AGNES FALLS, GIPPSLAND

Tucked away within the green, hills of the Strzelecki Ranges, the meandering Agnes River cascades from a 59m height over rocks into a deep gorge, forming Agnes Falls. They are surrounded by protected pockets of old forest and native bushland.

With impressive views, cascading waterfalls, much native wildlife and its protected forest, Agnes Falls is a hidden patch of serenity near the Gippsland coastline. A short drive from Toora or Welshpool, it's also a beautiful, scenic stop on a day trip exploring South Gippsland.

A 200m walking track leads from the car park to the falls viewing area, where  the Agnes River can be seen tumbling over rocks and into the steep, sheltered gorge below. The falls are even more spectacular in wet seasons and after heavy rain.

The reserve protects a small remnant of the dense forests that once covered the Strzelecki Ranges, and the tall eucalypt canopy and diverse understorey of shrubs, ferns and trees are home to a range of birdlife. Keep an eye out for playful Grey Fantails and Eastern Yellow Robins darting through the low trees and shrubs, and listen for the calls of Kookaburras, Crimson Rosellas and Currawongs.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

and also part of the Roentare’s Water Meme

PERENNIAL

Always appreciate the fact that most of our native trees here in Australia are perennials and that our Winter is relatively mild. This gumtree (eucalypt) is looking pretty spiffy on this mild late Autumn day.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the My Corner of the World meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

LEUCOSPERMUM

'Carnival Crimson' is a medium size growing variety of Leucospermum that is known for its prolific flowering nature, and flowers that hold their bright deep crimson colouring through the season. Its compact growth habit doesn't compromise on its flowering ability and will make a great addition to native, waterwise and smaller gardens. This plant is frost tolerant once established.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

WATTLE

Acacia deanei (Deane's wattle, green wattle) is a tree native to Australia, which is used for controlling erosion. There are two subspecies: Acacia deanei subsp. deanei and Acacia deanei subsp. paucijuga. Both subspecies are mainly 2-4 m tall and grow on plains, slopes and tablelands, often near watercourses, in gullies or on stony hillsides, and on a wide range of soil types in Eastern Australia.

This species often flowers throughout the year, especially during March to August; pods mature mainly during October to March or sometimes later. There are about 45 viable seeds per gram. Nicking or boiling the seeds in water for a minute at 100°C is required to induce germination. The seeds start to germinate in about 5 days if grown at 25°C. Acacia deanei is a fast growing, nitrogen-fixing shrub that has the potential to play a valuable role in catchment protection.

It is relatively drought and cold tolerant; its pollen has value in apiculture. This tree is known to be moderately drought tolerant but is killed by damaging fire and does not regenerate foliage afterwards. It tolerates frosts in the 0° to -5°C range or tolerates heavy frosts colder than -5°C. This tree has good ornamental attributes and is often used in the urban environment as a street or park tree.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

EREMOPHILA

Eremophila maculata, also known as spotted emu bush, or spotted fuchsia-bush is a plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is the most widespread of its genus in nature and probably the most frequently cultivated Eremophila. It is a spreading, often densely branched shrub with variable leaf shape and flower colour, but the other features of the flowers such as the size and shape of the parts are consistent. The inside of the flower is often, but not always spotted.

Eremophila maculata is a low spreading shrub, which usually grows to less than 2.5 metres tall. Its leaves range in size from 3.8 millimetres to 45 millimetres long and 0.5–18 millimetres wide and range from almost thread-like to almost circular but are nearly always glabrous and always lack teeth or serrations on the edges.

The flower colour often varies even within a single population and may be pink, mauve, red, orange or yellow, often spotted on the inside. Its flowers occur singly in the leaf axils and have a glabrous, S-shaped stalk, 10–25 millimetres long. There are 5 sepals which are egg-shaped but end in a sudden point and are green or purplish-green. The 5 petals are joined for most of their length in a tube 25–35 millimetres long, but the lobes on the sides and bottom of the flower are often turned or rolled back. The outside of the petals is glabrous but the inside surface of the tube is hairy and the lobes have a few spider-web like hairs. There are 4 stamens which extend beyond the petals. Flowers may appear in almost any month but are most prolific in winter and spring.

