association of societies for growing australian...

GSG Victoria ChapterLeader: Neil Marriott 5356 2404

[email protected]: Max McDowall 9850 3411

[email protected]

VIC Programme 2003Sunday March 1610.30 am, Montrose and KaloramaGeneral Meeting, Garden Visits, Bring & Buy andPractical Propagation Workshop.Meet at the home of Bruce & Jill Schroder, 17 Jubilee RdMontrose Melway 66B12 (Ph 9728 1342). Proceed fromMt Dandenong Tourist Rd along Liverpool Rd or SheffieldRd to Glasgow Rd and east to Jubilee Rd.Approx 12 noon proceed to Karawarra GardensKalorama (Melway 120B9) for lunch (BYO everything).Queens B’day Weekend June 7-9 to GrampiansCombined Field Trip with Correa study Group inGrampians led by Neil Marriot. Details available inMarch GSG Newsletter.Sunday August 17 to Drummond & Fryers RangeGarden visit at the new property of John and Sue Walter& local field trip looking at Grevillea alpina & G. obtecta.Melbourne Cup Weekend Fri Oct 31-Tues Nov 4South-East NSW combined Field Trip with NSW chapter.

GSG Queensland ChapterMeetings for 2003 Morning Tea 9.30 am. Meetingscommence at 10 am For more information, contactMerv. Hodge on (07) 5546 3322Sunday April 17VENUE: Home of Merv & Olwyn Hodge, 81-89Loganview Rd., Logan Reserve, 4133Ph: (07) 5546 3322, Subject: Grevilleas New Hybrids.Sunday June 29VENUE: Home of Kerry & Annabel Rathie, 5 SalstonSt., Greenbank 4124Ph: (07)3200 0268, Subject: Grevilleas A-C inclusive.Sunday August 31VENUE: Home of Laylee Purchase, 41 Rocklyn St.,Toowoomba 4350Ph: (07) 4630 2211, Subject: Grevilleas D to J inclusive.Sunday October 26VENUE: Home of Denis Cox & Jan Glazebrook, 87Daintree Dr., Logan Village 4207Ph: (07) 5546 8590, Subject: Grevilleas P to R inclusive.Sunday November 30VENUE: Home of Norm & Win McCarthy., 21 LindbergSt., Toowoomba 4350Ph: (07) 4634 2894, Subject: Grevilleas S to Z inclusive.

NSW Programme 2003Friday April 4Set Up Mt Annan Botanic Garden

Sat-Sun April 5-6Autumn Plant Sale & Expo,Mt Annan Botanic Garden

Wednesday May 28 Olde 140 Russell Lane Oakdale 10 amBBQ for helpers and friendsNew Plantings/ Setting up a native garden

Sunday June 29 Walk on the NorthsideMeeting time 10 am at end of Bulara St,off Mallawa Rd, Duffys Forest. Cowan Track, lookingat Grevillea caleyi, G. linearifolia, G. speciosa allspecies endemic to the north side of SydneyHarbour.

Wednesday July 23 Meeting time 10 am, Grevillea ParkSubject: Plant labelling ideas.

Wed August 13Meeting Time 9 am, Place Advised next newsletter.Avon Dam -Belangelo SF Grevillea oleoides PINKG. mucronulata (2 forms), G. patulifolia,G. juniperina, Grevillea raybrownii, G. baueri

SeptemberNo meeting

October Mark RossDetails next newsletter, Grafting Workshop

Melbourne Cup weekend November: Field tripsouth to view G. epicroca, G. brevifolia sspbrevifolia (Mt Tingaringy), G. victoriae ssp. nivalis(Brown Mountain), G. johnsonii and many otherexciting localities and plant populations.

On-line Contact1.President’s email [email protected]

2.The email [email protected]

3.New URL for GSG websitehttp://users.bigpond.net.au/macarthuraps/gevillea_study_group.htm

February 2003

Association of Societies for Growing Australian Plants

Ref No. ISSN 0725-8755

Inside this issue:.Grevilleas with a 14 Day Harvest Life.Travels in Western Australia 2001.Grevilleas and Philately.Two new species from WAand more....

Welcome to all members of theGrevillea Study Group for 2003

Australia continues to experience one of themost severe droughts in living memoryacross the whole country. Most areas havebeen subject over the last two to five years tothe most severe bushfires known for ageneration. Fires continue to burn in the highcountry of Victoria and New South Waleswhere Kosciusko National Park was recentlyburnt out almost completely, even well abovethe snow line. The understory in which mostgrevilleas are found on the east coast is dryand crisped and many plants, especiallybanksias, have died in the areas in which Iwalk. In Western Australia the bush has shut-downover vast areas, scarcely flowering and notputting on new growth, no seed. Some areashave seen no useful rain for over three years.Tropical areas have scarcely received theirannual monsoonal downpours. Anecdotaltalk when I holidayed in Cairns last yearrevealed that only three weeks of rain wasreceived last monsoon. It's a depressing andvery difficult time for the Australian flora, inthe wild and in the garden. It will be interestingto find out over the next few years the fullextent of damage wrought by this unusual,extreme climatic period.

