 11 members to visit Mt Annan. We trust those who go thoroughly enjoy the experience.

We remind you that travel from Castle Hill CBD to Mt Annan via the M7 takes about one hour. To avoid the M7 you may travel via the Cumberland Highway and route A28 which will take the best part of 1.5 hours. Leave a few minutes at least to walk from the car park to the Seed Bank building. Please do not be late as we cannot assure latecomers of entry.


Facebook

We were fortunate to have Mark Abell enter details of our last meeting on the APS NSW Facebook page. Of course I had to see the entry and found a host of beautiful images among the interesting text. It is well worth a look. One must register to access Facebook initially and subsequently may look and, if desired, leave a message. I have only rarely visited Facebook but it is now a great medium for communicating our APS message. I understand that several Groups have their own page and insert information on the APS site too.

Do we have a Group member who can regularly update our program details on Facebook? Please make your offer through the Committee. Let us use the technology that is available in the 21st century to strengthen our Group and our Society.


Our Program

The Board of our Society is making every effort to strengthen our Society as you have heard including the holding of the two day Strategic Planning Conference recently.

Your Committee would appreciate feedback as to what more you would like to hear and experience about our native plants be it at meetings, in Calgaroo, at Propagation Workshops, on visits or elsewhere.

Some of our native plants may need your help if Climate Change occurs as scientists predict. Please let us know what more we can do. Please don’t hold back!


Calendar

Jul 2016
Mon 4 Deadline for Calgaroo news / articles
Wed 13 Propagation at Bidjiwong Community Nursery at 10am
Sat 23 Tour of the Seed Bank, Australian Botanic Gardens, Mount Annan at 11am
Sun 31 National Tree Day

Aug 2016
Thu 4 Deadline for Calgaroo news / articles
Wed 10 Propagation at Bidjiwong Community Nursery at 10am
Sat 27 Our Meeting at Gumnut Hall, Gumnut Place, Cherrybrook at 2pm. Our speaker will be Peter Weston on Gondwanic Plants of the Sydney Region. Our activity workshop will be directed by Marilyn Cross on Bushtucker


Our Next Meeting on Saturday, 27 August, at Gumnut Hall at 2pm.

The Speaker at our August meeting will be Dr Peter Weston of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney. Peter, a senior officer, who has spoken to us before, will take the subject Gondwanic Plants of the Sydney Region.

Gondwanic plants, of course, are those that lived in the ancient supercontinent of Gondwanaland which incorporated most of the lands of the present Southern Hemisphere including Australia and Antarctica.

I visited Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gondwana to refresh my mind as to the extent of Gondwana. You may find it interesting too. You may decide to pursue your research further.

Gondwana began to break up in the early Jurassic about 184 million years ago (Mya) accompanied by massive eruptions of basalt lava, as East Gondwana, comprising Antarctica, Madagascar, India, and Australia, began to separate from Africa. South America began to drift slowly westward from Africa as the South Atlantic Ocean opened, beginning about 130 Mya during the Early Cretaceous, and resulting in open marine conditions by 110 Mya. East Gondwana then began to separate about 120 Mya when India began to move northward.

The Madagascar block, and a narrow remnant microcontinent presently occupied by the Seychelles Islands, were broken off India; elements of this breakup nearly coincide with the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event. The India–Madagascar–Seychelles separations appear to coincide with the eruption of the Deccan basalts, whose eruption site may survive as the Réunion hotspot.

Australia began to separate from Antarctica perhaps 80 Mya (Late Cretaceous), but sea-floor spreading between them became most active about 40 Mya during the Eocene epoch of the Paleogene Period.

New Zealand probably separated from Antarctica between 130 and 85 Mya.

So Dr Weston will be speaking of plants that originated a long time ago and yet live on! Fascinating! Don’t miss it!


Bush Tucker Activity

Dr Marilyn Cross will lead the activity also planned for next meeting with something in Bush Tucker to test your taste buds. Please bring a Bush Tucker item if you have something.


