Flora

Plant of the Month: Lomandra longifolia

Member of Wollombi Landcare, Andrea Lang has written a short and entertaining article about how to gather and grow this creek-side helper, so please enjoy the article and get your Lomandra on! Lomandra is the backbone of many a revegetation project because of its... read more

The Woodland Plant Helping Regent Honeyeaters from then Brink of Extinction

With less than 300 birds left in the wild, the Regent Honeyeater is a bird in dire need of help. These stunning birds will travel vast distances in search of food sources that provide high yields of nectar. Spotted Gum, Broad-leaved Ironbark, and Swamp Mahogany are... read more

Plant of the Month: Who’s a Sap?

The next group of Eucalypt like trees we’re looking at are the bloodwoods. The bloodwoods derive their common name from the large amount of sap they produce, previously listed in the Eucalyptus they were split off into the Corymbia genus in the 1990’s. Apart from the... read more

Plant of the Month: She’ll be Apples!

Within the Eucalypts and close relatives the common names of many of the groups do make a bit of sense, Ironbarks, Stringybarks, Boxes are all named for their bark, the Bloodwoods are so named for the large amount of sap they produce but what about these things called... read more

Winner of Australia’s Favourite Tree Announced

Take me to the river… “The contest is over, the dust has settled and one magnificent tree stands above the rest. It twists and turns as it gathers water from deep underground, reaches for the sky and sends generous branches in improbable directions. For... read more

Plant of the Month – Mallees

Plant of the Month: “I don’t mind at all if you call me a Mallee Boy.” The famous song by John Williamson refers to the Mallee Region of Western Victoria an area famous for it’s stunted multi-stemmed Eucalypts known as Mallees. The Mallee growth form is a fairly... read more

Plant of the Month: Brigalow

A dandy old horsernan is Brigalow Mick-Which his name, sir, is Michael O’Dowd -Whatever he’s riding, when timber is thick,He is always in front of the crowd.BRIGALOW MICK by Harry (“Breaker”) Morant Images from: plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au Aside... read more

Plant of the Month: The Tale of White Beard

Common in heathlands and sandstone areas the Bearded Heaths (Leucopogon spp) look fairly unremarkable till coming into flower and fruit. The Bearded Heath gets it’s botanical Genus Leucopogon from the Greek “Leuco-” meaning white and “pogon” meaning beard, for once... read more

What’s the difference between native, indigenous and endemic plants? And why is it important?

These terms confuse a lot of people, so let’s just take a minute to clear things up. ‘Native’ is a general term for plants that occur naturally in a country but not necessarily across the whole of that country. ‘Indigenous’ – Indigenous species are categorised as a... read more

Plant of the Month: Big Bad Banksia Men

Big Bad Banksia Men Australian author May Gibbs cast the “Big Bad Banksia Men” as the villains of many of her stories, looking at the cones of the Old Man Banksia (Banksia serrata) it is quite easy to imagine them as heads of some creature (though I think casting them... read more

Plant of the Month: The Call of the Lotus

Odysseus removing his men from the company of the lotus-eaters (source: Wikipedia) They started at once, and went about among the Lotus-eaters, who did them no hurt, but gave them to eat of the lotus, which was so delicious that those who ate of it left off caring... read more

Vines gone mad?

Do you have a native vine gone mad with the La Niña conditions we are experiencing? Native vines are an important part of our natural forests. Photos by Dennis Mayo A tangle of native vines can provide food, shelter and nesting sites for many different species of... read more

Plant of the Month: Eucalyptus nortonii

Life would be so much easier….. Y’know, life would be so much easier if plants could read books, they’d know important things like where they should grow, when they should flower and what they should look like. It would save me a lot of confusion. I’ll often find... read more

Plant of the Month: Learning new ‘trix

Here’s an interesting one for you (well, they’re all interesting to me at least), I was out in the field a few weeks back doing a follow up on the Fairy Bells work I’ve been doing the past couple of years (see: insert link). One of our monitoring sites is in the... read more

Plant of the Month: Staying Muddy

Last month we were in the mud looking at mangroves, this month we’ll go slightly closer shoreward and take a look at what grows in the hypersaline environment of the Salt Marshes. Salt Marshes occur around the high tide zone, often in shallow depressions which fill on... read more

Cactus Causing Prickly Problem

Loading... Taking too long? Reload document | Open in new tab View, Print and Download [659.68 KB] A new state-wide campaign is urging residents to be on the lookout for the prohibited sale or trade of prickly pear cacti. Image of Blind cactus, courtesy of Queensland... read more

Helping Scientists Control Lantana – Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain

