Green Space Our Place Our Volunteers Voice
Green Space Our Place
Exploring our mangroves
Tours conclude 2018
Wet brings insects in abundance ISSUE 22 MARCH 2019
Front Page: Jeff Pretty holding a Garcinia cambogia fruit, ‘Malabar Tamarind’ Back Page: Oncoba welwitschii, growing Sugarworld Botanic Gardens
In this issue:
From the Editor
• From the Editor - Page 2 • Volunteer Profile - Page 3 • ‘New Year for Trees’ celebration - Page 4 • Tours conclude 2018 Page 5 • Critters in the Gardens Dr David Rentz MA Pages 6-7 • Friends of Botanic Gardens, Cairns - Pages 8-9 • Exploring our Mangroves Tom Collis - Pages 10-11 • Subtle differences between egrets - Jennifer H. Muir Pages 12-13 • Feathered Friends Page 13 • Jelly Fungi - Barry Muir Page 14 • Did you know? Jennifer H. Muir - Page 14 • Around the Gardens Curator David Warmington Page 15 • Pollination syndromes Pages 16-17 • What’s on in 2019 Pages 18-19 • More information on Green Space Our Place and Friends groups - Page 19
Editor - Volunteers Supervisor, Louisa Grandy Proof readers - Michelle Walkden Volunteers Sandy Long, Jennifer H. Muir Contributors - Volunteers Barry Muir, Jennifer H. Muir, John Peter, Dr David Rentz, Tom Collis and Botanic Gardens Curator David Warmington.
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Welcome back! After such a hot and uncomfortable end to the year we have been blessed with a good Wet Season! Hasn’t it been fantastic for the Tropics and our plants; but not so good for the weeding that is ahead of us! Once again we have a magazine full of information on the flora and fauna of Cairns. Many of the articles are provided by our volunteer contributors such as the ‘abundance of insects’ along with information on mangroves, fungi and birds. All our supervised programs are up and running and I’m very happy to deliver some great news!
This year the History Tour Guides will be offering two talks per week. These tours will be delivered on Tuesdays and Thursdays, leaving the Botanic Gardens Visitor Centre at 10am. Our volunteers have spent a lot of time in creating a very informative historical tour on the Tanks Art Centre and Botanic Gardens. There is no need to book, simply turn up and join our volunteers. As you will see on Page 19 there are a number of tours each week at Cairns Botanic Gardens, including the Friends tours of Flecker Gardens with its fascinating array of tropical plants from the equatorial areas of the world.
Our volunteers have been helping out in other ways too with the Jabirus supporting Council officers with the new Cattana Wetlands signage suite. This will be installed this year.
If you would like to volunteer without getting ‘down and dirty’, there are plenty of other opportunities such as assisting visitors to the Botanic Gardens in the Visitor Enhancement Volunteer program. Give us a call; we are more than happy to discuss the various ways you could contribute in this very flexible program.
Louisa
How fitting that an interview with Dr Bob Jago begins with the Cairns Botanic Gardens curator asking if he could have a moment before we begin, to confirm the name of a plant specimen from Gondwanan Garden. It says a lot about this humble man who is always available to share his plant knowledge. After only moments spent with Bob Jago, I realise I’m talking with a naturally gifted man who can easily recall any plant knowledge he has gained from the 60 years of dedicated research on the region’s flora. Walking through the forest with Bob confirms this when he begins to name every plant along the way. Bob has collected over 8000 specimens from the region between 1968 and 2018. Duplicates of some of these specimens have been distributed to many Australian and overseas herbaria such as Kew Gardens. He has also had four plants named after him. In recognition of his contribution to botany, Bob was awarded an honorary doctorate at JCU’s graduation ceremony in December last year. “It is an honour to be recognised and people I hadn’t heard from in 20 years rang to congratulate me.” Local Babinda boy, Bob’s passion began at 11 years of age when as a boy scout he was told that every good boy scout should know all plants within a five mile radius from his home. He began collecting botanical specimens with his grandfather Robert Giddins and drying them on the old wood stove. “I created a book of 10 specimens which received lots of praise and was soon deemed as the local expert amongst the other boy scouts! This expectation led to more interest and learning.” Bob said that he became interested in the Wet Tropics rainforest before it was known to the world so was lucky to ride the wave of interest as it grew. “It was so exciting as everything was new. There was only an old original key to use and no books around to assist. It was so easy to find something that no-one else had seen!” Although Bob’s grandfather and brother were timber cutters, he did his plumbing apprenticeship at Babinda Mill and was in this occupation for 37 years before joining Douglas Shire Council as an Environmental Officer and later as Environmental Officer in Development Assessment officer with Cairns Regional Council. “Every spare moment I had