This is wolfsbane or Monkshood growing in Japan as photographed by jhassy of flickr. This plant made it into the news today when a British woman used it fatally poison her lover, apparently it’s first recorded use as a poison since 1882.
There are ~250 species of Aconitum and I’m not certain which species is pictured to the right. Most species are native to the northern hemisphere and many are highly toxic. Toxicity is produced by a range of alkaloids (primarily aconitine and it’s derivatives) which cause respiratory paralysis and, in sufficient doses, cardiac arrest.
I have a personal interest in this species, having planted a cultivar (’Golden Ring’) in my garden yesterday. The plant in question has been in the pot a little too long, and has suffered a little in the extreme hot weather we had earlier in the year. Despite this, it has a few leaves still and I’m confident it will recover after the soaking rains we’ve been having the last few days. From a horticultural perspective it’s a nice hedging or border species, though it does have some spines so be careful with it near path edges or around small children.
This is a photo of Berberis thunbergii by Doe, John of flickr. The species is native to Japan and is known variously as Japanese barberry or Thunberg’s Barberry. Numerous horticultural cultivars exist (I planted ‘Golden Ring’) most of which are selected either for the coloured berries or the red to purple foliage. The species can be weedy in parts of the world and some populations in North America have become invasive. The genus is one of around 15 in the family Berberidaceae.
No surprises here, this amazing looking vine is a Aristolochia species from China, known locally as guan mu tong.
Like most species in the genus this member is poisonous, with alkaloids present in its tissues and seeds causing kidney problems (kidney failure and cancers) in mammals that consume it. This includes humans, as several people taking chinese medicine, which included this species, found out in the 1990s.
It’s widespread in China, occuring in moist shaded forests in Gansu, Heilongjiang, Hubei, Jilin, Liaoning, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Sichuan provinces.
It’s Friday night, and instead if being at home I’m extracting DNA from microbes. DNA extraction protocols are typically pretty simple: Lyse the cells, precipitate/digest proteins, pellet cellular debris using a centrifuge and then precipitate the DNA using ethanol or isopropanol. This protocol, however, involves numerous washes designed to dettach microbes from their substrate. The filtrations to remove the substrate take a few hours each, so it’s a slow process.
This unusual flower belongs to Uncarina grandidieri, a caudiciform* tree/shrub from Madagascar. The species is deciduous and grows to ~ 3-5 metres in height. This specimen is under two metres tall and is growing the Cactus and Succulent Garden at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney. The species will not tolerate temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius and will die back and possibly rot under these conditions.
The flowers appear quite Thunbergia-like and I’d originally thought the plant was a Thunbergia, however, that was incorrect (see the discussion here). The species is apparently pollinated by beetles. It’s part of the Pedaliaceae family, the same family that includes sesame.
*Having a thickened (and often misshapen) trunk or stem, caudiciform plants are typically adapted to dry conditions.
This unusual plant is the cactus Astrophytum asterias, known variously as the Sand Dollar or Star Peyote. Like most Astrophytum species, most clones are devoid of spines and instead have small tufted patches of hair. The species is critically endangered in the wild, due to habitat destruction and over-collection by hobbyists (despite being easily grown from seed). Most members of the genus are sensitive to excessive watering and should be kept in loose draining mixtures. In Sydney, the local rainfall is probably excessive and the species is best kept undercover.
A. asterias is a native of Nuevo León, Tamaulipas in northeastern Mexico and also occurs in southern Texas, USA. Despite being a cactus, the species generally grows in the shade of other cactaceous species such as Lindheimer prickly-pear (Opuntia engelmannii var. lindheimeri) and is often found semi-buried in coarse rubble. The species produces large, typical cactus flowers from March to May and like many cacti is insect pollinated.
The radial symmetry of plants from the genus Agave is one of the most endearing aspects of the group. Unfortunately, some members of the genus have a propensity to pup a little too vigourously. This has led to a number of species, most notably Agave americana having some weed potential. This species, however, has all the excellent aspects of the genus and virtually no drawbacks that I can name. It makes an ideal species for the garden and in Sydney’s climate deals beautifully with the lack of rainfall.
Unsurprisingly, the specis is named for Queen Victoria of England. It is native to Nuevo León in Chihuahua, Mexico where it is locally endangered due to habitat clearing and over-collection. Most natural specimens are solitary, though some rapidly-puping specimens are sometimes found in the wild. Unlike the more weedy Agave species, A. victoriae-reginae is relatively slow growing and takes many years to reach maturity and its maximum size of 45 cm across.
Today’s well overdue image is of Persicaria capitata also known as Japanese Knotweed and Pink bubble persicaria . This herbaceous ground cover is common in gardens in Sydney where it has a tendency to be a little weedy. That said, if you are prepared to keep in in check, and in your in a location where it’s escape is limited it’s a hardy ground cover with attractive foliage and interestingly shaped, small, pink flowers. In bright light the leaves take on a rosy, purple colour.
The species is native to East Asia and share its common name with the more weedy Fallopia japonica, though the two plants are not morphologically all that similar. Both though are part of the Polygonaceae family.
It’s also official today, the weather in Sydney has gone mad. Two days ago it was 38-42º C (100.4-107.6º F) in Sydney, today it would be lucky to be 20º C (68º F). I shouldnt complain, 38º C is too hot for me, Nik, Connor and my garden.
Sorry for the long time between posts, it’s been a hectic few weeks with Christmas, Connor, New Years and a touch too much World of Warcraft.
Today’s image is of Brassavola cucullata a tropical orchid from high altitude locations (>3000 metres) in Central America. This habitat means despite the tropical location the species is relatively cool tolerant and will grow in subtropical areas. The species has terete (pencil-shaped) leaves sand a rambling, epiphytic growth habit. In summer it produces large spidery flowers that are cream-to-pale-green in colour. Some websites feature photos of the plant in the wild. Its growth habit is strangely similar (to me at least) to Australian native Dockrillia species.