Do you have Lantana camara in your backyard or on your property? Our scientists are documenting patterns in Lantana’s genetic diversity across Australia and need your help. “Lantana camara is a widespread shrub with colourful flowers. It’s poisonous to people... read more

Plant of the Month: Mangroves – Getting Muddy

There’s a concept in evolutionary biology called convergent evolution, it’s where distantly related organisms evolve the same or similar strategies for dealing with the environment in which they find themselves. One example many will be aware of are the Thylacines... read more

Plant of the Month: Please don’t pull this one out

Another couple of plants which commonly get mistaken for weeds (and pulled out) is Flannel Leaf (Astrotricha floccosa). With a home range between Newcastle and Sydney it’s found in Dry Sclerophyll Forest on sandstone, unfortunately the leaves can have a strong... read more

Ask a Plant Nerd: From Little Things

Ask a Plant Nerd: From little things. This month’s “Ask a Plant Nerd” question comes from HRLN committee member Les Pearson who asks “What’s a forb and why are they important?” The first bit is easy, a forb is a herbaceous flowering non graminoid (grass like) plant,... read more

Plant of the Month – Of Serpents and Spinifex

Botanically the Hunter Region compares well with other regions of the world for diversity. Given our geographic location with the New England Fold Belt to the North and East and the largely sedimentary Sydney Basin to the South and West (with the Hunter-Mooki Thrust... read more

Watch Your Step

When most people think of rare plants they think of large and exotic and hidden in the middle of nowhere. Oftentimes the rare ones can be found right under our feet, or in this case from London, just over our heads. “A rare species of orchid believed to have... read more

Plants of the Month: That’s gotta be a weed?

Plant(s) of the Month: That’s gotta be a weed, doesn’t it? Well….. You know how it goes, you go wandering through the bush and see a plant which just doesn’t fit in, which just by the general look of it you just know it’s gotta be a weed. So you reach down and…. NO!... read more

Plant of the Month: Australian Toadflax

(Thesium australe) When most people think of endangered species they think of something like the Wollemi Pine, tall, majestic and hidden away in a remote valley in the wilderness but in truth most of our endangered plant species are small, nondescript and in places... read more

Plant of the Month: Ribbon Gum

Twenty third of March is National Eucalypt Day so with that in mind it’s time for another gum PotM. This month’s PotM is the Ribbon Gum (Eucalyptus viminalis), there’s a couple of them growing near the bridge at Bunnan on the Scone-Merriwa Road, I’ve looked at these... read more

Weed of the Month: Khaki Weed (Alternanthera pungens)

I hate Khaki Weed, I really do, so much so that at one stage I had it almost eliminated from the footpaths of the small village I live in and despite my slackness over the past couple of years numbers are still low and just the other week had to spray the footpath... read more

Plant of the Month: What’s in a name? Hard Quandong

(Elaeocarpus obovatus) Also known as Blueberry Ash, Whitewood, Grey Carabeen, Freckled Oliveberry and Grey Carrobeen, despite the plethora of names it is not related to the other Quandongs (Santalum spp.), Ashes (Mountain Ash, Red Ash, Claret Ash, Himalayan Ash) or... read more

Weed of the Month: Coolatai grass Hyparrhenia hirta

Regional Priority Weed Objective – ASSET PROTECTION An invasive drought, fire and herbicide tolerant tussock forming perennial grass. It is found in all Australian states and territories. The main infestations on the East coast were south-eastern Queensland,... read more

Plant of the Month: Choccie Lily

Mmmm Chocolate (Lilies!) One of the most anticipated Spring arrivals in woodland and forest areas in this area is the blooming of the Chocolate Lilies (Dichopogon fimbriatus) not only for the attractive purple flowers but also for the chocolate scent they have. While... read more

PlantNET Search – Find your local plants

I’m giving away trade secrets here but apart from identifying plants one of our common requests is for species lists of what grows in an area, or what is suitable to plant in an area. Some areas we know quite well and will be able to give a reasonable list just off... read more

Plant of the month: Antarctic Beech, Nothofagus moorei

Every now and then I get the opportunity to wander through the cool, dark, damp Antarctic Beech forests of the high country up in the Barrington Tops. The Antarctic Beech rainforests are a Gondawanan relic showing little similarity to the surrounding Snow Gum and... read more

Grasses quiz

Can you identify these common weedy grasses that were presented at Tilligerry Landcare workshop recently? Once you’ve had your guess, scroll down for the answers! v v v v v v v v v v v Answers: Red Natal from Africa Whiskey Grass from the USA Erharta from... read more

Plant of the Month: Johnson’s Grevillea (Grevillea johnsonii).