Autumn Plant Sale 2003

The Grevillea Study Group currently hasapproximately 300 members Australia-wideand a few international members as well.This shows a very high interest in what issurely one of Australia's leading horticulturalgenera, or am I a little biased? Almost 100 ofthese members are from New South Wales.Many members who join indicate that theywish to be active members and we never seethem again. An opportunity to make your'active' contribution, to the NSW chapter atleast, presents itself.

The Study Group's sixth Autumn Plant Salewill be conducted at Mt Annan BotanicGarden on April 5 & 6, 2003. Last year wewere desperately short of volunteers toassist at the plant checkout or to man the

February 2003 Grevillea Study Group No. 64 2

Peter Olde

display tables. Gordon Meiklejohn is puttingtogether a roster and looking for volunteersto fill two hour blocks. Please help us outeven if this is your only contribution to thegroup. Gordon's phone number is 4657 1317or mobile 0407 104464. Give him a call andlend us a hand. There are also sit-down jobsmanning the display room and book sales.

What happens to the money raised? To datewe have expended over $20,000 on researchinto Grevillea, some of it ongoing. $10,000has gone or is promised to the University ofSydney for an extensive research pro-gramme being undertaken by AlexandraFreebairn into the development of newhybrids for use as cut flowers and horticulture.The Australian flora foundation has $5000awaiting drawdown. Over $5000 has beenspent funding taxonomic research, mainlyexpenses incurred in collecting trips toWestern Australia and elsewhere. This hasresulted in the discovery of over 10 newspecies in the last two years. Plants andcash exceeding $5000 in total have beendonated to the Grevillea Park, Bulli whichrelies on donations. This vital park haspromoted grevilleas by its very presence andis an extraordinary testament to enthusiasmand voluntary tradition.

Philately

Given the length of time that Australia hasbeen issuing postage stamps, it is surprisingthat not one of them has featured a grevilleauntil recently.

The first Grevillea species featured wasHoney Grevillea, or Grevillea juncifoliasubsp. juncifolia , which now goes down asthe first Grevillea species to feature on anAustralian stamp -think Trivia Quiz, for allyou buffs looking for a difficult question. Thestamp had a face value of 49c when the com-mon postage rate was 45c which shouldmean that only a few of these will have beensold, thus enhancing their collectable value.The first Grevillea to appear on a stamp wasGrevillea banksii which appeared on a stampissued by Cuba in 1965.

continued

Mark Ross

Newsletter changes

It has been agreed that the NSW, Qld andVictorian chapters will each produce anewsletter every year. In part this isdesigned to spread the load a bit as very fewpeople seem willing to send material forpublication. I will also enable me to gain abetter perspective of the interests and needsof the membership. At present the newsletteris somewhat NSW-centric and I would like toknow what interests people in the otherstates. To this end, I am deeply appreciativeof the assistance offered by Max McDowalland Neil Marriott in Victoria and Merv Hodgein Queensland. The next newsletter due inJune/July will be edited by Victoria and theOctober newsletter will be edited byQueensland. Please send copy by email wellin advance of the due month because it takesat least a month in production at present.

Many people think that Western Australianplants are the only plants, which are betteroff grafted in NSW gardens. Grevillea caleyiis a shrub local to the Sydney area which, onits own roots, tends to be short lived and candie suddenly unless on very good drainage.

Grafting it onto G. robusta allows it to begrown on a wide range of soils and live for alot longer. It grows more vigorously-there is agrafted specimen at Mt Annan BotanicGardens which must be 6 mtrs across and 3or so metres high. G. caleyi is an attractiveshrub with great horticultural potential. Itsmain features are its foliage with purplishnew growth and sprawling lateral habit.

It is actually an easy plant to graft. I haveused the top wedge and approach methodand have found that either is normally 99%successful.

Grafting times on average are between Novto Feb but G. caleyi can be done betweenAugust to mid May, when the rootstock isactively growing (October to May). The graftstrikes in approximately 10 to 14 days andactive growth starts about 2 weeks later. Ihave found that even though the scion isquite hairy, misting improves success rate.

This plant may be a little leggy at first whengrafted onto G. robusta, but if pruned heavilywhile young, it will become rather dense andvery wide, up to 4 metres. It can withstandmin temp to minus 5 deg Celsius (4 days in arow June -July 2002) with very little damage,(slight tip damage on a 2 yr old plant). Theplant can also handle extreme temperaturesand hot, dry winds.


Two new species in 2002

The most recent issue (published December2002) of Nuytsia, Volume 15 (1)85-99, carriesthe descriptions of two new species ofGrevillea by Olde & Marriott, Grevilleakirkalocka and Grevillea squiresae. A fullupdate on these new West Australianspecies appears in the newsletter. However,a small orthographic error has been foundthat was missed by all parties including theauthors, the referee and the journal editors.The eagle eye of Peter Bailey has advisedthat the International Code of BotanicalNomenclature requires that specific epithetslike squires require an i before the endingand therefore the name is properly Grevilleasquiresiae. You can't win sometimes.

G. caleyi, The Grevillea BookVol. 2 (P. Olde)

Abstract

Grevilleas are notorious for short, inconsistentpost harvest life. Observations made duringcut flower production have indicated that;nutrition, pruning, harvest and post harvestfactors influence post harvest life. The variety'Moonlight' is central to these observations.Grevillea 'Moonlight' is a large tropical shrubthat produces cylindrical, terminal inflores-cence on leader and axillary branches.Plants possess three buds per axil with thepotential to develop vegetative meristems ondamaged cambium. The plants observed arebeing grown in polythene tunnel houses insitu in south-west Victoria.