though, I spent studying and researching plants, collecting on weekends and studying at night and after work. It’s about observing everything when walking through the forest and then effort and study is the key,” he explains. Entirely self-taught and with no formal qualifications, Bob says the more he studied the more he realised there was so much he didn’t know. “I began with ferns but once I realised that I couldn’t readily find any new ones, I started learning about orchids and between 13-20 years of age I spent many weekends with Jack Wilkie, a local authority on orchids. This then led to timber trees and more. “As a boy I soon realised that the Wet Tropics was largely unknown after sending some specimens, that I’d collected from along the creek behind my home, to the Queensland Herbarium and they had never seen them.” He joined the North Queensland Naturalist Club and Society
A humble man who always has time to share plant knowledge. for Growing Australian Plants (SGAP) in his late teens, and collected specimens for the Atherton CSIRO, working alongside botanists Bruce Gray, Bernie Hyland and Tony Irvine. “Bernie explained how Dr Bob Jago plants were classified and to look for the characteristics that would determine their classification and this assisted me with my studies. I would send a box full of specimens once or twice a year to the Queensland Herbarium for identification along with specimens sent to the CSIRO in Atherton. In the early years many of the plants collected were undescribed and new to science. Some of these specimens assisted in a small way in enabling the Australian Tropical Rainforest Plant (ATRP) identification system to be developed.” Bob’s research has had an impact in so many areas that they can’t all be listed here; such as assisting with cancer research for new plant medicines. Over the past couple of years Bob has been working on compiling a list of the plant species collected by Banks and Solander in 1770 in North Queensland for the Cairns Branch of SGAP as a part of the 250th Anniversary celebrations next year. Most of the lists available on the internet only contain the species that were illustrated in Banks’ Florilegium. Banks & Solander did however collect numerous other species that were not illustrated. “During the years before the internet I developed a network of botanists who sent me copies of their published papers some of which cited specimens collected by Banks & Solander. I have gone through every paper and book I could lay my hands on as well as searches of the online database at the British Museum of Natural History to compile a list of plant species collected at each of their seven North Queensland collecting localities. Some of the specimens Banks & Solander collected appear not to have been looked at in years and it is not uncommon to encounter specimens that have been incorrectly identified.” Bob also spends half a day a week at the Australian Tropical Herbarium. “At the moment I’m targeting items that are not well photographed such as the flowers, fruit and bark and collecting a couple of 100 specimens that are absent from the collections so they can be included in the ATRP key. An undescribed plant always makes the job of researching exciting and takes time, as half a dozen specimens for each new species need to be obtained before distributing them to a herbarium.” Bob explains although he has passion for the environment, what also fuels his research is his love of seeing it benefit others so is always eager to assist. He has been involved with the park for many years, being a part of organising a petition to retain it as a recreational park as well as the original plantings such as the Jalarra tree ring. He is also a member of the Jalarra Park volunteer group. Before we finish the interview, Bob ensures me that he is always available to support the volunteer program and that he is happy to assist any of the volunteers, individually or groups with their plant research.
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‘New Year for Trees’ celebrations Members of the Chabad Centre for Jewish Life celebrated the ‘New Year for Trees’ with a tree planting at the Saltwater Creek Reserve, Edge Hill in January. Green Space Our Place organised the trees, equipment and prepared the site for the occasion. The tree planting activity is one of many Chabad of NQ Holiday programs, which give everyone the opportunity to learn the significance of Jewish holiday rituals and perform them with their families. Tu B'Shevat, the 15th of Shevat on the Jewish calendar, is the day that marks the beginning of a ‘New Year for Trees’. This is the season in which the earliest-blooming trees in the Land of Israel emerge from their winter sleep and begin a new fruit-bearing cycle. “The Jewish New Year for plant life reminds us that ‘Man is a tree of the field’ (Deuteronomy 20:19) and helps us reflect on the lessons we can derive from our botanical analogue,” said Rabbi Ari. “Tu Bishevat touches all five senses: the sweet smell of the fruits, the feel of the branch and twigs in your hand, the sights and sounds of the planting around us, and the taste of the festival’s feasts.”
