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November 2011 Newsletter

General Meeting Times

The next meeting is the TENPS Annual General Meeting on November 17th 2011. Meetings are held at 7:30 pm on the third Thursday of each month at Marrara Christian College, on the corner of Amy Johnson Avenue and McMillans Road. The general meeting is followed by a chance to meet with other members and access the TENPS reference Library over a cuppa. Bring your plants along to swap, sell or have identified. The guest speaker presentation commences at 8pm. All are welcome. Field trips are usually on the weekend following the General Meeting, details provided in the newsletter or at the meeting.

What’s in Flower?

Male flowers of Suregada glomerata photographed at Virginia by Russell Dempster in October 2011.

President: Russell Dempster 8983 2131

Vice President: Jude Ebsworth 0437278799

Secretary: Sarah Hirst

Treasurer: Dave Liddle

Publicity: Brigid Oulsnam

Publications: Sarah Hirst

Public Officer: Sean Bellairs

Librarian: Liz Howells 0415461850

General Committee Members:

Alex Bakunowicz Jon Schatz 0421722826

Webmaster: Alex Bakunowicz

PO Box 135 Palmerston NT 0831

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Notice of Annual General Meeting:

The Annual General Meeting of The Top End Native Plant Society Incorporated will be held at 7.45 pm on Thursday 17th November 2011 at Marrara Christian College, on the corner of Amy Johnson Avenue and McMillans Road. The AGM agenda is:

1) Apologies 2) Minutes of Previous AGM

Business arising from minutes of previous AGM

3) Committee Report 4) Treasurer’s Report 5) Auditor’s Report

6) Election of Management Committee

PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT

SECRETARY

TREASURER

PUBLICITY OFFICER

PUBLICATIONS OFFICER

LIBRARIAN

TWO COMMITTEE MEMBERS

7) Other Business

Appointment of Public Officer

Membership Subscription Fee

Sponsorship of student at Charles Darwin University

We ask all our members to make a special effort to attend the AGM. This is very important for the continued running of the society. Reports will be tabled and all committee positions will be declared vacant before a new committee is elected. Please consider if you can contribute to TENPS by nominating yourself or getting someone to nominate you for a position on the committee.

After the AGM our guest speaker will be Ian Morris speaking on his recent trip to the Wallace Line.

Article by Russell Dempster.

TENPS 2011 Speaker Calendar November 17: Ian Morris – ‘The Biogeography of Wallacea’.

Ian Morris will take a closer look at the forgotten plants of Wallacea. Ian recently took part in a two week trip to Sulawesi and Maluku exploring sections of the Wallace Line, an important division between the Asian and Australasian plates. Be sure to come along to hear some fascinating stories and thoughts, and enjoy some natural history through the eyes and photographs of our well travelled friend.

Semecarpus australiensis fruit photographed by Russell Dempster at Virginia in November 2011.

2011 Memberships A reminder that memberships for the 2011/2012 financial year were due by 1 July 2011. If you haven’t renewed your membership this year we invite you to make a special effort to come along to the AGM on Thursday 17 November and rejoin. Invite your friends along if you think they may be interested, and encourage them to join. It’s a great way to meet other like-minded folk and to learn about native plants, their habitats, conservation and propagation, as well as getting access to informative newsletters, our library, notices about upcoming events, discounts on native plant purchases, information about field trips, obtain details of other clubs activities.....

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TENPS 2011 Field Trips November 19th Field Trip – Blackmore River Conservation Reserve.

Meet at Sarah & Dave’s Blackmore River property at 9.00 am for a cuppa and some of Mum’s now famous banana cake. Afterward we will take a walk to check out some of the Blackmore River Conservation Reserve. Don’t forget your hat! To get there: Head down the Cox Peninsula Rd and turn right 4km past the Blackmore River Bridge onto Lawton Rd – dirt, but in +/- good condition. Follow the formed road to the right (Stockwell Rd) then turn left before the creek causeway at the road marked „Private Rd‟. Follow this to the open gate with the Land for Wildlife sign at end of the road. Allow about an hour from Casuarina or the city.

Saturday November 26th TENPS Plant Sale Outside Coolalinga Woolworths, 8 am - 12 noon.

December 18th

TENPS Xmas Party hosted by

the Dempster’s at 117 Virginia Rd, 1 pm - 5 pm.