Key Words: Grevillea 'Moonlight', post harvestlife, pulsing, pruning, nutrition

Introduction

Learning is a lifelong journey - this is particularlyrelevant to the production of quality Grevilleacut flowers. I began a relationship withGrevillea 'Moonlight' in 1998. In my productionsystem Grevilleas are grown in situ in polytunnel houses with controlled irrigation andfertiliser. Like any relationship, the firstmonths involve fact finding and close obser-vation. In order to learn about Grevilleaproduction I have conducted (and continue toconduct) experiments. Reliable, consistentshelf life was/is central to each trial. As ourrelationship has developed I have learntabout Grevillea 'Moonlight' (and other cultivars)production. Several points I will discuss here,however two elements should be kept inmind. Firstly, my findings are not conclusive.Many of the points raised have not been fullyinvestigated nor put through scientific rigor.Secondly, my findings may not be trans-portable. Every environment promotes differentresponses, even from genetically identicalplants. None the less, the ensuing discussionmay provide a hint or starting point towardthe positive development of your own plant -person relationships.

Discussion: The path toward improving shelflife can be divided into at least two approaches:


Kylie Treble

1. Improving shelf life through increasedplant health.

2. Improving shelf life through better harvestand post harvest handling.

These points are not mutually exclusive andhave only been separated to aid writing andreading this discussion.

Improving shelf life throughincreased plant health

Of the environmental factors that grevilleasneed to grow in the production system I use,I have an element of control over the plant'snutrition, irrigation and canopy juvenility(through pruning).

Nutrition

Accumulated seasonal plant tissue tests(using the youngest mature leaf (YML))reveal nutritional needs throughout the vegetativeand flowering cycle. When compared toReuter & Robinson's (1997) Grevillea sp . tissueanalysis guide and previous tissue tests, thefollowing nutritional practices can be applied:.Low doses of Calcium nitrate are important

throughout a young Grevillea plants establishment. Applications of calcium nitrate thicken stems and encourage strong upright plants in a humid environmentthat would otherwise facilitate weakvegetative growth. A calcium - calmodulincomplex is known to activate enzymes incell membranes which de/activate cellelongation and stimulate the production ofstrengthening fibres such as collenchyrna(Stem 2000). Calcium is not easily movedaround a plant and should be applied inlow doses regularly (via a fertigation system),to cater for the fast growing new vegetativegrowth on the Grevilleas..An application of potassium nitrate bringsflower development forward by 7 - 10 dayswhen compared to unaided flowerdevelopment. Potassium nitrate should beapplied 2-3 months after pruning to assistflower production in the newly developingleaders.

.Magnesium uptake is low in overcastweather and is best applied in spring andlate summer, two or three weeks afterpruning. Conversely, Iron uptake is rapidin warm weather.

Further to these.points, I believe maintenanceof a healthy soil provides a smorgasbord ofnutrients to soil bome flora and fauna alike.This enables the soil's living fraction to pickand choose its requirements as seasonal andlife cycle stages demand. Apart from regularmulching, low strength doses of soil condi -tioners (eg. Seasolo) are applied in springand when deemed necessary.

Canopy juvenility (Pruning)

G. 'Moonlight' plants are typically singletrunked, with 8- 10 alternating branches.From the base of the plant toward the apicalmeristem, each branch decreases in maturityand length but increases in ability to producean inflorescence. In young (8 month old)plants the terminal leader flowers first,followed by side branches and so on. Ifstems bearing mature inflorescence wereremoved at the junction with the centralleader, it would reshoot at each axil with 4-7shoots, each producing a small inflorescence(within the next 5-7 months). Vegetativegrowth and reproduction occur concurrentlyonce begun. Flowers tend to become smalleron weaker stems if plants are left untended.These inflorescences have a decreased shelflife when compared to the leader and itssecondary inflorescence.

Pruning to maintain canopy juvenilityincreases the number of blooms per plantand their shelf life. By pruning leaders to60cm and secondary branches to 15cm atthe end of each flowering flush, consistentshelf life can be aided. Pruning stimulatesphytohormone production, which informs theplant body of major changes, hence alteringthe role of some cells and stimulating thegrowth of others (Larcher 1995).

Mature plants can produce up to 8 leaderseach producing 4 - 8 quality flowers. Heavilypruned plants flower approx. seven months


continued

after pruning. The pruning technique alsoallows a higher planting density (one plantper square metre). However the techniquecreates huge nutritional demands as theplant re-establishes its canopy. Typically anabundance of vegetative growth with littleflowering potential is produced post pruning.This growth should be maintained as itprovides a photosynthate source for theabundant meristems that have been stimulated.Thinning a third of the unproductive meristemsreduces the photosynthate demand but alsodecreases the photosynthetic area. Pruningis about achieving a balance between thesource and sink (meristematic) material.

In the cool, poly tunnel protected environmentof south west Victoria, it appears thatGrevillea 'Moonlight' can flower all yeararound. Early findings from a floral initiationtrial indicate that floral initiation is a result ofstem age rather than daylength or temperature.Pruning can be manipulated to ensure flowerproduction year around but is best conductedin late autumn or mid summer. A furtherobservation (which is supported by Beal &Joyce (1999)) is that flowers produced in thehotter months have less shelf life when com-pared to those produced in the cool wintermonths. This phenomenon needs furtherinvestigation.

