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.

8 December 2006

Ammobium alatum - click for larger image

The walk this week goes round the Crosbie Morrison Building. Turn right as you come out of the Visitors' Centre and walk along the wide path towards the cafe. On your left is [Section 210] and on the right is [Section 174]. On the left with spectacular red flowers is Leptospermum 'Merinda'. On the right is Spyridium burragorang. It has groups of tiny flowers with one or more pale grey modified leaves close under them. On the left are two kangaroo paws - Anigozanthos 'Bush Ruby' with red stems and yellow flowers, and Anigozanthos 'Bush Sunset' with red stems and flowers. On the right is the pale blue flowered Blue Lechenaultia, Lechenaultia biloba. Just at the beginning of the right hand bridge, on the left [Section 66] is the shrub Lomatia polymorpha, with white flowers.

After you cross the bridge, turn right and go down the steps to [Section 137]. On your left is Melaleuca 'Sea Foam' with masses of white flowers. Turn left with the pond on your right. On the left is the green flowered kangaroo paw Anigozanthos flavidus, and the red flowered bottlebrush Callistemon ' Wild River'. On the right is Victorian Christmas Bush, Prostanthera lasianthos, with white flowers. Continue with the building on your right. [Section 131] On the left of the path above the seat is the low sprawling Wiry Bauera, Bauera rubioides, with small pink bells, and a little farther on the rare Wee Jasper Spider Flower, Grevillea iaspicula with green flowers that are not easy to see.

Bauera rubioides - click for larger image

Turn right past the building. Just as you come to a road [Section 311] there is a self-sown unlabelled plant of Ammobium alatum with white paper daisies and grey stems and foliage. Continue past the door to [Section 238]. Red-Flowered Mallee Box, Eucalyptus lansdowneana, has a few flowers. Be careful if you touch the label not to be spiked by the spinifex (Triodia). Under it is a mass planting (unlabelled) of Flannel Flower, Actinotus helianthi, with large white flowers.

Turn right past the building and continue to the Tasmanian Garden [Section 237], turning right on the small rocky path past the second building. On the bank on your right is a mass planting of Native Storksbill, Pelargonium australe, with pink flowers that look like a garden geranium. Among it is the unlabelled Golden Everlasting Xerochrysum bracteatum, with large yellow shiny papery flowers. A little farther on is the shrubby Odixia achlaena, with groups of small white flowers. Just before the new bridge and behind the seat is the unlabelled Leatherwood Eucryphia lucida (pink form), a narrow shrub about 3 metres tall with large pink flowers. This is the flower from the nectar of which leatherwood honey is obtained. Turn right a few metres on and you are nearly back at the car park.

Betty Wood