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 May 2009

Hibbertia vestita - click for larger image

This week’s walk is along the Main Path. Beside Banks Walk on the right is a straggly shrub, Common Heath, Epacris impressa [Section 174], the floral emblem of Victoria, with pink tubular flowers. On the left is a low bush, Spiked Mint Bush, Prostanthera phylicifolia [Section 210], with lipped mauve flowers. In front of it is Hairy Guinea Flower, Hibbertia vestita, with large yellow flowers.

Cross the right hand bridge across the Rain Forest Gully, and continue past the café. On the left, in front of the Ellis Rowan Building, is a low shrub of Banksia “Stumpy Gold” [Section 131], with showy yellow candles. The individual flowers have protruding red styles. A little farther on, in the same bed, is the straggly Epacris “Nectar Pink”, with pink tubular flowers, tipped in paler pink.

Farther on, on the right, and about 10 metres off the Main Path, is a large dense shrub of Crimson Bottlebrush, Callistemon citrinus, with large red brushes [Section 11]. Somewhat farther on, on the right, is a prostrate form of Coast Banksia, Banksia integrifolia subsp. integrifolia [Section 30], with pale yellow large broad spikes. Farther on, on the left, is a large mat of Woolly Grevillea, Grevillea lanigera [Section 25], with pink spider flowers.

Soon after you cross a road, on the right is Coastal Hakea, Hakea clavata [Section 26], a shrub with thick narrow leaves and balls of pink flowers. A little farther on, on the left, is Grevillea ripicola [Section 24], a spreading shrub with groups of red and orange spider flowers with green tips to the styles.

As you enter the Sydney Region Gully, the patch of tall shrubs with masses of small white flowers on the right is Native Blackthorn Bursaria spinosa subsp. spinosa [Section 191s]. Farther on, on the right, are three tall straggly shrubs of Calvert’s Heath, Epacris calvertiana [Section 191j], with white tubular flowers. On the left are tall straggly shrubs of Sweet Wattle, Acacia suaveolens [Section 191g], with balls of cream wattle flowers, and a little farther on is a low wide shrub of Creek Triplarina, Triplarina imbricata [Section 191e], with small white flowers.

After you cross the Eucalypt Lawn, just before you reach the Friends Shelter, on the left is a large shrub, Sweet Hakea, Hakea drupacea [Section 20], with large balls of many cream flowers, with pink tips on the individual flowers. Stay left to continue on the Main Path.

Bursaria spinosa subsp. spinosa - click for larger image

Cross the bridge across the Rain Forest Gully and turn sharp left. Below the board walk on the left opposite the seats is a tree, Scrub Cherry, Syzygium australe, [Section 147] with shiny leaves and white flowers with long stamens.

After you leave the Rain Forest Gully, on the left is a group of dense shrubs with grey leaves, Westringia “Smokie” [Section 210], with white flowers.

Betty Wood