The local Tree Orchid.#N#

Recently I posted an earlier photo of this Tree Orchid, well I was Lucky- I receive a

ABC Radio National newsletter with upcoming info on programming!

Lo and behold the following Link shows information about

Native Australian Orchids. And they named my one! Cool!

ABC article:

Rock Lily Orchid (Source: Kaye Placing, University of Sydney)
The common King Orchid (Dendrobium kingianum), has white to pink flower spikes and is found from NSW to Cape York in Queensland. Two epiphyte species are found in Tasmania, Gunn's Tree Orchid (Sarcochilus australis) and Dockrillia australatus.
Rock orchids or lithophytes occur on rocky areas where species such as the Rock Lily Orchid (Dendrobium speciosum) can form spectacular flowering clumps in springtime.

PS. the local one is actually up a gum tree!

(Thanks ABC)

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Grass Tree No.7 is flowering!!!!

It looks so beautiful...

and the Honey and Natives bees love it too!

The geometric pattern of the flowers is lovely.

*click on any photo to enlarge*

A close up -

There are no bees in this pic, however 4 or 5 were buzzing around !

I noticed the bees had pale yellow nobs of pollen on the backs of their legs...pretty cute!

The bees are vital to this plant producing viable seed... where will I fit them?

(Yikes I will have to save more yogurt pots!)

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Tally:

Another new seed up!

Planted 9/Aug/08 - Up 28/Sept. /08 - it's about 1/16 of an inch high!

(..I had 90-4 = ) now 86 in yogurt pots+ 8 adults (varying sizes)
+ 1 seedling in the garden,
= 95 Grass Trees
(4 seedlings are now declared dead. )

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I am about to purchase a stack (90 odd) of new pots and Native plant pot mix,

I think it may be time to carefully transfer the the seedling to larger deeper pots

- they may be running out of nutrients!

Cheers Carol

Shock! Horror!

My lovely neighbour has been Fired!

Either the owner,gardener,or a vandal has set fire to my

favourite neighbourhood Grass Tree.

As I walked past there last weekend I saw the poor thing,

burnt and the tree behind looks crook too!

In the wild, fire often burns these lovely trees and they survive fairly well.

However it is not necessary to burn them deliberately to

promote growth or open the seed pods...

In fact in a very hot fire it would seem reasonable to assume

fire could destroy the seeds...even the tree!

A bit like roasted peanuts!

This tree will survive, however this was a useless exercise

and may have severely damaged a lovely tree!

*click on the photo to enlarge*

Our misguided tree owners

have planted another smaller tree...

Isn't it sweet! Just a baby!

( I think it was the owners because the whole garden has been renovated!

er... fired up! I hope this one does not suffer the same fate!)

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GT No. 9

Still going up, sorry the photo is listing to the right! The permanent bend has straightened marginally, doing OK though! I will plant this when the flowers have finished I think!

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Another seed popped up 4 days ago!

Planted 13/6/08, up 20/9/08 - 14 weeks to germinate!

The other seed in the pot took 10 weeks...

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The Tally...

...89 in yogurt pots+ 8 adults (varying sizes)

+ 1 seedling in the garden,

= 98 Grass Trees

(3 now doubtful...I'm fairly sure 2 will croak!)

Cheers Carol

This is a pic of Grass Tree.No.7...

see those lovely little baby GT's sprouting slender spiny leaves at the base of the

Tree stump...!

Well ... I was duped, mistaken, fooled, by Mother Nature,

yesterday I noticed something a bit different about them...

They had SEEDS...Nooooo!!!! it is a WEED!!!!! (hahahaha!)

(click on the photo to enlarge and to see the little seeds)

How really wonderful evolution had been, to produce plants that look like something else ...this plant (the weed) has been nurtured by Moi... until it seeded!

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I well and truly won the "estimate the height of the spear" competition!

I'm 5 ft & 1/2 (I used to be 5'2' & 3/4...but I got older eh! and shrunk a bit!) You can see how huge this flower spear has grown and I don't think it has stopped yet!

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This is a photo of the Lake Kurwongbah approx 2km from where I live on the outskirts of Brisbane. Only a small lake! but so beautiful to see with clouds reflected in the water.

I'm very fortunate to live here!

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The Tally...
88 in yogurt pots
+ 8 adults (varying sizes)
+ 1 seedling in the garden,= 97 Grass Trees
(2 still doubtful...I'm fairly sure 1 will croak!)
Cheers Carol

The following 4 photo's are from the www.

An Australian web page - The Brisbane Ranges in Victoria Here

These 4 photographs are of some weird

and beautiful flower stalks.

My favourite is the 3rd down...this plant is giving

us all the finger!!

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An update on my GT.No7...

Wow... It surely grew above the fence line!

This Plant has the smooth, very fine sort of flower stalk,

similar to grass Tree No1.

Most of the seeds I collected from GT No.1 didn't come up,

but I was quite a novice at collecting them back then.

So I hope to have more luck with this one!

I'd better start in on some more Yogurt for pots!!!

(*click on photo to enlarge*)

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The Tally...

88 in yogurt pots

+ 8 adults (varying sizes)

+ 1 seedling in the garden,
= 97 Grass Trees

(2 still doubtful)

Cheers Carol