A Must See GardenDrum Article

Jane March, editor of the Northen Beaches newsletter, Caleyi, included a great article about a garden visit her Group made at Bayview in the May issue of Caleyi. This was reproduced recently in GardenDrum with enlarged images and is a must see item. Heather Miles, APS NSW Secretary, has drawn our attention to the article in GardenDrum. Visit http://gardendrum.com/2016/06/25/garden-delights-bayview-heights/


Botanical Art: an Australian Perspective

Report by Dr Marilyn Cross

A Summary of a Talk given by botanical artist Jann Mulholland at our meeting on 25 June, 2016

The Parramatta Hills branch of the APS had the privilege of being addressed on the topic of botanical art by local botanical artist Jann Mulholland. Jann took up botanical art seriously in retirement and has exhibited at the ‘Botanica’ Exhibitions (Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney), Wildflowers of Australia – Parliament House 2006 and in the Botanical Art Society of Australia’s ‘Flora: the Art and Science of the Plant’. Jann has also won a First Prize for Drawing from the Botanical Art Society of Australia.

Sturt’s Desert Pea (Swainsona formosa) Jann Mulholland
Sydney Parkinson (1745-1771)

Jann’s comprehensive talk covered a variety of topics: what is botanical art; a brief history of botanical art, paying particular attention to 19th century Australian artist, Ellis Rowan; contemporary botanical artists; and how to go about painting a subject.

There were many highlights to the talk, including the first discovery of botanical art in the tomb of Pharoah, Thutmose III – in Karnak, Egypt and the botanical images from Cook’s first voyage 1768-1771 by Parkinson, Banks and Solander.

We heard about Australian artist, Ellis Rowan (1848-1922), who, at a time when female artists were few and not taken seriously, fought through the prejudice to create 3,000 botanical paintings and win 29 international art medals. She took First Prize at the Centennial International Exhibition in 1888. In 1916, she created 300 paintings of new botanical species in Papua New Guinea. In recognition of her heritage, the Commonwealth Government purchased 947 of her paintings for £5,000 in 1923, which are now housed in the National Library of Australia and can be requested for viewing.

Ellis Rowan (1848-1922)
Grevillea Ellis Rowan (1848-1922)

Some of the contemporary artists pesented, included Celia Rosser, Margaret Saul, Susannah Blaxhill, Jenny Phillips, David Mackay, Helen Fitzgerald and Marion Westmacott.

Botanical Art – Celia Rosser (1930 – )
Botanical Art – Jenny Phillips (1949 – )

After the talk, we set about drawing a botanical specimen, such as a leaf, for ourselves. That was both challenging and satisfying. One of our plant aficionados commented that she had never looked so closely at a leaf before, nor had she learned so much by attempting to draw it.


A Report on the Strategic Planning Conference

Dr Marilyn Cross

As captured by the Southern Tablelands Group, it was a stimulating and collegiate meeting in which much work was done towards formulating a strategic plan for the future of the APS.

I also really liked the draft mission statement for the APS. There were 4 groups working as below on 1 to 4. I’ve copied from SHG’s summary below showing how the 4 groups worked. I’ve made a few changes. We also drafted some measures of success e.g. increase membership by 15% by May 2017 (partly by following up lapsed members); increase activities with partner organisations measured by correspondence etc.

Key Strategic Issues and proposed activities:

  1. Draft Mission Statement”APS NSW is a network whose members have a passion for growing, learning about and conserving Australian Native plants”.
  2. Better Understand Our People
    • existing member’s needs,
    • potential new members,
    • support for volunteers within the NSW office.
  3. What We Do / Position / Activities
    • position as a source of informed comment,
    • capture knowledge – locate, prioritise, store, then make accessible,
    • disseminate/explore the various ways to get knowledge to target audiences,
    • address implications of climate change
    • plant diversity/seek partnerships,
    • promote APS – into communities, build relationships with other organisations.
  4. A 21st Century Organisation (develop a consistent approach to technology and administration)
    • Increase use of State website – add functions,
    • Membership online and add group pages,
    • Review membership system – more accessibility, clarity, simplify processes,
    • Improve internal communications by increased use of email,
    • Expand use of Facebook,
    • Seek new sources of income – e.g. actively solicit bequests.

ED. We wish our Board every success in implementing these and other initatives to strengthen our Society. We, however, need to contribute in any way we can. Let us all make a difference. Please pass any ideas to your Committee in the first instance.