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TOURS CONCLUDE 2018
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Tours were organised to conclude our 2018 volunteers programs. The Jabirus organised a Sugarworld Orchard tour with Curator David Warmington, and we celebrated the year with a final event in December with our History Tour Guides leading two groups through the Tanks Art Centre and Botanic Gardens. 1. Myrianthus arboreus, Giant Yellow Mulberry, not a Mulberry but in the Nettle family; 2. Sharren Wong with the Treculia africana, African Breadfruit; 3. Candy Mason in front of the Malpighia emarginata, Barbados Cherry; 4. Sugarworld Tour begins, with lots of fruit tasting along the way; 5. Sandy Long tucks into one of the fruits in season; 6. Bernie Mason leads a group through the Tanks Art Centre; 7. Lyn Mason talks about Tank 4 which is now an art gallery; 8. Pat MacConnacher admires a Syzygium aqueum, Water Cherry; 9. Prue Fitzpatrick leans in to sniff the giant African Breadfruit, with Sharron Wong and Curator David Warmington pictured in the back ground; 10. Theobroma grandiflorum or Cupucau flower. 5
Critters in the Gardens DR DAVID RENTZ AM
Floury Baker, Aleeta curvicosta
Dodd’s Bunyip, Tamasa doddi
Wet season brings abundance of insects Summer (the Wet Season) is the time for the peak abundance of insects. With the drought of the past couple of years it seems insect numbers have been on the decline. But the recent rains have prompted lots of insects we have not seen for ages to emerge and show themselves again. Some are rather secretive and it takes some careful observation to see many of them during the day but they are there, so be persistent. Cicadas are noisy and common in our area. Many species can be heard in the gardens commencing with Northern Greengrocer, Cyclochila australasiae, singing at dusk in August and continuing for months with each session a few seconds later than the last. They start around 6.38pm in August and the time advances a few seconds a day until later when they start singing well after 7pm.
The Floury Baker, Aleeta curvicosta, is especially common in summer and can be found on tree trunks. They sing both day and night and you can approach quite close before they take off. Common with them is Dodd’s Bunyip, Tamasa doddi, but it lives higher on the tree trunks. The song is a crescendo, with ticks between bursts. This species forms small groups and can be easily approached. Chlorocysta suffusa has no common name. The male is distinctive with its swollen abdomen. It is on tree trunks rather close to the ground. The song is rattle-like and is said to resemble that of a cricket. A few crickets can be encountered during the day in the Cairns Botanic Gardens.
The largest is the Sad Cricket, Cardiodactylus novaeguineae; sad because of the way the song sounds. It can be heard during These cicadas are found high up in the trees and provide cloudy days or at dusk. The cricket is active day and night food for many birds. They are often attracted to lights at and is large and colourful. night and that’s the best way to see them. Otherwise you may hear their distress call as birds like the Drongos and It seems to be common in two places in the Gardens. One Black Butcherbird and Catbirds find them and tear them of these places is along the ramp from the west end of the Visitor Centre on Collins Avenue. You both hear and see it to shreds.
Kuranda Tree Runner,
Pseudotrigonidium australis 6
Giant Spiny Forest Katydid
Phricta spinosa
Chlorocysta suffusa
Sad Cricket, Cardiodactylus novaeguineae
on a variety of plants. Other places include the plants near Another katydid to look for is the Pimpled Broad-winged Snub Nose, Mastigaphoides tuberculatus. It is noisy at night. the bridge closest to the Conservatory. While you are checking tree trunks for cicadas, you may During the day it is inactive and uses camouflage or be fortunate enough to find one or two species of bark protective coloration and a great deal of luck to avoid crickets. These are mostly nocturnal but spend the day hungry birds. It is easy to see if it is perching on a broadleafed plant like banana or ginger. sprawled akimbo, camouflaged on tree trunks. One of the prettiest is the Kuranda Tree Runner, Pseudotrigonidium australis. This cricket prefers some trees over others. When you find one, you can be sure others will be present. The call of the male is low and pleasant. There are a number of other tree runner crickets but they require dedicated searching to reveal their presence.
The Wet Season is the best for a wonderful array of flies.
Northern Greengrocer Cyclochila australasiae
Flies are attracted to ripe fruits or bird dung. Stalk-eyed flies, family Platystomatidae, are most unusual. Males like the common species, Achias australis, have the eyes literally out on the end of a stalk. Females seem to be attracted to the males with the broadest eyes! They are readily attracted to banana and other ripened fruit in the Wet Season. They are primarily nocturnal but can be seen during the day.
There are probably more than a dozen katydid species living in the Gardens. Most are Long-legged flies of the family Dolichopodidae are aptly nocturnal but with persistent searching a well camouflaged named and are often seen running on leaf surfaces. They individual may be found on a leaf surface or on a tree trunk. are small and active as they search for small insect prey. The The Giant Spiny Forest Katydid, Phricta spinosa, is common one pictured is probably in the genus Austroscipus. in the gardens. At night individuals are about seeking food which consists of flowers, fruits and other vegetable matter. During the day they perch sprawled on tree trunks much as the bark crickets.
Pimpled Broad-winged Snub Nose
Mastigaphoides tuberculatus
There is much to see in the world of insects in the Gardens but you must be patient and be prepared to stand in one place and simply observe. Good luck. Next month we’ll look at some of the flashy beetles you see during the day.
