05 December, 2010

Central Australian visit, Plants

Desert Grasstree, Xanthorrhoea thortoni growing on a ridge south of Murputja.
Gum from these plants is used as a glue.
Yellow Thryptmene, bark above and flowers below.

Weeping Wirewood, Acacia coriacea, is a small wattle of the sandy soils with some clay but in northern Australia along river banks can grow into a medium sized tree.
Red-bud Mallee, Eucalyptus pachyphylla. Eucalyptus means well covered and refers to the cap on the bud, which in this case is red, and falls as the flower opens. Mallees are small growing multistemmed trees.
Paper Daisy
Mistletoe, Lysiana sp. It is worth noting that no Australian mistletoe is poisonous. Maria says that the normal rules apply but I keep telling her that is only at Christmas time. Don't be too greedy girl!
Green Birdflower, Crotalaria cunninghamii, also known as rattle pods because the ripe pods rattle when shaken.
Eremophilla wilsii
Eremophila sp
Eremophila latrobei
A forest of Desert Oak, Allocasuarina decaisneana. Young trees grow very upright in columnar fashion until they start to branch. The fruit are large and spiky looking a little like cones but these are true flowering plants.
Another daisy.
Bladder Senna, Swainsonia coloutoides, is closely related to Stuarts Desert Pea.
River Gums in Charles's River. the morning had been grey but the sun came out, budgies and honeyeaters were very active and the skinks came out on the rocks as well.

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