World Bank: scarce water will shrink economies by mid-century

*David Twomey

The World Bank has warned that economies across large swathes of the globe could shrink dramatically by mid- century, as fresh water grows scarce due to climate change.

The Middle East could be hardest hit, with its gross domestic product slipping as much as 14 per cent by 2050 unless measures are taken to reallocate water significantly, the Washington-based institution said in a report. Such measures include efficiency efforts and investment in technologies such as desalination and water recycling, it said.

Global warming can cause extreme floods and droughts and can mean snowfall is replaced by rain, with higher evaporation rates, experts say. It also can reduce mountain snow pack that provides water, and the melting of inland glaciers can deplete the source of runoff, it said. Also, a rise in sea level can lead to saltwater contaminating groundwater.

“When we look at any of the major impacts of climate change, they one way or the other come through water, whether it’s drought, floods, storms, sea level rise,” Richard Damania, World Bank lead economist and lead author of the report, told reporters in a telephone conference reported by Reuters Newsagency.

*David Twomey is a journalist with Econews which may be seen at http://econews.com.au/ each day.


Surprise, Surprise!

There is always something new to be found among our Australian flora. As a member of APS NSW for 42 years I don’t expect to see a lot of new plants but isn’t Helianthi forsythii, the Pink Flannel Flower, a stunning one. Our thanks to David Crawford, editor of Native Plants for NSW and Lloyd Hedges of the Menai Wildflower Group for bringing images of it to our attention in the State newsletter.


Our Society

You will realise that I keep an eye on what is happening throughout our Society. If you care to read more on fungi visit the Menai Wildflower Group’s newsletter for June 2016 on the APS NSW web site.


National Tree Day

Sunday, 31st July, is being observed as National Tree Day. Planet Ark has some ideas as to how we can celebrate the occasion. Visit http://treeday.planetark.org/

If you choose to plant a tree, remember that trees grow and grow. Select one that, when full grown, will be of appropriate size for its surroundings.


National Wattle Day

Acacia pycnantha, the Golden Wattle, was proclaimed our Australian Floral Emblem on 19 August 1988. It has been used in the design of our stamps and many awards in our Honours system. Indeed a single wattle flower is the emblem of the Order of Australia.

Acacia pycnantha – Golden Wattle Australia’s Floral Emblem; Image: John Knight
Ed. John Knight’s reference to the Acacia in the SE NSW Group newsletter reminded me of National Wattle Day. Thank you, John.

Wattle is ideally suited to withstand our country’s droughts, winds and bushfires. The resilience of wattle represents the spirit of the Australian people. In recent times golden wattle has been used as a symbol of remembrance and reflection.

The 1st September is National Wattle Day, formally gazetted on 23 June 1992, when Australians are invited to wear a sprig of golden wattle.

Maria Hitchcock of Armidale, a Life Member of APS NSW, was particularly active is achieving this official recognition.


How the Boronia Got Its Name – an Historical Item of News

*Walter W. Froggatt

A remarkable little flower, peculiar to Australia, that stands alone for its dainty, indescribable, haunting scent, is the West Australian brown boronia (Boronia megastigma), popularly known as the sweet-scented boronia. Though the different species of this genus are widely distributed in Australia, of the 59 enumerated in Mueller’s “Census of Australian plants” (published in 1889) 34 are peculiar to the sandy heathlands of the western State. (Ed. At present about 95 species of Boronia are recognised.)

The sweet-scented boronia, with its curious brown blooms and fine foliage, is now grown in such quantities by the nurserymen of Victoria that it is sometimes called the Victorian boronia. It is a hardy garden shrub, and thrives well in our Sydney climate when not treated too tenderly or given too much water. Like many other native flowers, it can be killed by kindness. In spring and early summer the flower-sellers reap a rich harvest by selling sprays of this flower in the streets of Sydney, where its perfume appeals to the passing crowd.