Field Naturalists Diary

The Field Naturalists meeting is held on the second Wednesday of each month at 7:45 PM. The venue is building Blue 1.03 (Business building) at Charles Darwin University. Anyone is welcome to attend.

TENPS Committee Meeting

Committee meetings are held every second month and members are most welcome to attend. The next committee meeting will be after the AGM and will most likely be on Tuesday November 22th at 7.30pm. Venue TBA.

October Meeting Report 1: Dr Greg Leach – Eriocaulons

Dr Greg Leach shared some fascinating insights on Eriocaulons, a little known group of wetland plants which have their Australian centre of diversity in the Northern Territory, although they make up only a small part of the NT flora.

Within the world wide family Eriocaulaceae there are 400 species of Eriocaulon. The family contains 13 genera with 1200 species with the major genera being Paepelanthus (500 spp) and Syngonanthus (200 spp). Eriocaulons occur mainly in Brazil where they have their highest diversity but are also found in Africa, Asia and other tropical areas. In Australia we have 40 species with 20 of these endemic species and in the Northern Territory there are 22 species and a few yet to be described. Eriocaulons are a wetland species found in grassy swamps, sedgelands, soaks and springs. In eastern Australia diversity peaks around mound springs with some species endemic to a restricted number of springs. In Arnhem Land diversity is highest around sandstone freshwater creeks and soaks. Around Darwin Eriocaulons are common on the Howard River sand plains.

This is probably Eriocaulon schultzii but without checking the seed under an SEM it is impossible to be certain. Photographed in May 2011 on the Howard River sand plains by Sarah Hirst.

Eriocaulons have a basal rosette of leaves which have the characteristic fenestrate (window-like) venation. The flowering head is carried on a peduncle above the leaves and is made up of many separate male and female flowers contained within bracts. A single head may consist of 50-100 individual flowers with the female flowers located at the base of the head and the male at the top. Flowers are based on either 2 or 3; with 2-3 sepals, 2-3 petals and 2-3 locules in the ovary. For identification the seeds are the most important part, and are best done using a scanning electron microscope.

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The sepals on different species show vast variation which can be helpful for identification. When the seed is released in some species it is released in to a pouch within the sepal and Greg believes this may aid distribution by acting like a wing for individual seeds. When viewed under the scanning electron microscope (SEM) the seeds of different species show increasing complexity. The simplest seeds of Eriocaulon cinereum are smooth and shiny and look a little like a mirror ball. As they get more complex they lose the thin outer layer and the cell walls thicken resulting in the seed appearing sculptured in various ways. In some the seed coat ridges look like a honeycomb, in others the cells wall ridges are thickened longitudinally with the result that the seed looks like a blimp.

L An Eriocaulon with blimp like seeds under SEM. R Some Eriocaulon seeds have a fringed appearance.

Images provided by Greg Leach. As they get more complex the cell walls have pillars on the opposing sides giving a fringed effect, and some have tags only in the corners of the cell walls. They become more heavily fringed with pillars all around the cell walls, irregular pillars in both directions and then have vertical columns forming rows of “T” shapes in the middle of the cell walls.

The most complex Eriocaulon seed coats have rows of “T” shaped columns visible under scanning electron microscope. Image provided by Greg Leach.

The Australian Eriocaulons are fairly insignificant but appear in large swards in wetland areas. Nothing seems to eat Eriocaulons so they are often undisturbed even in heavily grazed areas. Their role in the ecosystem is not well known, but they appear to have remarkable diversity in dispersal mechanisms. The most common species in Australia (E. cinereum) is a minor weed in other places especially in rice paddies, but interestingly has the simplest of seed coats so perhaps its dispersal relies on the keep-it-simple principal! Obviously access to a scanning electron microscope is not an everyday luxury so some species can be distinguished by field characters. The most readily identifiable species is the single truly aquatic species Eriocaulon setaceum. Other identifiable species include E. depressum which has heads with flattened (depressed) top and a straw yellow colour. E. spectabilis has large a tapered cone-shaped heads in a silvery grey colour. E. australe and E. willdenovianum are large species with leaves up to 30cm in length (height). E. fistulosum is similar to E. depressum but it has hairs (visible with a hand lens) below the lower bracts. E. schultzii is a very common small species recognisable by its pure white open heads. Only 2 species grow in rainforests, with most growing in open sunny locations. It is not uncommon to find 4-5 species growing together within a square metre in sand sheet areas. The plants most closely related to Eriocaulons in Australia are Xyris (Xyridaceae) and Centrolepis (Centrolepidaceae).

