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.

1 June 2007

Hakea laurina- click for larger image

There is a section containing mallee species of WA and SA with many flowers to view. To get there pass the pincushion hakea, Hakea laurina [Section 20] where buds are just bursting into the deep red globular flowers with protruding cream styles. Then at the upper corner a tea-tree, Leptospermum squarrosum [Section 44] with terminal branches clad with peach-blossom pink flowers can be seen among other shrubs. The road now wanders up beside the old nursery site. Numerous ground covers grow on the left side. They include Chrysocephalum apiculatum [Section 34] with green or grey foliage, both with few yellow button flowers. Brachyscome multifida ‘Breakoday’ [Section 34] has soft foliage mixing with their small mauve daisies. There too is a scattering of Olearia astroloba [Section 34] a dwarf open shrub with bright purple daisies.

Opposite, Rulingia cuneata [Section 100B], a shrub of medium size is well clad with tiny yellow flowers on its spreading branches. Enter the Western Mallee Section with SA and WA species, on the board-walk walking in an anticlockwise direction. Gastrolobium propinquum [Section 100B] bears small red centred yellow pea-shaped flowers. Also, with a lean, Eremophila microtheca [Section 100B] has long branches clad with small leaves and small mauve flowers. In front a small plant, Pityrodia teckiana [Section 100B] has large white throated pink bugle flowers. Later, Myoporum turbinatum [Section 100B], a medium upright shrub clad with such small pinkish white flowers. Emu bush, Eremophila bignoniiflora x polyclada [Section 100B] is a large sprawling shrub with large bugle shaped light mauve flowers with a dark dotted cream throat. The low-growing plant, Thryptomene denticulata [Section 100B] is really striking for its arching branches are pink with the tiny flowers. Below the low branches of Eucalyptus flocktoniae subsp.hebes [Section 100B], well covered with large clusters of greenish yellow buds, Dampiera salahae [Section 100B] is a small suckering plant, its upright stems having blue flowers.

Acacia alata - click for larger image

At the curve Grevillea stenomera [Section 100B] has long spreading branches with loosely arranged pink-cream flowers with long reddish cream tipped styles. After the curve Banksia epica [Section 100A] is a low, fairly dense shrub still with few mustard coloured flower spikes mixing with ageing brown spikes. Beside is Eremophila oppositifolia [Section 100A] laden with long tubular curved cream flowers with touch of pink amid the greyish foliage. Baeckea crassifolia [Section 100A] has a covering of small pink and white flowers over the dwarf shrub and Hypocalymma strictum subsp.elongatum [Section 100A] is a small shrub with branches clad with small deep pink fluffy flowers. Acacia alata [Section 100C] is low and spreading with flat spiky angular leaves and cream fluffy flowers. Astartea sp. [Section 100C] is an upright slim shrub covered with open white petalled flowers.

At the exit a large Banksia ericifolia subsp. ericifolia [Section 103] bears its bright golden cylindrical flower spikes. Worth viewing on an upper level, Auranticarpa rhombifolia [Section 96] is tall and bright with large clusters of orange fruits. Also, Melaleuca nodosa [Section 41] is a large spreading shrub with grey papery barked branches and a profusion of lemon fluffy flower balls.

Such an interesting collection of flowers … Barbara Daly