Stalk-eyed Fly
Achias australis
Long-legged Fly
Austroscipus
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Friends farewell members ‘Gardeneer’ will be greatly missed Friends of the Botanic Gardens, Cairns was very sad to hear of the passing in December 2018 of our good friend and fellow ‘Gardeneer’ Wally Whitnell after a short illness. He had been a member of the Friends for 20 years and a gardeneer for the last 10-12 years. Prior to joining us on Wednesdays he would turn up on the weekends of our big sales and help out. Wal was a very private person but always ready to regale us with tales of his frequent trips to the Palmer River where he was involved with the Palmer River Historical Society. He had a wide knowledge and interest in plants, specifically native trees and shrubs. Wal was our go-to person for green ants. When pot plants were infested with them the call was “where’s Wal.” He worked well in a group situation with a dry sense of humour and a willingness to do any job thrown at him and do it well.
His family have kindly donated his plant books to the Gardens and David Warmington is planning to integrate them into the Library. We miss you Wal. ‘The Gardeneers’, Friends of Botanic Gardens, Cairns.
Horticultural knowledge and support It was with deep sadness that the Friends of the Botanic Gardens, Cairns heard of the death of Kim Morris in January. Kim, as all who knew him, was a wealth of knowledge on all matters horticultural, covering everything from his profession in landscape garden design to the care of the plants in those gardens. Through his regular Saturday morning program on the ABC and his columns in the weekend Cairns Post over the years, he became known as the go-to person for garden tips and advice. He was a true friend of the Friends of the Botanic Gardens, regularly promoting our events from the monthly guest speaker meetings to our plant sales. Kim was involved with the design of the Chinese Garden so it was fitting that a memorial was held for him there. Vale Kim. We will miss you. Lorraine Smith, Friends Publicity Officer 8
Friends activities
Wednesday Night Talks GUEST SPEAKERS 2019
Del Van Mierlo collecting donations from the Watkins Munro Martin Conservatory donation box in the Flecker Gardens.
MARCH 13 6pm Annual General Meeting 6.30pm ‘Seram, Spices and Cycads’ Gary Wilson APRIL 10 ‘Northern Bettongs’ Dr Sandra Abell
Jenny Martin enjoying a cup of tea at the Friends Christmas celebrations.
MAY 8 ‘Moth Night’ Dr David Rentz AM JUNE 12 ‘A Story of Vanilla’ Fiona George & Matt Allen JULY 10 ‘Birds of Costa Rica’ Stella Martin & Denis Walls AUGUST 14 ‘Wet Tropics Heritage Area – its origin and global significance’ Terry Carmichael
Chelsea Scanlan and Michael Hyde at the Friends Christmas celebrations.
SEPTEMBER 11 ‘Enhancing Coral Abundance – larval restoration on degraded reefs’ Katie Chartrand
Pat Lawardorn volunteers her time in the Friends Shop assisting visitors at the Cairns Botanic Gardens.
OCTOBER 9 ‘Tropical Cyclones – transformers & maintainers of biodiversity in our rainforests’ Professor Steve Turton NOVEMBER 13 ‘Night Walk in the Gardens’ David Rentz MA Talks begin at 6.30pm. Friends members $5, non-members $10. 9
Exploring our mangroves TOM COLLIS
River Mangrove Aegiceras corniculatum
Flowers in the muddy zone When most of us think about mangroves, ‘muddy, smelly, hot, humid, mosquito-infested swamps’, are descriptions that come to mind. In fact many people avoid mangroves and are unaware that they have some attractive flowers. Mangrove is a generic name given to trees and shrubs that live in the intertidal zone, and in Cairns there are over 30 different types of mangrove. To the untrained eye all of these mangroves look alike and only close inspection reveals the different species. All of the mangroves in the Cairns region produce flowers at some stage during the year. Many are small and inconspicuous while others are eye-catching and colourful. One of the largest flowers is the White–flowered Apple Mangrove, Sonneratia alba, a showy flower with numerous white stamens. The flowers of Apple Mangroves are only open for one night and are pollinated by nectar-feeding bats and Hawk Moths. The following day the flower wilts and the stamens on the flower start to fall apart. Another spectacular flower is the Holly–leafed Mangrove, 10
Acanthus ilicifolius, a mangrove shrub common in some of the intertidal drains and canals around Cairns. Sunbirds have been observed feeding on the nectar and are the main pollinator for this species. The small white flowers of the River Mangrove, Aegiceras corniculatum, have a strong scent that some say resembles the smell of ripe banana. This species is common along Saltwater Creek and is pollinated by insects including butterflies. The flowers of the Rib-fruited Orange Mangrove Bruguiera exaristata, release masses of pollen over honeyeaters as they seek out the nectar offered by the flower. The Red-flowered Black Mangrove, Lumnitzera littorea, is a rare species found in Cairns near Chinaman’s Creek. The attractive red flowers attract honeyeaters, sunbirds and even noisy Rainbow Lorikeets. Several orchid species and mistletoes grow on mangrove trees. Golden Orchids and Pencil Orchids can be seen on the Jack Barnes Mangrove Boardwalk as well as the bright red flowers of mistletoe. All mangroves in Queensland including the flowers are protected under the Queensland Fisheries Act.