Improving shelf life through betterharvest and post harvest handling

Each flowering stem produces an inflorescenceon the end of each branch. Disbudding oncethe lead inflorescence is visible improvesinflorescence elongation and shelf life.(Disbudding too early can promote unwantedvegetative growth). Flowers are a 'sink' ofenergy for a plant, hence there must beadequate 'source' (photosynthetic tissue) togenerate the energy to support flowerproduction. Assimilates are directed to thereproductive area, hence the remaining inflo-rescence is pumped full of assimilates thusimproving the shelf life of the inflorescence. Ihave found the removal of between 5- 7 inflo-rescence immediately below the leader costeffective. Once disbudded each leader canproduce between 4-8 marketable blooms.

My observations are concurrent with those ofPeter Beal and Daryl Joyce (1999) in relationto the ideal stage of harvest for achievingadequate shelf life. It is important to note thatthe ideal harvest period is dependent uponthe Grevillea variety. Apart from the pointsraised in their research, I have noticed thatan increase in ambient temperature duringharvest will severely decrease the longevityof the Grevillea. For example Grevilleaharvested at 12 degrees centigrade are morelikely to have a longer shelf life when comparedto those harvested at 20 degrees centigrade,(assuming all other factors are consistent).Cut flowers dehydrate rapidly even whencooled (to 4'Q. I assume this is related to theactive transpiration rate of the Grevilleaplants and/or the latent heat of the harvestedmaterial.

Pulsing

The technique of adding solutes to water isan accepted one. I have trialed a range ofproducts including:.Agral@ .Chrysal&.Envy@ .STS.Citric acid .Sugar.Bleach

Each produced a range of responses, mostnot worthy of further investigation. Sugar isby far the most important addition. Beal &Joyce (1999) suggest a 2% solution as beingideal. My observations indicate that theconcentration is not critical to shelf life, buthigher concentrations produce greater quantitiesof nectar. The addition of 0.5 - Iml of Agral@to IOL of water is beneficial to inflorescencesthat have developed during the summermonths. Cut Grevilleas maintained in thepulsing solution show no adverse effects.Sugar added to the solution seems beneficialthrough out the shelf life of the Grevillea. Asyet I have been unable to examine the effectof I-MCP (Ethyl bloc), although Macnish et. al(2000) have indicated that it is a beneficialanti-ethylene preservative for cut Grevillea .

Retailers should be instructed to store flowersin a cool room or out of direct sun in a coollocation.


continued

Conclusions

A 14 day shelf life in cut flower Grevillea isachievable, however those who expect toalter one aspect of their production system toachieve it will be disappointed. Healthyplants produce healthy flowers which whentreated appropriately will give (at least) 14days of cut life pleasure.

The unanswered questions (particularlyassimilate movement through the plant) sur-rounding Grevillea production make it a chal -lenging (albeit somewhat frustrating) crop toproduce. The points discussed here arebased on observations and in most casesbarely skim the surface. Many aspectsregarding production are yet to be investigat-ed. Ask me about Grevillea production in 20years time and then I may have a fewanswers.

Literature citedJoyce, D.C. & Beal, P.R. (1999) Cutflower charac-teristics of terminal flowering tropical Grevillea: abrief review. Australian Journal of ExperimentalAgriculture. 39, 781-94.

Larcher, W. (1995) Physiological Plant Ecology (3dEd) Springer: Germany

Macnish, A., Joyce, D., Faragher, J., Simons, D.(2000) I-MCP: A new anti-ethylene preservative.Australian Horticulture. April

Stem, K (2000) Introductory Plant Biology. (81h Ed)McGraw Hill: USA.

Raven, P.H., Evert, R.F. & Eichhom, S.E. (1986)Biology of Plants (4 th Ed) Worth Pub Inc.: New York

Reuter, D.J. & Robinson, J.B. (1997) Plant Analysis:An interpretation manual. CSIRO: Collingwood,Victoria.

Kylie TrebleGreen CompanionsRRN 296 CoradjIl Rd,Cobden VIC 3266Tel: 03 55943487Email: k. treble @ landfood. unimelb.edu. au

In 2001 the Grevillea Study Group providedfunds for fuel in order to permit collection ofspecimens pertinent to my Grevillea researchin Western Australia. I had previously identifiedthree areas that I wished to explore becauseexisting specimens at PERTH had revealedthe occurrence there of what appeared to benew and undescribed taxa. I chose NeilMarriott as my travel companion because ofhis excellent overall knowledge of the WAflora and his experience in this precise fieldof research.

We arrived in WA on 27 August and wentdirectly to Widgiemooltha in order to determinewhether Grevillea arida, a name of synonymisedunder G. acuaria by Don McGillivray in 1993,deserved reinstatement. I was convincedthat a mistake had been made. We found thespecies growing abundantly on the gravellyhills in the area. Indeed we even campedbeside a small population. But alas, the mistakewas all mine and it must be conceded that onpresent knowledge G. arida does not deservereinstatement. These plants are not the sameas those found on the Parker Range whichmay prove to be different after further study.