The fruits which follow the flowers are dry, almost spherical and have an obvious beak. This plant is well known in horticulture and hybrid forms and cultivars such as "Carmine Star" and "Aurea" have been developed. The most common form in gardens is the cherry-coloured form of E. maculata subsp. brevifolia but other colours are becoming popular. It is easily propagated from cuttings, with firm tip cuttings taken during warmer months striking the most easily. In nature, spotted emu bush often grows in heavy clay soil and in the garden can be grown in similar soil or even in deep sand. A sunny position sheltered from strong wind is ideal but the shrub is very drought and frost hardy and can be grown in coastal areas which are sometimes subject to high humidity. It is recommended for gardens in the hotter, drier areas of the United States such as Arizona and New Mexico.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

WARATAH

Telopea speciosissima or the “waratah” is a native Australian plant with spectacular flowers. Robert Brown (1773-1858) named the genus Telopea in 1810 from specimens collected in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney. Sir James Smith (1759-1828), a noted botanist and founder of the Linnaean Society in England, wrote in 1793: 'The most magnificent plant which the prolific soil of New Holland affords is, by common consent, both of Europeans and Natives, the Waratah. It is moreover a favourite with the latter, upon account of a rich honeyed juice which they sip from its flowers'.

The generic name Telopea is derived from the Greek 'telopos', meaning 'seen from afar', and refers to the great distance from which the crimson flowers are discernible. The specific name speciosissima is the superlative of the Latin adjective 'speciosus', meaning 'beautiful' or 'handsome'. 'Waratah', the Aboriginal name for the species, was adopted by early settlers at Port Jackson.

Telopea is an eastern Australian genus of four species. Two are confined to New South Wales, one to Tasmania and one extends from eastern Victoria into New South Wales. Telopea belongs to the family, Proteaceae, which is predominantly Australian and southern African. The Waratah is a stout, erect shrub which may grow to 4 metres. The dark green leathery leaves, 13-25 cm in length, are arranged alternately and tend to be coarsely toothed. The flowers are grouped in rounded heads 7 to 10 cm in diameter surrounded by crimson bracts, about 5 to 7 cm long. It flowers from September to November and nectar-seeking birds act as pollinators. Large winged seeds are released when the brown leathery pods split along one side.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

COMMON EVERLASTING

Chrysocephalum apiculatum, known by the common names common everlasting and yellow buttons, is a perennial herb native to southern Australia. It is a member of the Asteraceae, the daisy family. It grows in sunny locations on light, well-drained soil in grassy areas. It is an important food plant for the Australian painted lady (Vanessa kershawi), a butterfly. The name "everlasting" was inspired by its use as a long-lasting cut flower. It is increasing in popularity in Australia as a cottage garden plant, but is still not well known.

The common everlasting grows to around 40 centimetres high, with spreading horizontal stems that turn upwards as they get longer. The elongated silvery grey leaves clasp tightly to the stems and are covered in fine, silky hairs. The flower heads are yellow in colour and spherical in shape, around 1 centimetre in diameter each, and often borne in clusters. The florets are minute. Like many daisies, it has seeds which are gradually dispersed on the wind. The seed germinates readily, but has a short viable life.

This plant is currently growing in our garden very happily and its bright yellow flowers look cheerful amongst the other plants. It is also growing in the nearby Darebin Parklands, which approximate its natural wild environment.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

EVERLASTING DAISIES

Xerochrysum bracteatum, commonly known as the golden everlasting or strawflower, is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae native to Australia. Described by Étienne Pierre Ventenat in 1803, it was known as Helichrysum bracteatum for many years before being transferred to a new genus Xerochrysum in 1990. It grows as a woody or herbaceous perennial or annual shrub up to a metre tall with green or grey leafy foliage.