Holly-leafed Mangrove Acanthus ilicifolius
Red-flowered Black Mangrove Lumnitzera littorea
White-flowered Apple Mangrove Sonneratia alba
White-flowered Black Mangrove Lumnitzera racemosa
Rib-fruited Orange Mangrove Bruguiera exaristata 11
Subtle differences between egrets at efficiency when feeding. They wait and watch motionless for long periods, then stalk slowly In this article I will be continuing with the water bird and deliberately, theme from the previous issue in December 2018, catching fish, insects, discussing the subtle differences between some of our crustaceans and Egrets including appearance and also behaviour (such amphibians. They as feeding method) which can be quite different and hunt alone in water distinctive between species. to 30cm deep (often In Tropical North Queensland we have five egrets listed deeper than other from the tallest to the smallest: Eastern Great Egret, Egrets), crouching Intermediate Egret, Cattle Egret, Little Egret and Eastern slightly, stretching Reef Egret. their necks and keeping their heads This article will be about the three egrets, regularly seen horizontal. I’ve seen at Centenary Lakes in Cairns Botanic Gardens: Eastern Eastern Great Egret them ‘triangulating’ Great, Intermediate, and Little Egret. These three egrets on a fish, rocking have entirely white plumage. their head and neck from side to side staring straight at The largest egret their prey, cleverly estimating its exact position before is the tall, elegant striking, thereby using less energy. This technique also Eastern Great Egret allows for diffraction in the water of which, amazingly, the (80-103cm in height). birds must be aware. Its forehead is low Intermediate Egrets are distinguished (from Eastern and flat, its bill long Great Egrets) by the proportionately shorter, thicker bill; and usually yellow higher, more rounded forehead; and shorter, thicker, less(except during kinked neck which, more obvious when extended, equals breeding), and its the length of the body. If you’re a good judge of height, long neck (with at 56-70cm, the Intermediate Egret is smaller than the prominent kink) 83-103cm Eastern Great Egret. This, of course, is easier when extended, is to see if the two species are together (you can be lucky 1.5 times longer sometimes). than its body. These Sexes are similar and during breeding, the Intermediate distinctive features Egret’s facial skin changes from yellow to green, and bill are best seen closefrom orange-yellow to orange or red. Plumage is white Eastern Great Egret up or through binoculars. Learning a bird’s behaviour is a good tool for identifying some species and watching the bird for a little longer may give it the chance to show you some of its identifying features.
When its neck is not extended the Eastern Great Egret can be hard to identify, but this is when it’s worth looking a little longer for other identifying features such as the extended under-eye-skin spur. In breeding plumage, the Eastern Great Egret’s bill is usually black or blackish, and its facial skin bluish-green. On its back it has long white lacy plumes (‘aigrettes’) extending beyond its tail, but no plumes on the chest (see Intermediate and Little Egrets pictured). Out of breeding, its bill and facial skin are usually yellow and aigrettes are few or absent. As hunting uses energy (one of Mother Nature’s costs of living), Eastern Great Egrets have mastered energy-saving 12
Intermediate Egret
Cairns Botanic Gardens Feathered Friends JENNIFER H. MUIR with long lacy aigrettes at upper breast and back. In some cases, legs are red and feet black, while in non-breeding, legs are fleshbrown.
This species feeds alone, or in small dispersed groups, hunting slowly and methodically. Even though it may strike less than once a minute, it is usually successful in two out of three strikes. This technique, though slightly different from that of the Eastern Great Egret, is another efficient energy-saving feeding method. Intermediate Egrets prefer small fish, but also eat frogs, insects and crustaceans. The Little Egret is well named as it is our slenderest, smallest egret at 55-65cm, a distinctive identifying factor. It is also the only egret to run about actively chasing prey, thus its behaviour is distinctive. Its bill is slender and remains black all year (two more identifying factors), and its plumage is entirely white. It appears to be the only egret that has feet with yellow soles, which can sometimes be seen in flight. Sexes are similar. Its breeding plumage comprises two thin ‘nuchal’ (nape/back of neck) plumes, and lacy plumes on upper breast, wings and ‘mantle’ (feathers covering upper back and base of wings). It ‘hangs out’ in shallows of wetlands, flooded pasture and intertidal mudflats, usually foraging alone, while rarely entering water or pasture more than 10cm deep. It stands and waits motionless for long periods, but on seeing prey dashes after it with a quick high-stepping walk or run, often raising its wings. It may also shuffle its feet in water, or feed in association with spoonbills, to catch disturbed prey. Little Egrets tend to strike two to three times a minute with about 50% success rate, and have difficulty with fish longer than 10cm, often losing them. By watching a little longer, you may see this species’ distinctive behaviour and achieve an accurate identification. Enjoy sitting quietly and watching for these subtle differences.