In the area between Norseman andWidgiemooltha we collected species understudy including G. acuaria, G. anethifolia, G.huegelii and G. sarissa, before arriving inPerth for a few days work in the herbarium.This completed we headed north to inspectan unusual population of G. florida and thenfurther north to collect specimens of a newpopulation of G. drummondii. This populationis a long way further north of the occurrenceof G. drummondii at Hay Flat south of NewNorcia. The new population can be found atYandin Lookout, 5 km east of the BrandHighway. It was difficult to locate eventhough it was in flower, albeit inconspicuously,and at first glance did not appear to besubstantially different from the New Norciapopulations. We headed further northtowards Cataby to collect what is clearly anew subspecies of G. uncinulata. I haveprepared a detailed study of this species andhave decided that the new taxon deservesrecognition at subspecific rank.

7

Peter Olde

The main focus of the study continues to bethe white-flowered group (Group 1 sensuOlde & Marriott). In the Badgingarra area wecollected specimens and examined populationsof G. acrobotrya. We spent the night ofAugust 30 adjacent to a National Park adjacentto Boothendarra Rd. Early the next morningwe headed off along the Marchagee Trackand not far from rejoining the Brand Highwaywe were induced to stop by some plantsbelonging to the white-flowered group. Thefirst plants exam-ined had hairs overthe perianth andwe wonderedwhether we hadstumbled upon anew population ofGrevillea metamor-pha which had justbeen described byBob Makinson. We collected specimens and wanderedacross the road to another group of plantsthat looked similar in foliage but when exam-ined had glabrous flowers. Neither popula-tion keyed out to a known species. We havedetermined the taxa to comprise two newspecies because we later examined and col-lected all known populations of Grevilleametamorpha which occurs west of the BrandHighway and satisfied ourselves of the dis-tinctness of this species. Further north weagain examined unassigned plants in a pop-ulation east of Eneabba. Here G. biternataand G. vestita grow together and have pro-duced a swarm of hybrids, each plant withdifferent foliar morphology. McGillivray treat-ed plants from this population as Unassigned.The real task of our northward journey was totravel through the Cooloomia wildernessnorth of Kalbarri and to find what appears tobe a new species related to G. vestita col-lected at Sharks Bay in 1954. The localitywas so vague we knew it was like looking fora needle in a haystack and so it proved to be,despite several days searching. TheCooloomia wilderness which occurs north ofthe emu fence on the western side of theGreat Northern Hway was badly affected bydrought and there was very little in flower.

G. acuaria, The Grevillea BookVol. 2 (P. Olde)

February 2003 Grevillea Study Group No. 64

Somewhat disappointed we headed southwest from Ajana towards our second goal, anew species identified near Mt Magnet. Weapproached the owners for access permissionand began a search of the sand heaths thatappeared at some distance from the homestead.The new Grevillea species, subsequentlynamed G. kirkalocka, was not difficult to findand appeared to be relatively abundant onthe sand heath. We also had information thatthere might be a new Banksia species herealso but we searched for one and a half daysand remained unable to locate it. Finally, aswe were about to leave one of our party(Keith Alcock) decided on a lunchtime strollinto the bush. Before long, shouts of'Hallelujah" came wafting on the wind, andwe went running. Indeed he had located theBanksia and indeed it appeared to be new.Specimens and fruits were collected butunfortunately the plants were not in freshflower. Drought had been affecting thiswhole area for two years. Nonetheless, theinfructescences gave sufficient material for adescription and to enable us to compare withrelated species. We named this species B.rosserae, after Celia Rosser, the brilliantbotanical artist who has spent a lifetimepainting all the banksias in exquisite detail. Isampled many of the different taxa in thearea among which are likely to be severalspecies new to science in genera with whichwe are unfamiliar. Other Grevillea speciespresent on the sand heath were a verynarrow-leaved form of G. apiciloba which hadvery long leaves, representing a northerlyextension of range for this species, G. juncifoliasubsp. juncifolia, G. pterosperma , a fine-leaved form of G. biformis subsp. biformis (inbud only) with tiny fruits, G. acacioides. Onthe breakaway country and heavy clay flatswe found G. obliquistigma subsp.obliquistigma, G. pityophylla, G. nematophyllasubsp. supraplana. We came away from thisarea well satisfied with what we had foundand excited by the prospect of introducingthe Banksia especially to general knowledge.


continued

From here we headed south to Bullsbrookwhere a new distribution of G. althoferorumhas been found. Unlike the more northerlytype population, this form grows in banksiawoodland. Morphological variation confirmsit as clearly a new subspecies which we arein process of writing up. Fortunately thistaxon which is rare occurs in a naturereserve around which there has been extensiveclearing. Heading further south we aimed toconfirm the population basis of G. amplexanssubsp. semivestita which had previouslybeen known from scattered, isolated plants.Happily we were able to confirm this taxon ashaving an extensive and valid populationbase on Marchagee Track, well east of ournew species discovered earlier.