Apart from my Landcare work I get a few other projects in from time to time, at the end of last week I was out in the Goulburn River National Park trying to track down a lost population of Fairy Bells (Homoranthus darwinioides)*, we didn’t manage to find that... read more

Tools, Tricks and Tips: Nursery Cheats

Ok, I have a confession, despite enjoying working in nurseries I really hate pricking out and potting up seedlings. Yeah, I know, it is the main point of working in a nursery, but it is just so tedious and time consuming so if I can find any way of doing it quicker I... read more

Plant of the Month: Magenta Lilly Pilly

(Syzygium paniculatum). Katuba (Kattang), Daguba (Cadigal). March is a great time for fans of bushfood, Kurrajongs, Sandpaper Fig and the Magenta Lilly Pilly all ripening. This year was a good season for the Lilly Pilly here in the Upper Hunter and while I didn’t get... read more

Good plant: Bad plant

I had a question the other day about how to tell the difference between an African Olive (Olea europea ssp cuspidata) and Mock Olive (Notelaea microcarpa), having spent quite a bit of time killing the former and trying not to kill the latter I work with the following... read more

Plant of the Month: Greenhood Orchid (Pterostylis nutans)

During winter and spring, these low green orchids, endemic to Eastern Australia, emerge from the ground in great numbers in moist, protected forest environments. The flowers “nod” or lean forwards strongly and occur singly on a stem arising from a rosette... read more

Tubestock Planting Demo

In this video, we discuss the tips and tricks for planting tubestock and seeing them survive and... read more

When To Apply Herbicides

Time the application of herbicides to achieve maximum effectiveness. The right time to apply systemic poisons is when water and sugars are being rapidly moved (translocated) around the plant (usually spring and summer). Herbicides are likely to be less effective on... read more

Plant of the Month: Forest Red Gum

Plant of the Month: Forest Red Gum (Eucalyptus tereticornis) Munumba (Worimi) Buringoa (D’harawal) A magnificent tall tree to 50 metres, the Forest Red Gum is found along the east coast of Australia from Gippsland in Victoria to Papua New Guinea. In the Hunter... read more

Identifying Natives vs Weeds

Build Your Own Backyard Habitat

Blue Grass Vs Red Grass Identification

Learn about Galls

Blue grass vs Red Grass ID

Plant Recognition Notes: Blue Grass-Red Grass Blue Grasses (Dichanthium sericium, Dichanthium setosum): Clumping Grass to 1m, common in the Mid and Upper Hunter, often bluish, “hairy “skirt” on the nodes, spikelets come out from a central position (digitate).... read more

Plants of the Box Gum Grassy Woodlands

This vegetation community is listed as an Ecologically Endangered Community because of the flora and fauna this community supports, including the species of White Box, Yellow Box, and Blakely’s Gum.

Birds of the Box Gum Grassy Woodlands

Box Gum Grassy Woodlands are a feature of Eastern Australian landscapes. Look at and listen to birds from this environment.

Emerging Weed: Groundsel Bush

Groundsel bush is reputed to be poisonous to livestock although it seldom causes a problem because they rarely eat enough. However, livestock will lose condition rapidly if forced to graze it.

Reflection: Weeds Conference

Weeds continue to be a big problem for NSW- What are the strategies, research and new products being developed? Are we effectively putting the ‘We’ in weeds across tenure?

A Plant Nerd Answers: Processionary Caterpillar

The caterpillars nest in, on, or at the base of various trees leaving them to bury themselves in the ground and pupate.

A Plant Nerd Answers: How to ID a Gum Tree

One of the first things we look at when identifying a Eucalypt (or close relative Angophora or Corymbia) is the bark, is it smooth? Rough, Stringy, Hard? Soft?

Tubestock Planting Guide

This planting guide is drawn from internet sources and personal experience in Landcare.

Gumnuts of the Upper Hunter

Bark types and gumnuts (or “fruit”) are a handy way of determining which group a Eucalypt belongs to.

Eucalypt Bark Types

Just as their fruits (gumnuts) can help us figure out which Eucalypt is which so can their bark, these are some commonly seen in the Upper Hunter.

Goodness, Gracious Great Balls of… umm… Seed.

Seed balls are a fairly simple way of getting seed into an area to germinate after a good rain event.

A non-chemical approach to weed control – A Sweet End to Weeds

A non-chemical approach to weed control A Sweet end to Weeds Sugar has the potential to control annual weeds according to recent research trials conducted by researchers from Charles Sturt University. Trials on a private property “Windermere”, and a travelling stock... read more