This is a photo I took last summer (almost a year ago) in Berowra Valley. The photo shows one of the smaller cicada species from the valley Cicadetta labeculata resting on a stick. This species is just 35mm long and is one of the smaller species present. There’s a detailed fact-file on the species at the Australian cicadas website including an recording of their call. Anyone who’s been bushwalking in coastal Sydney should be familiar with the call. Surprisingly, these are quite difficult cicadas to photograph as they tend to be timid and flee when you approach. This specimens a female.
I quite like cicadas and have numerous photos of the various species I’ve found in the valley. Hopefully, over the next few weeks I’ll post some blog entries on this topic….however, with Christmas approaching I’m not sure how much blogging I’ll get done.
On a side note, it is with much relief that I can report that the cat that I thought we’d lost was in fact hiding in house. Damn feline.
Today’s photo is of Huernia zebrina, growing and flowering in my collection of succulents in early 2006.
H. zebrina is a native of South Africa and part of the succulent stapeliad group - plants also known as carrion flowers. The common name is derived from way many species smell like rotting meat, fish or other putrefying material. Unlike the strongly scented Stapelia or Piaranthus, this plant (and all other Huernia spp. for that matter) dont seem to smell much at all. Many flies still seem interested in the flower and will lay eggs upon its surface, so perhaps it’s something beyond our olfactory skills. It’s not carnivorous - the flies are simply pollinators. It’s easy to grow in well drained potting mixes with 5-6 hours of bright sunlight a day. Don’t water much in winter. If you are in an area with frosts, get a glasshouse if you want to grow this species as it is not frost tolerant.
This unusual flower belongs to Ceropegia haygarthii var. distincta, a succulent, weakly-twining member of one of my favourite plant genera Ceropegia.
The species is native to South Africa and Angola where it grows as a rambling vine. Like most Ceropegia species it’s a poor climber without tendrils, and has only a weak affinity for twining. It thus tends to lay over other plants rather than wrapping around them tightly.
As usual, the species is well described by fellow Ceropegia-enthusiast Sage Reynolds. The genus is part of family Apocynaceae.
The genus Kniphofia is related to Gastrodia, Haworthia and Aloe and is quite similar in appearance to many of the so-called grass (non-succulent) Aloes. The genus is relatively large and contains some 70 species, all of which are natives of Africa. Most species occur in southern Africa and have a similar herbaceous, clump-forming habit. The genus is named in honour of Johann Hieronymus Kniphof a German botanist.
Kniphofia are common garden plants and are popular in Australia where there drought hardy nature is well tested. They form large clumps and are easily divided and propagated. Most species flower in autumn or winter. Watering during the growing period will enhance growth, but is not required as once the plants are established natural rainfall in most areas is sufficient.
This is one of a number of Cyrtocara moorii owned by a friend of mine (Glenn Barrett ). C. moorii is a haplochrominecichlid that occurs widely in Lake Malawi in Africa. Like virtually all haplochromines, C. moorii is a maternal mouthbrooding cichlid which breeds in polygynous harems. Unlike other cichlids, male haplochromines play little role beyond fertilisation in brood care and fry raising is typically the role of female cichlids.
C. moorii is popular with cichlid enthusiasts where it is variously known as the hump-head cichlid or dolphin cichlid. It requires large aquariums (over 180 litres) and should be kept in a group consisting of 2m:6-10 females. As an open water cichlid it requires swimming space that is free of rocks in the foreground of the aquarium. As for most malawi cichlids, plants are considered by this fish as food.
My mother complained yesterday about the lack of flower posts lately. So, Mum - this one’s for you.
This is Billbergia pyramidalis, a Brazilian bromeliad and one of the hardiest of its kind. This species is common in gardens in Sydney were it readily grows, via pups, in the leaf-litter ground interface (unlike many of its more epiphytic cousins). Like most bromeliads, the species has a large “well” in the centre (also known as a cup). This serves as a source of water and nutrients (which decay in the well) - an adaptation to their life in the canopy. The decay that supplies bromeliads with nutrients is inactive “digestion” and so most bromeliads are not carnivorous. There are, however, a small number of borderline carnivorous species (such as Brocchinia reducta).
The genus Billbergia contains numerous other species, though most are kept only by specialist bromeliad enthusiasts. Billbergia nutans (Queen’s tears) is the other exception and a common garden (and indoor) plant.
When I first spotted this plant at Patonga last weekend I said to Jess, I thought it may be edible. She encouragingly replied “You first”.
Freakishly, I was right. This is Tetragonia tetragonoides, an inhabitant of beachside habitats in many countries. It’s also known as New Zealand Spinach (and Warrigal Greens)… and indeed, it is edible, though allegedly better cooked than raw.
It’s a member of the ice plant family (Aizoaceae). Anyone for spinach?
Another day with little time to post so here is a photo I grabbed this morning on the deck (on my black bamboo!).
This is a robberfly eating a honey bee. There’s also a small fly of some other kind directly in front of the robberfly, but I’m not sure what it is - click on the photo to see my notes.
Robberflies are pretty common here in Berowra and they regularly seem to prey on honeybees. Given the imported nature of honeybees, and their tendency to cause problems for native bees, I don’t feel too sorry for them :).
Here’s a photo I took last weekend of a female Common Koel in our liquidambar (Liquidambar styraciflua) tree. These birds are brood parasites (cuckoos) and lay their eggs in the nests of local crows and honeyeaters.
The species eats fruit (and if you click on the photo you’ll see the stains on the beak).