Little Egret
Andrew Silcocks
Great Knot The mudflats of Cairns’ famous Esplanade are renowned for supporting good numbers of migratory shorebirds each summer. One of these birds is the Great Knot. ‘Knot’ is an unusual name for a bird. While it probably echoes the bird’s call, rendered as ‘nyut, nyut’, it’s also been suggested that it’s a modification of ‘King Canute’, who was celebrated for standing on the shore ahead of the incoming tide. This analogy fits well with Great Knots as they forage along the edge of the tide on exposed mudflats on sheltered coasts. They feed in flocks with other species of shorebirds — godwits, stints and the like — walking steadily across the mud, rapidly thrusting their bills (and sometimes their face too) into the sludge to retrieve bivalves or crustaceans, or plucking invertebrates from the moist surface. Sometimes they rinse the mud from their food before eating. Like most migratory shorebirds that visit Australia, Great Knots arrive in spring, then spend the summer feeding and resting. But as the days grow shorter, they feed ever more frantically to build up energy reserves to fuel the long-haul flight back to their nesting grounds in Siberia. In autumn, they migrate north through East Asia, stopping off at various mudflats along the way to ‘refuel’. Coastal development along this flyway has seen the area of mudflats shrink and food resources decline accordingly. Last year, the shortage of knot food in the Yellow Sea was so critical that concerned people were forced to buy clams and distribute them across the mudflats to tide the birds over on their long journey. JOHN PETER
BirdLife Australia 13
Jelly Fungi
BARRY MUIR
You can find Jelly Fungi growing on wood, although some are parasites on other fungi. Jelly Fungi have a very high water content and so tend to be soft and squishy. While many form gelatinous shapeless masses others form spikes, flying-saucer disks, seaweed-like folded lumps that look like brains, or bracket-like soft structures that look a bit like human ears.
Calocera
One group, now known as “Wood–ear fungus” Auricularia (Latin auris = the ear) was known as Chinaman’s Ear in the early days of Australian settlement because it was widely collected by the Chinese gold miners as food. In fact, it was so popular that in the early 1900s Australia had a small export business sending dried Auricularia fungus to China, and you can still purchase dried ones in Asian food stores. The ones you buy may be a mixture of several species. Yellow is a colour common among many of the jelly fungi although they can also be white, colourless or brown.
Auricularia delicata Several genera and species are common in the Cairns Botanic Gardens, especially those pictured above.
DID YOU KNOW...?
We have two species of crocodiles across northern Australia? – The Estuarine Crocodile (aka Saltwater Crocodile) and Johnston’s (aka Freshwater Crocodile). Some Estuarine Crocodiles find their way during the Wet Season to fresh water hundreds of kilometres inland – that’s why their more accurate common name is Estuarine - not Saltwater - because they are just as happy (and just as dangerous) in fresh water as salt water. Johnston’s Crocodiles ‘hang out’ in fresh water, as their name suggests, and occasionally in reaches of brackish tidal rivers. 14
The yellow-coloured ones may range from very pale to deep orange, and my studies have shown that the depth of colour is related to the acidity of the wood on which they are growing; the more acid the wood, the stronger the yellow colour, at least in some species. The spores are formed all over the spiky and blobby species, but only on the underside of the earshaped species.
JENNIFER H. MUIR
In the Wet Season the female Estuarine Croc builds a mound of vegetation generously mixed with mud, above the waterline so her eggs don’t drown, then stays close to the nest, for about 90 days, to protect it until the eggs have hatched. The babies chirp as they start to hatch and their mother digs into the nest to release them. Female Estuarine Crocodiles can be incredibly gentle with their young. It’s amazing that such a violent killer can very gently pick up, in her large, well-toothed mouth, several of her newly hatched babies at a time, and carry and release them into the water.
