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Address Australian Plants Society Alice Springs Inc PO Box 3588 ALICE SPRINGS NT 0871 ABN 82 979 911 572 President Peter Jobson Tel: Email: [email protected]
Secretary Karlee Foster Tel: 0488 104 490
Email: [email protected] Treasurer Rebecca Duncum Tel: 0414 758 125 Email: [email protected] Editor Jenny Purdie Tel 0429 000 695 Email: [email protected]
In this issue: Coming Up 2 Alice Show 2016 3 Some Central Australian Solanums 4 Seen around Alice 6 Seen at Katherine Gorge 7 Cover Photo: Solanum tumulicola, Black-soil Wild Tomato. Photo by Jenny Purdie
Next Meetings:
Wednesday 3 August 7.30 pm
Alice Springs Desert Park Nursery Introduction to Propagation
Wednesday 7 September 7.30 pm
Olive Pink Botanic Garden Speaker: Bec Duncum
Fitzgerald River
Meeting Host: - Aug: Karlee Foster Sept: TBA Show Site Watering: Aug: TBA Sept: TBA
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Coming Up Message from the Field Naturalists: APS members and other visitors are welcome on Field Naturalists trips. Those with botanical skills are especially welcome. The FNC runs about 15 trips a year. A good number of these are to areas of botanical interest, it is essential to contact the leader if you which to participate as trips are subject to change.
Sat 30 July – Mon 2 August
Alice Springs Field Naturalists Club trip to Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary 2 or 3 nights camping ($10 per person per night) extended either way by personal choice. The plan is to make your own way out there on either Friday 29 or Saturday 30 July. Joe Schofield will be giving a talk on Saturday night and at other times we can explore the Reserve. There are excellent self‐guided tours that can be followed. We usually do a round trip of about 900km, including travelling around Newhaven. Fuel is available at Tilmouth Well but not at Newhaven. Leader: Barb Gilfedder [email protected]
Wed 3 Aug APS Meeting Alice Springs Desert Park Nursery 7.30 pm “Introduction to Propagation” for further information contact [email protected] or Karlee 0488 104 490
Sun 7 Aug Launch by Peter Latz of second Central Australian Flora brochure – Trees, Large Shrubs, Grasses and Sedges at 3pm at Olive Pink Botanic Garden.
Wed 10 Aug Alice Springs Field Naturalist AGM at CDU Higher Education Building lecture theatre at 7.00pm. This will be followed by Members’ night. Please bring pictures, either hard copy or on a thumb drive, or other items to share.
Wed 7 Sept APS Meeting Olive Pink Botanic Garden 7.30pm. APS Meeting Olive Pink Botanic Garden 7.30pm. Speaker Bec Duncum on Fitzgerald River WA
Wed 14 Sept
Alice Springs Field Naturalist Meeting at CDU Higher Education Building lecture theatre at 7.00pm. Speaker is Doug McDougall "Highlights of Hawaiian Wilderness" Doug will show pictures and talk about a recent trip to Hawaii, including a tour with Humpback Whales, a trip to Volcano National Park and the summit of the Big island.
26 – 30 Sept Alice Springs. Australasian Systematic Botany Society Conference
Second Central Australian Flora Brochure to be launched on Sunday August 7th at 3pm at OPBG
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2016 ALICE SPRINGS SHOW By Doug McDougall, Show Coordinator
Photos by Barb Gilfedder
We had another successful APS display at the show this year due to all the hard work from our volunteers. Connie did a great job organizing flowers to be collected for the sandhill display; this was a challenge because of the recent hail storm that hit Alice Springs. In spite of the damage the majority of plants were collected at Olive Pink Botanic Garden and thanks to all the people and the Alice Springs Desert Park that donated flowers at the last minute.
The Growers Group had a fantastic selection of plants that sold well despite the cold temperatures and low attendance at the show. Barb produced a great display focusing on different types of native grasses. I’m really grateful for everyone who helped set up, pack down, and to those who volunteered during the show.
Treasurer Bec Duncum, reported that sales of plants were up from last year but seeds, books and card sales were down. APS retain a percentage of the sale of plants (which belong to Olive Pink Botanic Garden) and overall came out well in front of expenses.
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SOME CENTRAL AUSTRALIAN SOLANUMS
By Barb Gilfedder
Solanum centrale, Desert Raisin. Covered with rusty hairs; no prickles.
S. centrale, Desert Raisin. Edible orange fruit.
S. chenopodium, Wild Tomato. White flowers; erect plant.
S. chenopodium, Wild Tomato. Red Fruit; lobed leaves.
S. chippendalei, Bush Tomato. Very prickly; large edible fruit.
S. coactiliferum, Western Nightshade. 4 petals; yellow fruit; long thin leaves.
S. diversiflorum. Deeply lobed leaves; long prickles.
S. echinatum, Wild Tomato. Semi-prostrate; very prickly; purple flowers
S. esuriale, Quena. Grey hairs; no prickles; ripe fruit yellow.
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S. ferocissimum, Spiny Potato Bush. Erect plant; flowers white or pale blue.
S. gilesii, Wild Tomato. Orange hairs on young growth.
S. lithophilum, Native Tomato. Woolly stems and leaves; prickly.
*S. nigrum , Blackberry Nightshade White flowers; ripe fruit is black.
S. orbiculatum, Wild tomato. Hairy; prickles on stem.
S. sturtianum, Sturt’s Nightshade. Erect to 2m; poisonous black fruit.
S. quadriloculatum, Wild Tomato. Prickly; hairy and poisonous.
S. quadriloculatum Fruit are black and squarish.
S. quadriloculatum Flowers can also be white.
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Seen around Alice – Barb Gilfedder
The larger photo on the left is Persicaria lapathofolia, Pale Knotweed, an Australian native plant. I took this picture at the Ilparpa sewage ponds and have been itching to pull the plants out because I thought it was Aerva javanica, Kapok Bush, (below) an introduced weed from Africa and Asia. To my inexperienced eye, they look very similar, but the Pale Knotweed is in the Polygonaceae family while the Kapok Bush is in Amaranthaceae family. The Persicaria occurs in damp situations, while the Aerva is generally found on hard-setting soils in disturbed areas such as mine sites. I have seen it in the hills around Alice.
Jim and I had a trip out to Rainbow Valley. There was no water in the salt lakes, but everywhere there were carpets of green, annuals responding to the good early winter rains, but not yet flowering. We found Acacia melleodora flowering as well as Solanum coactiliferum and Eremophila latrobei in the red sand.
Then near the beginning of a Field Naturalists trip to Old Andado, we found a lovely flowering Acacia desmondii in the Train Hills, and closer to the ground Zaleya galericiculata and Goodenia heterochila.
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SEEN AT KATHERINE GORGE (NITMILUK) By Jenny Purdie
Acacia lycopodiifolia
Acacia pellita Boronia grandisepela
Boronia lanuginosa Eucalyptus phoenicea - Scarlet Gum
Eucalyptus tintinnans – Salmon Gum
Grevillea dryandra – Dryander’s
Grevillea Haemodorum coccineum - Bloodroot Hibbertia sp.
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Abelmoschus moschatus – Native Rosella
Hibiscus leptocladus – Variable-leaf Hibiscus
Hibiscus menzeliae
Livistona inermis
Owenia vernicosa – Emu Apple Pterocaulon serralutum – Fruit-salad
Bush
Xanthostemon psidioides Xanthostemon umbrosus Muniria angustisepala