Further south near Coomberdale we lookedat the population of G. biternata with simpleleaves . This plant has the most deliciousperfume. To be continued.,

Grevillea Park BulliOPEN DAYS 2003

Saturday - Sunday April 26-27Saturday - Sunday May 3-4

Saturday - Sunday July 26-27Saturday - Sunday September 20-21Saturday - Sunday September 27-28

Each year it is the last full weekend in April,first weekend of May, last two full weekendsin July, last two full weekends in September.

http://www.speedlink.com.au/users/ziebell/grevillea/

In 2002, Australia Post issued the firstAustralian stamp to feature a Grevillea. Thestamp was issued on 3 September 2002 witha 49c value. The stamp is one of a set of 5stamps with the theme Bush Tucker anddesigned by Janet Boschen, Australia PostDesign Studio. The stamps feature fiveAustralian plants traditionally eaten byAboriginal people. The plant foods areshown against a background of a woven basketor wooden coolamon. These containers, fromthe collections of the Museum of Victoria, areappropriate to particular regions where thefoods are found.

Honey grevillea (Grevillea juncifolia ) growson sand plains and dunes in CentralAustralia. It is characterised by large orangeflower clusters with abundant nectar. Thesweet honey is highly sought after and canbe sucked directly from the flower or extractedby steeping the flower in water to a sweetdrink. The wooden coolamon in the backgroundwas made by Tjuliata of Ernabella, Central

Australia. The burnt poker work designsrepresent women dancing. This flower wasused by Aborigines in at least two ways. Themost common technique was to savour thesugary nectar directly by placing the racemein their mouth and drawing the nectar bysucking the flowers either all together orindividually. The second method involvedplacing the flowers in a bowl or pool of waterwhere the nectar would mix with water. Thiswas then drunk as a sweetened refreshmentor allowed to ferment over a few days into analcoholic beverage.

The featured plants are found in a range ofclimates and locations throughout Australia.

We have a new garden project here in thenorth east of Victoria of some 16 acres. Ourinitial boundary plantings are now 2 ½ years oldand putting out their first significant flowering.

LandscapeOpen grass pasture, dams, swamp, someremnant trees, forest along the roadside andadjacent, rolling foothill terrain, 350m ASL.

ClimateCool temperate, some heavy frost, 35" rainfall,high sunshine levels, and occasional summerhigh humidity.

SoilDevonian granite, deeply weathered, gravellyloam, good drainage and moisture retention,low pH and low nutrition.

We have an initial display garden, 60 x 40mwith beds developed by excavation, bob catand hard work. Major building works are inprogress slowly i.e. residence. A propagationfacility is to be erected soon as plants arerequired. We will expand into many newgenus and species. We have joined a fewmore study groups this year - Hakea,Melaleuca, Verticordia, Garden Design andGrevillea.

Our first grafted Grevilleas (by our ownhands) are beginning to flower. Spring bringsgrowth which is amazing to watch. The flowersare a bonus and surprise as we wander thegarden corners. G. flexuosa has grown con-tinuously and is now 1.5m high with lots offlowers. They hang like small lanterns glowingin the dull evenings. The perfume has a nicecomplex aroma to add pleasure.


Bruce Higgs

Martin Rigg & Diana Leggat

Autumn Plant Sale & Expo2003

Mt Annan Botanic GardenMt Annan Drive, Mt Annan.

*The entrance is well signposted off Narellan Rd and the South-western Freeway between Campbelltown and Camden.

Entry Fee is $4.40 per person.

Saturday 5 April 10 am to 4 pmSunday 6 April 10 am to 4 pm

Come hear & meet Don Burke 12 noon Sat April 5

* Native plants for sale. Tumblers from $4. Huge range. Unusual species. Rare plants.Old favourites and new-release hybrids. Grafted grevilleas and other genera.Landscape plants. Cold Climate Plants. Rainforest plants. Ferns. Native grasses. Ground cover and rockery plants. Local and Indigenous plants. Interstate & Local Specialist Nurseries from ACT, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia.

* Cut Flowers.Buy a bunch for Mum all day every day.Bid at the frantic Auction of Arrangements on Sunday at 1PM.

* Garden Clinic.How to grow waratahs, flannel flowers.Setting up a native garden.

* OUTDOOR Garden display.Picnic in the grounds of Australia's largest botanic garden devoted entirely to Australian Native plants.

* INDOOR Static & Interactive Displays, Floral Display.

* Guided Walks around Mt Annan Botanic Garden.See the collections, propagation areas behind the scenes.

* Workshops and slide-illustrated talks.Come and hear the experts. Learn how to graft, propagate seeds and cuttings

* Extended New Children's Playground.

* Interactive Flannel Flower Maze. Find a way through the maze.

* Family BBQ and refreshments available. Try some unusual Australian Indigenous Eats. OR Traditional BBQ food supports the local Lions Club Fundraiser.

Sponsored by: The Grevillea Study Group of the Australian Plants SocietyP.O. Box 275 Penshurst N.S.W. 2222Phone: (02) 9543 2242 Fax: (02) 9541 0796

All profits raised are used for scientific research or horticultural purposes.


I write to pass on some information concerningGrevillea scortechinii and G. acerata.

On November 23 1991, I went to Backwaterand obtained several cuttings of G. scorte-chinii ssp sarmentosa, which I took to thestudy group meeting at Toowoomba the nextday, some members interested in graftingobtained cuttings, and as a result at least fiveBrisbane members now have this speciesgrowing. In location 5.4 to 5.9 km PaddysGully Road, one plant only was growing,as aresult of new roadworks,and this plant hadbeen damaged. Location 4.8km,same road,were approx 12-15 plants,most flowering,andit was from these plants that cuttings weretaken. Time did not permit me to check thePheasant Mountain location.