It has always been a custom of naturalists to honour their collectors and fellow-workers by using their names (Latinised) to identify a genus or species of plant or annual. It is interesting, therefore, to trace the origin of such scientific names and follow up their history. The derivation of boronia is particularly interesting. In 1798 Dr. James Edward Smith, President of the Linnean Society of London, published a book entitled “Tracts Relating to Natural History.” This book consists of twelve pages dealing chiefly with botanical matters, all of which, except the last, had been previously printed in scientific journals. This is now a comparatively rare book, and is especially interesting to Australian botanists on account of the inclusion of the twelfth paper, “Description of a new genus of plants called Boronia, now first published, with some particulars of the death, of Francis Borone.”

Besides defining the genus Boronia, Smith described, named, and embellished with coloured plates the first four species of these new shrubs. It is interesting to note that they were all collected in the vicinity of Port Jackson. The man who collected them was Dr. John White, who came out in the First Fleet with Captain Phillip and was designated surgeon-general of the settlement. He was a remarkable man, one of our very first field naturalists, who collected all kinds of natural history specimens and sent them to his correspondents in England.

He is well known on account of his book, usually called “White’s Voyage” (published in 1790), but whose full title is “Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales, with Sixty-five Plates of Nondescript Animals, Birds, Lizards, Serpents, curious Cones of Trees, and other Natural Productions.” Dr Smith, in describing Boronia pinnata under the popular name of the hawthorn-scented boronia, says: “This species flowered for the first time in Europe at Messrs. Lea and Kennedy’s in the spring of 1795. It continues there in a flowering state, being treated as a rather tender hot-house plant.” He described Boronia serrulata, which we now call the Christmas rose, as “the rose – scented boronia.” The third species, Boronia parviflora, he named the “pale-flowered boronia,” and the fourth species, Boronia polygalifolia, the “milkwort-leaved boronia.” In the second part of his paper he tells the tragic story connected with the scientific naming of these dainty shrubs.

While at work on the botanical specimens from Australia Dr. Smith received a letter from Dr. John Sibthorp, Professor of Botany at Oxford, who was the leader of a scientific expedition in Greece. There he was joined by Frances Borone, a distinguished Italian botanist and collector who had just returned from an exploring expedition to Sierra Leone, Africa. While stopping at Athens one night Borone, supposed to have been walking in his sleep, stepped through an upstairs window and was killed. Dr. Sibthorp wrote an account of the accident to Dr. Smith, who grouped our little shrubs in the genus Boronia in memory of the unfortunate young botanist.

*Walter W. Froggatt’s article appeared in the Sydney Mail in 1932 and is preserved in Trove, a service of the National Library of Australia, that carries copies of great historical data. This article was drawn to our attention by Peter Shelton, Editor of the APS Sutherland Group newsletter, March 2016. For material from Trove visit http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/ , register free, and search for the paper/article you want.

Ed. Today few would consider B. megastigma a hardy plant in the Sydney area – see the next article, indeed most Boronia dislike our level of humidity, but it is worth a try even if short lived to experience its fragrance. It may be propagated from cuttings and planted out in a plot with some morning sun, excellent drainage and generally a frequent breeze.


The Next ANPSA Biennial Conference

The next ANPSA Conference will be held in Hobart 12 – 20 January 2018. The Conference Theme is: Grass Roots to Mountain Tops. Visit http://www.apstas.org.au/conference.html for more details. This is an opportunity to plan a holiday in Tassie, join in the Conference and see some delightful areas on the tours offered in conjunction with the Conference.


Growing Boronias

Doug Coates / Dan Clarke

At the APS Sutherland Group March meeting, Doug Coates, leader of the Boronia Study Group, revealed the tips and tricks of successfully growing Boronias. It was clearly and concisely reported by Dan Clarke.

“Doug allayed our fears by stating that you can successfully grow Boronias provided you get the simple things right! For starters, Doug outlined that the best boronias to grow were the local Sydney ones, and that we should avoid the species from Western Australia. Doug listed the species in order of easiest to grow which ran B. fraseri, B. pinnata, B. mollis, B. muelleri, B. thujona, B. floribunda, B. serrulata and B. crenulata.”

Boronia serrulata and B. floribunda have the largest flowers whereas B. fraseri will produce smaller flowers but in good number. B. fraseri can last for up to 25 years. B. crenulata is from WA but its suckering habit makes it easier to grow. B. floribunda, B. mollis and B. serrulata have a pleasant flowering perfume.”

