Australian National Botanic Gardens

In Flower this Week

A weekly news sheet prepared by a Gardens' volunteer.
Numbers in square brackets [] refer to garden bed Sections. Plants in flower are in bold type.

27 August 2004

Dryandra fraseri - click for larger image

 To view the flowers along the Main Path, start at the far end of the café building.  Walk below the arching branches of the callistemons and melaleucas, some with old branches enveloped with white papery bark.  Then past the emu bushes include Eremophila maculata subsp. brevifolia [Section 302] with wine-red bugle flowers covering the small shrub and Eremophila subfloccosa subsp. subfloccosa [Section 302] with soft grey green foliage firmly wrapped along its branches allowing the small vivid green flowers to appear.  Possum Banksia, Banksia baueri [Section 30, 27] continues to be striking with its large grayish woolly flower spikes which now appear to be a little straggy.  Close by Philotheca verrucosus ‘J. Semmens’ [Section 30] is covered with pink buds and some mature pink multi-petalled flowers.  A prostrate form of Cootamundra Wattle, Acacia baileyanna [Section 30] is dazzling with its fluffy yellow flower balls, while behind, the Heath Leaved Banksia, Banksia ericifolia var. ericifolia [Section 30] continues to bear upright cylindrical deep gold flower spikes over a large shrub.  Dryandra fraseri [Section 30] is a dwarf spreading plant with yellow flower heads surrounded by narrow divided leaves.  Beside the notice, ‘Family Proteaceae’, Grevillea dimorpha [Section 24] has flame-red flower clusters along the upright branches.  Grevillea rosmarinifolia [Section 24], planted in a row, has deep red spider flowers, while opposite, Grevillea irrasa subsp. didymochiton [Section 26] is a larger dense shrub with misty red pendulous flowers.

Hibbertia saligna - click for larger image

Before entering the Sydney Region Flora, the False Sarsaparilla, Hardenbergia violacea [Section 112] displays its purple pea flowers over a somewhat compact vine.  Later the vine with its many flowers, trails over any nearby shrub [Section 191l].  Following the path edging the gully, Grevillea baueri subsp. asperula [Section 191S] is now well covered with deep-red spider flowers.  Some small plants here are Leucopogon microphyllus var. microphyllus [Section 191H] with small white flower clusters over a dwarf shrub.  Epacris reclinata ‘Blackheath’ [Section 191H], also dwarf, has bright pink tubular flowers with a white lip.  At the curved lookout where fossilized leaves are in the rock wall, Westringia glabra [Section 191S] displays its mauve bugle flowers.  Later, Wolgan Snow Gum, Eucalyptus gregsoniana [Section 191M] is slim and tall with white lacey flowers.  Leaving this area Hibbertia saligna [Section 19L] bears its lovely yellow open-petalled flowers on a small shrub.

Follow the curvaceous path through the Eucalypt Lawn to a garden of wattles including Acacia flexifolia [Section 18] with soft fluffy yellow flower balls covering the low shrubs and Acacia venulosa [Section 18] erect and slim and tipped with sprays of yellow flower balls.  Many acacias massed with yellow buds are in readiness of spring.  The Rock Garden has many flowers to find while edging the path, and further along is Guichenotia ledifolia [Section 4], an attractive small shrub pink with down-turned cup shaped flowers.

The Rainforest walk is most relaxing with such a variety of greens and leaf shapes then into the sunshine and down the ramp where a mintbush, Prostanthera phylicifolia [Section 210], a small shrub with mauve bugle flowers edges the path.

Pleasant walking … much to see.

Barbara Daly.