At Stanthorpe the same day I obtained cuttingsfrom sveral plants growing in a table drain inPoziers Rd; there were about a dozen plantswhich were new plants about 1-2 years old,allflowering, with a few setting seed, cuttingswere distributed to any interested member,and a flower comparison of the two subspeciesof flowers taken in the wild on the same day.In my opinion the style is shorter,approx 10-15m. Wrigley mentions some leaves withsecondary lobes, I did not see any.

As a result of the 'Sarmentosa' discovery',Iwas somewhat unhappy with the small numberof plants I found, and particularly that bothsites are extremely endangered due to theirclose proximity to the edges of a dirt roadand to tabledrains, so last Saturday CalderChaffey and I went and discovered, still onlyone plant in 5.4-5.9km location, fifteen plantsin 4.8km location, with some (5 or 6) smallplants, probably this year's regrowth.

With extra time available and the specificnature of our trip,we located approx 200plants growing on Pheasant Mountain, someas big as 2 metres across, and one which wewould estimate at 4.5m diam, with many,probably 50, which were about 30cm high,but had not yet sent out side growth, so thesewere probably 6-8 months old. Also therewere a considerable amount that were evensmaller,with only four leaves, and about 5-


Dave Mason

6cm. high. No flowers or fruit were found onany plant. The majority of these plants aregrowing in granite outcrop, and down ontothe surrounding flats,on decomposed granite'sand'.

Most plants are growing in scrubland, and asa result semi-shade, however some newplants are growing on the flats in full sun. ThePheasant Mountain site, even thoughapparently on private land, I would notconsider endangered.

G. scortechinii ssp scortechinii ; 1 re-checkedthe Poziers Rd site, and found over 25plants,some flowering,with several re-generatingplants, but all plants were in a tabledrain, andlive in a very precarious position.

Regards,Dave MasonMay 5 1992

G. scortechinii, The Grevillea Book Vol. 3 (M. Hodge)

Q. In the propagating section of TheGrevillea Book, one of the soilfungicidesrecommended was Fongarid which Ibought. The accompanying leaflet gives awarning: 'Fongarid has caused injury tosome species of Banksia, Grevillea...' Can anyone tell me what this is about? Ihave lots of different grevillea seeds toplant and wanted to treat the punnets.

Jan

Des & Jan Howard, Lue Pottery,LUE NSW 2850http://www.luepottery.hwy.com.au

A. I explored this with the Company. Theevidence for banksias and grevilleas wasanecdotal. No trials were ever done. Weused Fongarid at the recommendedstrengths on our motherstock with no illeffect. We didn't find it to be greatly usefulbecause it needed to be done everyfortnight. Again it is fungistatic.John Sparrow

For fungal control Fongarid is just onefungicide that can be used in the controlprogram. ALL fungicides should bechanged weekly or fortnightly to ensure thatno resistance builds up. Fongarid should notbe overused as it CAN cause problems with and grevilleas if used too much or at toohigh a rate. Keith Alcock, expert in funguscontrol and ex leader of the DryandraStudy Group is in the process of writing anarticle for the Grevillea Study Group N/L.Keep an eye out for it.Neil Marriott

Jan, Perhaps you could try other methodsof fungal control rather than the use ofpoisonous chemicals. We can understandcommercial growers having to use chemicalcontrol but perhaps not hobby growers.When necessary we sterlise our seed &cutting mixes using a microwave. We fill a4 litre container with mix, make sure it ismoist and zap the mixture on high powerfor 15 minutes.This cleans up all disease& fungal problems.Warren & Gloria Sheather


Your Questions & Answers

Q. I have been a member of the GrevilleaStudy Group for about ten years. Locatedin California, involved with the Universityof California at Santa Cruz Arboretum,where many grevilleas are grown andintroduced into the nursery trade here. Ihave visited Oz six times, the last visitgoing up to see Neil Marriot at his wonderfulrefuge. I grow 62 different grevilleas, mostof them species.It has been unseasonably cold through ourspring here on central California coast.Some of the grevilleas are showing yellowleaves. There has never been a problemwith this before. Does the cold have anyeffect on the coloring?

bill [email protected]

A. Bill, I'm leaping into the breach here, but Ihaven't had that experience myself. Onewould imagine that if they are the socalled "tropical hybrids" it could be just abit of cold induced chlorosis, but I reckonknowing you that they probably are quite avaried lot.All the same, if it really has been cold, it couldjust be a "shut down" mechanism on the part of the plants .Citrus does a similar thing here,and nothing will bring the colour back totheir cheeks until the weather warms up!Margaret.Margaret and Peter Moir

Our grevilleas are not growing in sandstonederived soils. Our soil is granite based withplenty of rocks & low fertility. When we poton our struck cuttings into individual nativetubes they are watered with Sea Sol (20 ml toa watering can) & 500 ml of liquid from our wormfarm diluted with 10 litres of water. The plantsare usually treated two or three times beforeplanting in the garden. The grevilleas are plantedwhen they are about 15 cm tall. Before plantinga handful of Dynamic Lifter is placed in the hole.If the foliage begins to yellow we were wateringthe plants with Thrive or Aquasol. We are nowusing lawn food which has high nitrogen, lowphosphorus & all the micronutrients. The usualtreatment for yellowing foliage is iron chelatesbut in our garden this tends to kill moreplants than it cures. Hope this helps,

Warren & Gloria

In December 2002, two new species ofGrevillea, G. kirkalocka and G. squiresiaewere described in Nuytsia (Vol 15 (1) 88-99).In a paper entitled one new Banksia and twonew Grevillea species (Proteaceae:Grevilleoideae) from Western Australia, theauthors P. Olde and N. Marriott, give fulldescriptive details of the new taxa. Bothspecies are closely related to each other andto G. nana and G. aneura.