L Xyris complenata photographed at Douglas River, R Centrolepis exserta photographed in May 2011 on the Howard River sand plains by Sarah Hirst.

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We thank Greg for sharing his knowledge of Eriocaulons with us, and for showing us the amazing SEM images of the seeds!

Article by Sarah Hirst.

October Meeting Report 2: Dr Greg Leach – Hildegardia

The first specimen with seeds of the Australian species Hildegardia australiensis was collected from Arnhem Land by Kym Brennan in June 1990 during surveys of Kakadu. The specimen mystified all the senior botanists at the NT Herbarium. As Greg Leach was due to go to Kew Gardens Herbarium (London) for a year, he took the specimen with him. The presence of seed allowed Greg to identify the species as a Hildegardia at Kew but it did not match any of the previously described species. The new species was only known from 2 populations on the dolomite hills around Coronation Hill. The species description was fast tracked and its discovery was a major contribution to the prevention of mining stage 3 at Coronation Hill. Hildegardia is a genus named after the 11th century German Abess and mystic Hildegard and is in the Sterculiaceae family (which has recently been reassigned to subfamily Sterculioideae in the family Malvaceae). It is a world wide genus with 11 species and a widely scattered distribution which are linked by their unique fruit. 3 species are found in Africa, 3 in Madagascar, 1 in India, 1 in the Philippines, 1 in Indonesia, 1 in Cuba and now 1 species in Australia. World wide the genus is in trouble. In Sumbawa the Indonesian species was known from 2 collections but has not been seen since the 1950’s and 60’s despite searches for it. The Philippines species was described from a single collection but not seen since the 1930’s. A single population of 20 trees makes up the Indian species; whilst the Cuban species was discovered in 1924 and is now endangered and is nearing extinction. In Madagascar 1 species has a scattered distribution, 1 discovered in 1956 and known form only 3 collections and the third species is known from only 3 locations. Of the three African species, 1 was found in 1929 but has not been seen for 60 years, 1 species occurs in Somalia and is represented by 4 populations

with 2 of these consisting of a single individual. The third species is the only one that is considered secure and is widespread. There is a lot of traditional knowledge on this species with uses ranging from fibre from the bark and the seed being eaten as a food source. The Australian species is superficially similar to other members of the subfamily Sterculioideae, the Kurrajongs. It is deciduous and bears flowers when completely leafless. It has smooth bark which is characteristically green in colour. The species appears to be pollinated by insects. There are now 9 populations of Hildegardia australiensis known, including records from the black basalt hills along the Gunlom road. Once identified and described the Herbarium discovered during a review of their too hard basket – a box known by the initials GOK (God only Knows!) that it had been collected many years previously. This first specimen was collected by George Brown in August 1974. If you would like to see this interesting and unusual tree you can visit the George Brown Botanic Gardens where 2 mature trees are located inside the fence of the Nursery on Gilruth Avenue.

Article by Sarah Hirst.

October Field Trip Report:

East Point Vine Thicket A few TENPS members had a very pleasant

Saturday morning walk along the coastal

monsoon vine thicket walking trail on October

22. The sound of Rainbow Pittas calling

throughout the forest was very pleasant, along

with the Rose Crown Fruit Pigeon.

Torres Strait Pigeons were feasting on the

abundance of Pachygone ovata fruit (above)

available on the vines, and Orange Footed Scrub

Fowls were patrolling around on the forest floor.

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There were a couple of large active nests seen

close to the path (below).

The walking trail (also by joggers and push bike

riders) made it very easy to venture through the

vine thicket, although we did venture off it on

several occasions. It was hard to identify some

deciduous species as many were still leafless or

only just beginning to spout new wet season

growth.

Dave & Louise find identifying trees can be hard work!

Especially when there are no leaves on the trees, or if

they're only just shooting….

At least they've provided a nice seat to sit on, under the

shade of the Maranthes that probably fell over in

Cyclone Tracy.