Golden yellow or white flower heads are produced from spring to autumn; their distinctive feature is the papery bracts that resemble petals. The species is widespread, growing in a variety of habitats across the country, from rainforest margins to deserts and subalpine areas.

The golden everlasting has proven very adaptable to cultivation. It was propagated and developed in Germany in the 1850s, and annual cultivars in a host of colour forms from white to bronze to purple flowers became available. Many of these are still sold in mixed seed packs. In Australia, many cultivars are perennial shrubs, which have become popular garden plants. Sturdier, long-stemmed forms are used commercially in the cut flower industry.

This post is part of the ABC Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the  Floral Friday Fotos meme.

RED FLOWERING GUM

Corymbia ficifolia or the red flowering gum also known as Albany red flowering gum (previously known as Eucalyptus ficifolia) is one of the most commonly planted ornamental trees in the broader eucalyptus family. In 2009, genetic studies showed that C. ficifolia comprises a natural group with two other Western Australian species C. calophylla and C. haematoxylon. The group was classified as section Calophyllae within the subgenus Corymbia. It belongs to the family Myrtaceae.

It is native to a very small area of south coastal Western Australia (measured in just tens of kilometres) to the east of Walpole (430 km Southeast of Perth), but is not considered under threat in the wild. In nature Corymbia ficifolia prefers infertile, sandy soils but it is readily adaptable to most temperate locations, provided it is not exposed to severe frost or sustained tropical damp.

It is an ideal street tree as it is hardy, moderately fast growing, and rarely grows large enough to require pruning. The largest known single-stemmed tree in the world (216.5 cm diameter) is located on Princes Street in Hamilton, New Zealand. Because of its big and lovely colourful flowers, genetic improvement for cold resistance in Dublin area in Ireland is being carrying out by collecting seeds from Western and Southern Australia in the coldest parts of Australia where it grows. In Ireland most of the plants were killed by severe frosts but the surviving shoots have been kept by tissue culture.

It is difficult to graft but grows well from seed, typically taking about 7 years before it flowers for the first time and 15–20 years to reach something approaching its full size of anything between 2–8 m. For the home gardener, buying a "red flowering gum" from a nursery is something of an adventure: it may or may not be a ficifolia, and the flower colour does not breed true - there is no way to find out what colour the flowers will be short of planting a seedling and waiting for it to reach maturity! But one does get a wonderful surprise if pink or orange blooms appear...

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

SPRING BOUQUET

Lots of native flowers in this Spring bouquet!

This post is part of the Orange you Glad It's Friday meme,
and also part of the Our Beautiful World meme,
and also part of the My Sunday Photo meme,
and also part of the Photo Sunday meme
and also part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

MELBOURNE STREET TREES 151 - NATIVE LILAC HIBISCUS

Alyogyne huegelii is a flowering plant found in the Southwest botanical province of Western Australia, extending along its entire coastline. A large flowered shrub, the species favours the sands of coastal shrublands and heath. The large flower, highly variable in colour, is similar to that of Hibiscus. It was previously placed in that genus, and is commonly named "Lilac Hibiscus".

It is widely cultivated as a flowering plant for the garden, but the varieties and cultivars previously published are no longer formally recognised. Alyogyne is a shrub to four metres with many alternate branches, although lower ones may be sparse. Bright green leaves are divided in three to five in outline; margins are irregular, lobate to toothed; pubescent and strongly veined lobes are coarse in shape. The flowerstalk at the leaf axil is long, tilting at the single flower.

The flowers have five luminous petals up to 70 mm long, these are overlapping and have slight ridges. The colour is cream or mauve, or the lilac of the name by which it is traded. The staminal tube structure contains numerous whorled anthers, these are yellow. The five styles of this are fused until the tip, which is composed of swollen and apparently divided stigma. This is supported on a five-lobed calyx, within an arrangement of up to 10 partly fused bracts. As with all the Malvales, the flowers last around a day – becoming deeply coloured and papery when spent. They are numerous in the long flowering period in Australia being between June and January.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme,
and also part of the Friday Greens meme.

