ASGAB Correa Study Group ISSN 1039-6926

Dear Members,

I can't believe that this year is almost over. It seems like only yesterday I was winging home from Germany and here it is ten months later. We have had the most amazing spring here on the Northern Tablelands with regular falls of rain (unbelievable) and no horrible late frosts. (Shhh!) The grass in the paddock is so high, that our sheep are hidden.

The dam is overflowing and now stocked with trout and thc cacophony of frogs at night is deafeningwe had our first red-belly black snake in the garden, which gave Don a bit of a fright. Speaking of the garden, the weeds have won! Thank heavens for Roundup or I just couldn't cope.

Spring also brought us the worst hailstorm ever: My glasshouse had quite a number of panes smashed and come these holidays, they'll be replaced. We're quite used to seeing tarpaulins on roofs around town now. Some people are replacing their tile roofs with steel as several insurance companies are refusing to insure tile roofs in our area.

My school was a mess, with hundreds of broken windows and many tiles which needed replacing. I was hoping that they'd close the school for a few weeks but no such luck. We just extended the holiday for Year 7 and 8 students for a few days. Don's school had 600 broken windows and whole roofs have had to be replaced. It was amazing. Gardens were stripped and the place looked like a bomb site.

The Kangaroo Island Expedition was an enormous success. We botanised, partied, discpvered, partied, collected, partied and thoroughly enjoyed ourseIves. The male members of our expedition even got to wash up! Seriously, though, it really was a fabulous trip, thanks to the members of our party who made it so memorable. I have included a detailed account in this newsletter.

My apologies to those members who wrote to me and still haven't received a reply. I have been working round the clock trying to get my Honours Masters thesis finished but simply ran out of time and have had to re-enrol for First Semester next year. It's

"Fangorn" Old Inverell Rd,

Armidale NSW 2350

Ph. (067) 75 1139 FAX (067) 72 2290

e-mail dhitch@northnet.com.au

Newsletter No. 14

disappointing as I did want to graduate in April and will now have to wait another year. It's a huge study and I want to do it properly, so bear with me for another few months, please.

My new Senior debating team made it through to the State Finals again but just got pipped with a split decision. Coaching a team to this level requires spending almost every lunch hour on debate preparation and travelling with the team to Sydney a number of times. It takes an enormous amount of personal free time which is unpaid. You do it for the benefit of the students involved and that's what the government trades on. Unfortunately, many teachers are beginning to run out of goodwill.

Thank you to those members who sent back the Flower calendar sheets. I am enclosing the next one with this newsletter. Correa decumbens is usually the first species to flower so check your plants.

I brought home cuttings of many forms that we saw on Kangaroo Island. A number of these have struck and are potted on. They will soon be ready to post to members. If you have a particular request, let me know and I'll send you some struck cuttings. Read through the account of our trip and that will help you decide which forms you would like to try. You may need to repot them when they arrive or plant them in the ground with a reservoir of potting mix, keeping them well watered for several weeks until they are established.

The GPS satellite navigation device was brilliant. It allowed us to get immediate reference points instead of having to work them out on a map. Don took many slides and these turned out beautifully, so we have a good collection. Copying slides is a very expensive proposition, so I won't be able to offer lots of copies. The odd small number could be managed, though, so please be specific.

We talked about our next expedition being to Tasmania in '98. Anyone interested? Hope you enjoy this newsletter and Merry Christmas to all.

Best Wishes Maria Hitchcock

Kangaroo Island Correa Expedition

July, 1996

by Maria Hitchcock (Leader: Correa Study Group)

We left Armidale around lunchtime on Friday and drove west until it began to get dark and we began to get tired. We spent the night in a caravan park at Gilgandra and next morning headed west again. There are very long stretches between towns in this part of NSW but we made good time and passed Broken Hill by mid afternoon. Peterborough was our next port of call and after camping overnight, we set off south the next morning, passing through Adelaide and driving south down to the tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula, arriving at Cape Jervis in mid afternoon.

There are no camping areas at Cape Jervis, so we investigated the nearby Deep Creek Conservation Park for a campsite. There is a rare unnamed form of Correa with affinities to Correa calycina here, but trying to find it is like looking for a needle in a haystack. You have to know exactly where to look. I did manage to pick up cuttings of it later on in a native garden on our return journey. Unlike C. calycina, it is smooth-leaved rather than hairy and has a curious habit of clasping the stem tightly around the green flower.

The weather changed during the night with strong winds and rain. It was pretty miserable down at the wharf as we waited for the rest of our party to arrive. Cherree and Ian Densley were first to arrive, followed soon after by Rosemary and Doug Pedler. The Barnetts had gone over a day earlier and would meet us on the other side. We marveled at the way the Sea Lhdc Feny cranulled all the vehicles in and we then went below decks to get out of the rain and enjoy the journey.