"I think it's Sterculia quadrifida."

Evergreen species were easier to identify,

especially with Dave’s use of the Field Key for

the Vine Forests and Thickets of the Litchfield

National Park and Darwin Area. Diospyros

compacta and D. calycantha can often be easily

distinguished by the presence or absence of

circular black fungal spots on the leaves; if they

are present, then it is D. calycantha. This species

also often has red petioles, but the key makes it

more obvious through examination of the basal

sections of the upper mid-rib of the leaf. D.

calycantha has this portion raised while D.

compacta does not, but the upper surface of some

D. compacta leaves have raised yellow glands

toward the base.

Lenticels are pores in the trunks or stems of

woody plants that appear as raised spots. Air

can flow through the pores to reach the tissues

below the surface.

The lenticels were noticeable on the trunks of

Antiaris toxicaria (L) and Peltophorum pterocarpum

(R). They are quite long on the Peltophorum

(Yellow Flame Tree).

Article by Russell Dempster

Psydrax odorata flowering at Virginia. Photographed in November2011 by Russell Dempster.

The Top End Native Plant Society sends a very special thank you to

Rob Knight, MLA & Electorate Officer Sharon McAlear

at the Daly Electorate Office for kindly printing TENPS newsletters in 2011.

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The change in this Amorphophallus paeoniifolius flower at East Point after 5 days is quite amazing. Photographed by Russell Dempster in October 2011.

Time to get your cameras into action!

As we experience the joys of increased humidity and localised storms, the weather is a good reminder that it will soon be the growing season on the seasonally saturated sand plains of the Howard River. This wet season is our opportunity to fill more gaps in imagery of the sand plain plants for inclusion on the Wildflowers of the Darwin Region web site. As part of the Caring for Our Country Community Action Grant received from the Australian Government, TENPS has undertaken to add imagery for 100 sand plain species on the Wildflowers of the Darwin Region web site. This web site is a great plant identification

resource and provides a useful mechanism for TENPS to inform and educate a broad audience about the fascinating flora of the Top End. Comparison of lists of plants recorded from the Howard sand plains with imagery at hand reveals plenty of scope for members to contribute images. Currently 645 plant species have been recorded from the Howard Sand Plain Site of Conservation Significance from a mix of seasonally saturated and upland country. Of these, 305 species have been encountered within 65 plots sampled on seasonally saturated landscapes. Less than one third of these species from seasonally saturated substrates are currently illustrated on the Wildflowers of the Darwin Region website. The list of species recorded from the Howard Sand Plain Site of Conservation Significance will be posted on the TENPS website shortly, along with annotations as to occurrence on seasonally saturated substrates and available imagery. This record will be regularly updated and is intended as a working list that members can use to target their photographic efforts. Could those members who have additional images please advise Dave Liddle so we can further refine the list. Happy snapping!

Article by Dave Liddle.

Newsletter Contributions

We are always seeking photographs of flowers, plants, and vegetation for the “What’s in Flower” section of the newsletter. News stories, articles, announcements, jokes or anything else that you think would be of interest to TENPS members are also welcome. Please send your contributions to the Publications Officer at sarah.hirst@nt.gov.au on or before the second Friday of each month.

Corrections & Apologies

The following errors appeared in the October newsletter: Gary Fox’s photo of Grevillea polyacida is actually G. versicolor. The photo of Peltophorum pterocarpum from the Mica Beach field trip credited as Magen Pettit’s was actually taken by Russell Dempster.

Publications Officer

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TENPS Christmas Party

The 2011 TENPS Christmas Party will be on Sunday 18th

December and hosted by

the Dempster’s at their residence at 117 Virginia Road from 1 pm to 5 pm.

Family and friends are welcome.

Bring along some lunch to share. The barbecue will be fired up for those that like that option.

There is also a plunge pool to cool off with a swim at any stage.

A wander around to have a look at plants during the afternoon will be a must

so bring a hat along.

There will be other activities as well so come along and share the fun.

Hope to see you all there!

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The wet is here! Get your native plants now!

Plant Sale

Where: Coolalinga, out the front of Woolworths

When: Saturday 26th

November 2011

Time: 8am-12noon

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TO:

Sender:

PO Box 135 Palmerston NT 0831

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