Around the Gardens CURATOR DAVID WARMINGTON
Celebrating 30 years of the Wet Tropics World Heritage listing Thirty years ago, on 9 December 1988, the Wet Tropics of Queensland was inscribed on the World Heritage List. This process began in the early 1980s and was spearheaded by a newly formed non-government organisation called CAFNEC (Cairns and Far North Environment Centre). With intense opposition from developers, loggers and conservative politicians the pathway was not easy. The Wet Tropics were listed based upon the following four criteria: • Outstanding examples representing major stages of Earth’s history • Superlative natural phenomena and beauty • Outstanding examples representing significant ongoing ecological and biological processes • The most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity. Stretching 450kms along the north-east coast of Australia and encompassing 894,420 hectares, the universal values
of the Wet Tropics are now permanently protected. To celebrate 30 years of Wet Tropics World Heritage, the Wet Tropics Management Authority provided a multimedia display at the Botanic Gardens Visitor Centre. As part of this there was an official ceremony with guest speakers, the launch of a video Wet Tropics World Heritage Area – Nature’s Greatest Survival Story and a ceremonial tree planting. The plant chosen was Gardenia actinocarpa which is an endangered species from the Noah Creek area of the Daintree National Park. This small attractive shrub has perfumed white flowers and would make a good garden specimen in a sheltered position. The planting occurred at the entrance to the Gondwana Garden which was partly funded by the Wet Tropics Management Authority in the early 1990s. For further information: https://cafnec.org.au/wpcontent/uploads/2018/11/201811-Ecotone-web.pdf
Cairns Regional Council Gradenia Wet Tropics Sign Post Printed vinyl with gloss UV laminate on ali panel 200 x 160mm 1 (No) Required
Wet Tropics Management Authority members planting the Gardenia actinocarpa, from left, board director Anne Clarke, board chair Leslie Shirreffs, board director Leah Talbot 15
HORT. NOTES
Pollination syndromes
P
ollen may be moved by either biotic (animal) or abiotic (wind and water) vectors. The set of unique flower and pollen traits that adapt a plant for pollination by a particular vectory is its pollination syndrome. Insects: Insects are the most important pollinators of flowering plants. They visit the flowers to collect nectar or pollen or both and, at the same time, incidentally transfer some pollen from one flower to another. Insects locate flowers by odour and then are influenced by colour or shape. These flowers do not tend to have any common characteristics because many different types of insects have very different ways of pollinating flowers e.g. bees (the most common insect pollinators), butterflies, moths, beetles and wasps.
Many insect-pollinated flowers have bright colours and also petals with nectar guides which contain ultra violet absorbing pigments. The nectar guides lead the insect towards the nectar - the reward the insect receives for visiting the flower. Pollen is deposited on the insect from the stamens when it visits the flower to collect or drink the nectar, and is deposited on the stigma of the next flower it visits.
Flowers that are visited by nocturnal insects have less showy corollas but are often strongly scented. Other flowers are brown in colour and smell like carrion and attract flies which pollinate them. Some flowers may get robbed of their nectar by insects that do not pollinate them. Some plants have therefore developed complex structures that prevent all but 16
specific insect species from reaching the nectar and getting pollen deposited on them, which is transferred to the stigma of the next flower they visit.
Mammals Animal pollinators visit flowers for some reward, and only incidentally transfer pollen. The most common rewards are pollen and nectar, but sometimes they are waxes or oils. Some flowers are pollinated by small mammals such as bats and rodents. Characteristics: • Strong scented flowers e.g. those that attract mice have a yeasty odour; • Often brown or white in colour; • Quite sturdy in structure in order to bear the vigorous activity of the small mammals while they are feeding on the nectar provided • Offer their mammal pollinators a reward of large amounts of nectar. Birds Bird-pollinated flowers are much more common than mammal-pollinated flowers. Two large groups of birds that pollinate flowers are the sunbirds of Africa and Asia and the Hummingbirds of the Americas. Both groups of birds have long beaks that allow them to reach inside the corolla tubes of flowers, attracted by the presence of copious nectar. Hummingbirds are well known for their ability to hover in front of the flowers while drinking the nectar. Sunbirds however sit on the flower stalk and collect the nectar. Birds seem to be mainly attracted to red flowers, but they visit other colours if nectar is available. Characteristics: • Often red, orange or yellow corollas, calyx, bracts or stamens which are attractive to birds; • Not usually scented because most birds do not have a well-developed sense of smell; • Provide a large amount of nectar as a reward.
Type of Pollinator
Wind Some flowers are wind pollinated. It is not an efficient method of pollination because much pollen must be produced with the hope that some of it may land on a receptive stigma of the right species. Plants pollinated by wind include conifers, she-oaks and grasses and many northern hemisphere trees such as birches, alders and oaks. These plants produce large quantities of pollen and release it into the air, and it may float or be blown onto a compatible stigma. The stigmas of wind-pollinated plants are commonly large and feathery, which gives them a better chance of trapping pollen. Characteristics: • Huge amounts of non-sticky pollen; • Often lack a large and showy calyx or corolla; • Many flowers packed into a inflorescence; • Have large stigmas; • Have large, well exposed anthers. Water Pollination by water is not common but a few plants release their pollen into the water which is passively carried to other flowers by water currents.