“Doug provided the following important criteria to ensure successful growing – give plants a cool root run, therefore mulch with a gravel or woodchip; maintain consistent moisture; provide some dappled shade and ensure soil is sandy with good drainage. Boronias also seem to do better on an easterly or southerly aspect. Planting plants on a slope or rockery may help. Plants can be fertilised with blood and bone or a suitable native fertiliser through the year. Boronias are best planted in Autumn rather than Spring as they will be better established by Summer.”

“It is best to propagate Boronias from cuttings as germinating the seed is very difficult. Use firm but flexible new growth. February is the best time. Use a 3:1 mix of coarse river sand to peat moss and apply rooting hormone for better results. Maintain humidity with a plastic drink bottle and allow about 6 to 8 weeks.”

“One of the main impediments to growing Boronias is that most nurseries will not sell the above species but will most likely sell B. megastigma ‘Heaven Scent’, a Western Australian species which, more often than not, will not thrive in the Sydney environment. Doug mentioned that Kuranga Native Nursery in Victoria has had a good track record of growing and selling the better-suited boronias mentioned above. Doug encouraged us to give Boronias a go, so long as we can get the conditions right in our gardens. They are the closest thing Australia has Australiahas to roses! I am now keen to try!”

*As stated above, Doug Coates has taken over as leader of the ANPSA Boronia Study Group and Dan Clarke is a member of APS Sutherland Group and the APS NSW Conservation Officer.

Boronia fraseri Image: Brian Walters
Boronia pinnata Image: Brian Walters
Boronia thujona Image: APS Sutherland Group
Boronia mollis Image: Brian Walters

The Hills Environment Centre

The Environment Centre in Annangrove Park will celebrate its 10th birthday on Saturday, 30 July, 2016. There will be special events through August and September. We will circulate details as they come to hand.

For The Hills Council’s Living Sustainably Workshops to be held early August book on line at www.thehillsenvironment.eventbrite.com.au

Those early in August are:-

No dig garden bed on Thursday, 4th August, 10.00 to 11.30am

No-dig gardens are a great way to overcome the problems of poor soils, hard ground and lack of space. Learn one method to create a fertile and user-friendly kitchen garden.

Permaculture in your garden on Thursday, 11th August, 10.00 to 11.30am

How to create a healthy permaculture garden that is productive and eco-friendly. Learn about principles and practices to help establish your own abundant vegie garden.


The Seed Bank

To demonstrate the Botanic Gardens’ commitment to the conservation of Australia’s vibrant flora and distinct heritage, 3 adventurous teams made up of staff from the 3 Botanic Gardens and Centennial Parklands walked a combined total distance of more than 300km over the course of 3 days, 15 – 17 April, 2016, raising awareness and funds for 11 endangered plant species from New South Wales.

The fundraising target is $44,000, which represents the cost of collecting the 11 identified plant species and banking the seeds at the Australian PlantBank. This process costs approximately $4,000 per plant and with public support – as well as technological advances – protection of our plants is now more achievable than ever.

The endangered plants are:-

1. Narrow-leaved Bertya (Bertya ingramii) ,
2. Four-tailed Grevillea (Grevillea quadricauda)
3. Bordered Guinea Flower (Hibbertia marginata)
4. Dorrigo Waratah (Alloxylon pinnatum) 
5. Tall Knotweed (Persicaria elatior)
6. Moonee Quassia (Quassia sp. Mooney Creek)
7. Trailing Monotoca (Monotoca rotundifolia)
8. Creeping Hop-bush (Dodonea procumbens)
9. Suggan Buggan Mallee (Eucalyptus saxatilis)
10. Bega Wattle (Acacia georgensis)
11. Musty Leek Orchid (Prasophyllum pallens)


We suggest P&H members who need to renew their membership complete the form in the centre of Native Plants for NSW and post it to Pip Gibian at her address above or choose the direct deposit option, follow the directions carefully and advise Merle Thompson and Gordon Brooks by email. Alternatively just pay Pip at the next meeting. Please ask if you are unsure of your membership status which is shown on the address label afixed to APS publications received quarterly.


Parramatta and Hills District Group

Email: apsparrahills@gmail.com
Website: https://austplants.com.au/Parramatta-And-Hills
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APSPARRAHILLS/