Grevillea kirkalocka was first recognised byme as a new species while I was researchingin PERTH, the WA herbarium. A subsequentfield trip to the area south of Mt Magnetenabled us to easily find the species butunfortunately it was not in flower due todrought. The species has red flowers accordingto the Type sheet which was collected as partof a plant survey in August 1995. It is closelyrelated to Grevillea nana, especially subsp.abbreviata which has leaf lobes of similarlength leaf but differs in the order of division,primary only in the case of G. nana andsecondary in G. kirkalocka. There may alsobe seed differences but these could not becompared through lack of material. Otherdifferences include smaller fruits, an obscurenectary, an appressed-villous ovary and analmost glabrous perianth limb (densely silkyin G. nana).

Grevillea kirkalocka grows in deep yellowsand, an uncommon soil type in the Eremeanzone, although scattered isolated sandheaths are not unknown elsewhere. Theyfrequently yield new species and the sandheath near Mt Magnet also yielded a newBanksia species which was named in thesame paper. Celia Rosser, the magnificentbotanical artist, was the inspiration for thename of this Banksia about which more willbe written in another article. The propery onwhich the Grevillea was found was thesource of the Grevillea epithet whichacknowledges the conservation values andeffort being made by the owners, especiallyAnn Pilkington who recognised the Banksiaas 'probably' new. We had initially proposedthe name 'Grevillea xerophila' for this species


Peter Olde

but a late change was made for reasons notexplored here. We would not normally revealthis name change except for the fact thatseveral plants were sold under this name atthe Plant Sale last year and also the namewas appended as a manuscript name labelattached to the type sheet at PERTH fromwhich it was used in the publication The WestAustralian Flora: A Descriptive Catalogue byGraznia Paczkowska & Alec Chapman.

Grevillea squiresiae acknowledges theconservation work and discovery of thisspecies by Mary Squires of Mukinbudin. It isvery closely related to G. aneura but differs inhaving a subsessile ovary and fruits withglandular hairs (silky in G. aneura). Thereare several other morphological features alsocited in the paper, including longer, 5-lobedleaves, linguiform nectary and persistent floralbracts. It also has a less oblique pollen-presenter than G. aneura .

It is an extremely rare species and whendescribed was known only from a singleroadside population east of Mukinbudin, alocality far removed from G. aneura.Subsequent searches of G. nana collectionsat PERTH have revealed a mis-identifiedspecimen of G. squiresiae from a nearbyarea. Much of the area in which this speciesis distributed is yellow sand which has never-theless been cleared for agriculture andindeed, recently a road maintenance opera-tion did some damage to the roadside plants.It has red flowers and narrow prickly leaflobes despite which it is a very attractivespecies.

Seed Bank

Please note new phone number for JudySmith (Seed Bank) 9579 1136Please include a stamped self addressedenvelope.

$1.50 + s.a.e.

candelabroides plurijuga uprightcrithmifolis polybotryadecora pterosperma SADryandri ssp pterosperma WAendlicheriana pteridifoliaeriobotrya pulchellaglauca pyramidalisgoodii quercifoliahuegelii refractaleucopteris robustamoniticola stenobotryapetrophiloides teretifoliapilulifera

Free + s.a.e.

G. banksii tree longistylabanksii grey leaf petrophiloidesbarklyana phanerophlebiacaleyi rivularisCaloundra Gem robustaCopper Rocket scortechiniiendlicheriana Sid ReynoldsExcellence stenobotryajohnsonii Superbajuncifolia thelemannianaleucopteris trilobalinearfolia white trifidalongifolia venusta

White Wings

If a cross appears in the box, your subscriptionof $5.00 is due.Please send to the Treasurer, ChristineGuthrie, PO Box 275, Penshurst 2222.Please make all cheques payable to theGrevillea Study Group.

2002 2003


Financial Report - February 2003

Income

Subcriptions $110.00Seeds 10.00Interest 226.87Donations 15.00

$361.87

Expenditure

Newsletter Publishing $540.00Postage 149.00Stationery 20.45Bank Charges 2.50

$689.90

$10,441.89 in Interest Bearing Deposit tillJanuary 14 2003.

$9,021.22 in Business Cheque Account fromAutumn Plant Sale.

Balance in Current Account as at 18/2/03 is$3,889.28

Office Bearers

Leader Peter Olde138 Fowler Rd, Illawong 2234(02) 9543 2242 [email protected]

Treasurer and Newsletter EditorChristine GuthriePO Box 275, Penshurst 2222Phone / Fax (02) 9579 4093

Curator of Living CollectionNeil MarriottPO Box 107, Stawell 3380 Vic

Curator of Grevillea Park BulliRay Brown29 Gwythir Avenue, Bulli 2516(02) 4284 9216

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