Doug Janson
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What’s on in 2019 Friends’ Plant Sales Trolley Plant Sales: Wednesday morning from 9.30am11.30am outside the Friends House, Flecker Gardens. Pre-Easter Sale: Sunday 14 April 8am-noon in the staff amenities behind Friends House. Carnival on Collins: Sunday 1 September 8am-noon December Plant Sale: Sunday 1 December 8am-noon
Friends’ Talks
Wednesday Night Talks are held on the 2nd Wednesday of the month from 6.30pm at the Botanic Gardens Visitor Centre. Members $5, non-members $10. See further details of guest speakers on Page 9.
Friends’ shop
Based in the Flecker Garden, the Friends’ Shop opens from 9.30am-3.30pm on Monday to Friday with friendly volunteers available to assist with directions and answer questions about the Cairns Botanic Gardens.
Little Taccas Program PROGRAM 1: Booked out
PROGRAM 2: Bookings open: Monday 29 April Dates: May 9 and 23, June 6 and 20, July 4 and 18 PROGRAM 3: Bookings open: Monday 22 July Dates: Aug 1, 15 and 29, Sept 12 and 26 PROGRAM 4: Bookings open: Monday 30 September Dates: Oct 10 and 24, Nov 7 and 21, Dec 5 You can register on line at https://www.cairns.qld.gov.au/ region/things-to-do/botanic/little-taccas. A form will be available at 8.30am on the date that bookings open. 18
Bird Tours
Friends’ Garden Guided Tours
Friends’ member John Seale provides guided birding tours in Cairns Botanic Gardens every Tuesday, leaving at 8.30am from the Friends House.
Discover the Cairns Botanic Garden and its vast array of tropical plants Monday to Friday leaving from the Friends House at 10am. Contact the Friends House 4032 3900 for further details.
Botanic Gardens & Tanks Precinct History Tours Did you know these tanks were used to store oil? Come along and learn all about the Cairns Botanic Gardens and Tanks Art Centre history with the Green Space Our Place
Educational Guided Walks Volunteer Peter Shanahan provides educational tours for schools and tertiary groups. For further information contact
volunteers. Tours leave at 10am on Tuesdays and Thursdays from the Botanic Gardens Visitor Centre.
greenspaceourplace@cairns.qld.gov.au
JOIN THE FRIENDS
Friends of the Botanic Gardens, Cairns Membership details email - phone 4032 3900 or email info@botanicfriendscairns.org.au After joining you can support the Friends in many ways; as a committee member, in the Friends Shop, as a tour guide or assisting with events.
Friends of Sugarworld Botanic Gardens Contact Fran Lindsay frantastic10@bigpond.com
Newsletter Contributions: Please submit articles (must be volunteer or nature based) by first week of May for the next quarterly publication in June. Email: l.grandy@cairns.qld.gov.au Please note articles are subject to editing.
Like us on Facebook to keep up to date with all events or visit our websites: - Green Space Our Place - Cairns Botanic Gardens - Friends of the Botanic Gardens
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Green Space Our Place
Tuesdays - Cattana Wetlands Jabirus 9am-noon Tuesdays - Esplanade ‘Sandpipers’ 9am-noon Wednesdays - Botanic Gardens Down ’n’ Dirty volunteers 9am-noon Thursdays - Stratford Nursery 9am-noon Thursdays - ‘Weedbusters’ 9am-noon Thursday (once a month) - Sugarworld Gardeners & Friends Fridays - Saltwater Creek ‘Salties’ 9am-noon Wednesdays and Fridays - Tracks ‘n’ Trails 9am-noon Children’s Nature Activities Program - Little Taccas Visitor Enhancement Volunteers - rostered hours to suit individual History Tour Guides - Tuesday and Thursday 10am Plant Collection Database voluteers - hours to suit individual
Interested in becoming involved with your local park, reserve or tracks in your community? Contact us to register as a Council volunteer and be involved in beautifying your park (enhance planting, weed management, litter clean-up), reporting on issues (graffiti and vandalism, anti-social behaviour, maintenance issues) and building community participation (networking activities) with Council support. If you are interested in supporting any of our weekly groups or volunteering in your local area contact Volunteers Supervisor Louisa Grandy 4032 6648 or email greenspaceourplace@cairns.qld.gov.au 19
Green Space Our Place