START OF WATTLE SEASON

Wattles, also called acacias, are amazing Australian native plants. More than 850 species of wattle (Acacia spp; family Fabaceae) grow in Australia, ranging from ground covers and charming shrubs to giant trees that provide fine timber and screening. With this number of species and many cultivars there is a wattle for just about any garden in Australia.

Most wattles are quick growing, short-lived plants that will usually last for about seven to 12 years. Some species, however, are longer lived. If planted in a thicket, they will self-sow, which will mean that short lived plants are quickly replaced. Wattles are tolerant of a broad range of conditions. While there are wattle species which flower throughout the year, the winter-flowering species are particularly attractive in the landscape, where their bright yellow or cream flowers bring colour to the garden at a time when many of the more traditionally grown plants are bare or not flowering.

Currently, in the cold and wet Winter of Melbourne, the gold of the wattle flowering is beautiful in the green landscape. Especially so, when the days are fine and the sky is blue, the wattles reign supreme... The illustrated species is Acacia baileyana or Cootamundra wattle.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

MELBOURNE STREET TREES 150 - CAPE WATTLE

Cape wattle (Paraserianthes lophantha, formerly Albizia lophantha) is a straggly evergreen shrub or small tree to 8m high, but usually smaller, belonging to the Fabaceae family. The twigs are slightly ribbed, with the narrow raised ribs running down the stem from the base of each leaf. Leaves are compound, of numerous small leaflets similar to those of some wattles (Acacia species), but bigger than those of most south coast wattles.

The yellowish-green flowers are also wattle-like, but are carried in bottlebrush style clusters. The pods are broad and flat, 8-12 cm long, containing 6-12 black shiny seeds, and are very similar to those of wattles. The tree flowers from an early age and because of its quick growing habit makes good cover for other species.

Cape wattle is a West Australian native which has been widely promoted as a garden plant in the last twenty years or so. It is now extensively naturalised in eastern Australia, where it invades bush around towns and gardens. It can become dominant in bush and coastal woodland. It is a very fast growing plant tolerant of poor soils, and adapted to recolonising from seed after fires.

Spread from seed in dumped garden waste, and by birds, ants and in contaminated soil and water. Like the true wattles, cape wattle produces huge seed crops, which are very long-lived in the soil. They are likely to germinate profusely after fire, so that they can go from being a minor weed to becoming dominant in burnt bush, if there is no control effort after a fire.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme,
and also part of the Friday Greens meme.

MELBOURNE STREET TREES 145 - YELLOW GUM

Eucalyptus leucoxylon  or 'Yellow Gum' is a medium-sized tree which reaches 10-30 metres in height. The bark is retained on the lower trunk but the upper trunk and branches are smooth-barked and cream to grey in colour. . The adult leaves are lance-shaped to about 200 mm long. The flowers are usually seen in autumn and winter and may be white, cream, pink or red.

To describe Yellow Gum as a single tree type is extremely difficult, as this species has so many different forms. It has a native range extending from southern NSW through Victoria into most of South Australia, including Kangaroo Island. Rodger Elliot, in his Encyclopaedia of Australian Plants, identifies these horticultural characteristics of E. leucoxylon:
Suited to most areas, except the tropics;
Long flowering period;
Adapted to most soils, including alkaline soils;
Drought and frost tolerant;
Resistant to smog;
Moderately fast growing, and;
 Excellent for shelter, shade and wind erosion control.

Poor branch attachment and short lifespan are possibly the only limitation to using E. leucoxylon in the landscape. To overcome these problems, specific provenance and seed selections are recommended.

This is a popular tree in cultivation, particularly subsp. megalocarpa which often has red or pink flowers (often called 'Rosea'). It is generally regarded as a more reliable red-flowered species for humid climates than Corymbia ficifolia, the Western Australian red flowering gum. However, as it is native to a dry-summer climate, it is not reliable in tropical areas. It performs best in well-drained, moist soils but, once established is tolerant of extended dry conditions.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

ORNAMENTAL FOUNTAIN GRASS

Increasingly in Melbourne gardens, parks and road verges are being planted with ornamental grasses, especially the native flora varieties. Pennisetum alopecuroides (Chinese pennisetum, Chinese fountaingrass, dwarf fountain grass, foxtail fountain grass, swamp foxtail grass) is a species of perennial grass native to Asia and Australia, and it is one of these grasses popularly planted.

The variety illustrated here is Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Purple Lea', and it forms an upright mound of arching green leaves, bearing bottlebrush spikes of pinkish purple flowerheads. Most effective when mass planted, but also useful as a specimen accent in the garden or in containers. Flowers are excellent for cutting, fresh or dried. Plants usually remain attractive well into the winter, the leaves turning bright golden-yellow in the Autumn. Clumps may be easily divided in spring. Old foliage should be cut to the ground in Spring. Drought tolerant once established.

It is widely planted as it is an environmentally friendly Australian native, excellent for attracting native birds. It is non-invasive to native bushland as very little viable seed is produced. It is attractive year-round and is hardy, drought tolerant, and grows well in a range of climates from Hobart to Darwin.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

MELBOURNE STREET TREES 142 - LACEBARK TREE

Brachychiton discolor is a rainforest tree of eastern Australia in the family Sterculiaceae. It grows in drier rainforest areas, scattered from Paterson, New South Wales (32° S) to Mackay, Queensland (21° S). There's also an isolated community of these trees at Cape York Peninsula. Common names include Lacebark Tree, Lace Kurrajong, Pink Kurrajong, Scrub Bottle Tree, White Kurrajong, Hat Tree and Sycamore.

An attractive tree up to 30 metres tall featuring pink flowers without petals. The trunk is straight, grey and cylindrical, up to 75 cm in diameter. Not buttressed at the base. Twigs hairy, brown and smooth. Leaves are hairy; lobed in three, five or seven points, 10 to 20 cm in diameter. Whitish underneath, dark green above. Leaf veins visible on both sides.

Flowers form from November to February. The flowers are pink, almost without stalks, 3 to 4 cm in diameter. Separate male and female flowers without petals. The fruit is a hairy boat shaped follicle maturing from December to July. 7 to 20 cm long, containing up to 30 seeds, 9 mm long. Germination from fresh seed occurs without difficulty. It is widely planted as an ornamental tree. Wood used as shields by Indigenous Australians. Roasted seeds edible by humans.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

MELBOURNE STREET TREES 141 - CORYMBIA 'BABY ORANGE'

Corymbia ficifolia or the red flowering gum also known as Albany red flowering gum (previously known as Eucalyptus ficifolia) is one of the most commonly planted ornamental trees in the broader eucalyptus family. It is native to a very small area of south coastal Western Australia (measured in just tens of kilometres) to the east of Walpole (430 km Southeast of Perth), but is not considered under threat in the wild. In nature Corymbia ficifolia prefers infertile, sandy soils but it is readily adaptable to most temperate locations, provided it is not exposed to severe frost or sustained tropical damp. It is an ideal street tree as it is hardy, moderately fast growing, and rarely grows large enough to require pruning.

I was able to obtain more photos and more information about this tree, which I also featured last week: Corymbia ficifolia 'Baby Orange' is a smaller, grafted form of Corymbia ficifolia. This small Australian native tree has dark green, glossy foliage. The bark does not shed from this tree. Bright orange flowers are produced in Summer, followed by large, decorative gumnuts. This tree has a moderately fast growth rate in suitable conditions. Adapts well to most soil types providing they are well-drained. Tolerant of air-pollution and coastal conditions. Young growth can be sensitive to frost. It produces a consistent spectacular vivid orange display and uniform habit. Ideal for streetscapes, smaller gardens and urban planting.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.