Did I say enjoy??? The captain told us the good and bad-news. The good news was that the journey took only an hour and the bad news was that we had 58 minutes left! Fortunately, the ferry was well equipped with paper bags because we were GREEN! I am usually an excellent sailor but this one felled me. The big swells and bad weather were to blame but I'll know next time to take some pills beforehand.

After docking at Penneshaw, the party staggered off the boat, glad to be on terra firma once again. We were met by Margie and Geoff Barnett and their two daughters, Nellie and Hannah. Our empty stomachs required a fill-up so we soon found ourselves in a cafe. Cherree was still feeling very ill so she and Ian drove on to Kingscote. Kangaroo Islan'd has not yet been spoilt by the internationalisation of the tourist market and we felt as though we were in a 1950's cafe, with good old-

fashioned service. It was a good omen for the week to come.

A few kilometres west of Penneshaw, lies Dudley Conservation Park. We pulled up along the road and walked into the bush to start recording and collecting our first Corrcas. I had pcrrnits from the South Australian authorities to cover the trip and I had planned to collect for Mt. Annan Botanic Gmlens, the Australian National Botanic Gardens and the Study group.

Don would be our official photographer and keeper of the GPS. Rosemary was interested in photographing and collecting for her wildflower paintings and everyone else in the party got into the spirit of discovery. Frequently there would be cries of "Here's one!" or "This is a beauty!" or "Over here!" coming from behind odd bushes.

At Dudley, there were Correa reflexa plants everywhere and they were very variable in leaf shape and colour form. Most of the bushes were about 2 metres high and flowers ranged from yellowish-green forms to various red and green combinations. Some were long and narrow, others were shorter and wider.

Further along the road, growing in what seemed like pure sand, we discovered our first C. pulchellas. Again the leaf forms were quite variable and there were plants which looked like hybrids between C. reflexa and C. pulchella. In fact some of them very closely resembled some of the hybrids in the Nursery trade, which made me wonder about their origins. There were so many plants here, mostly about 0.5 metre in height, it was hard to know where to stop. Common sense prevailed and when we felt we'd collected a reasonable sample, we drove on. It was going to be a slow trip.

w The road passes by P i I ngton Bay, so we stopped here and-scouted-around. he habitat was totally different, being dunes and beach headlands. There were only a few C. reflexa plants to be seen, nestled into the coastal heath and naturally bonsaied by salt-laden winds. Flowers were redlyellow and leaves were rounded but smooth and leathery. By this stage the afternoon sun was dipping in the sky and we decided we'd done enough botanising for one day and that next port of call would be Kingscote to

buy our island passes and stock up with a few supplies at the supermarket. In my case, we also bought Sarah a jacket and cap as she had forgotten to pack these essential items.

Our pre-booked cabins were comfortable, roomy and very well quipped. Margie and I had tried to contact Bev Overton while in Kingscote, with no success. We'd even gone round to Ida Jackson's place, but no-one was at home. Bev finally caught up with us and brought over her extensive herbarium collection. I pinned her down to giving us some locations on a map, which would assist us in tracking down the various species. One thing that struck me at the time was the naming 'of these K.I. Correas. Bev called the C. reflexas 'nummulariifolia' and I knew that the ones near Penneshaw were otherwise. She also asked us to check out a form which she called C.reflexa var. glabra. What a mystery! Our trip started to take on the guise of a 'magical mystery tour9.

It was Doug's birthday, so after devouring half his chocolates and sundry edibles in the Bamett's temporary living quarters, I headed back to my cabin to spend the next hour packing specimens for Sydney and Canberra. This is a wonderful self-limiting exercise. One soon learns the folly of collecting from too many bushes, as each has to be packed separately and labdled.

Next morning we welcomed the Pedler's son, Lynn, who is doing research into the Glossy Rlack Cockatoo on the island. We headed nortl~ towards Emu Bay and turned in on a side track to Bay of Shoals. Along the way we stopped to check out a small population of C. pulchelXa plants growing on the side of the road. They were gowing in an understorey of Eucalyptus cneorifolia, Acacia paradoxa and Melaleuca lanceolata and most of the plants were less ~han 0.5 metre high. As before there were several cdour forms.

Our track along Bay of Shoals led us to an open scrubland, which appeared very dry and sloped gradually down to the beach. Here, snuggled among clumps of Orlhrosanthus, low straggIy C. pulchella shrubs struggled to survive. They werc fairly sickly looking and several were affected by sooty mould. One shrub down near the beach however, did catch my eye.

It aa~>eared to be very old, over a metre across and full of dead branches in the centre, with new growth around the outside. The small hard pointed leaves contrasted with brilliant orange bells, which were sparsely scattered in the foliage. The plmt itself was a prostrate form, but one wonders what it would look like in a different environment away from harsh sea winds and salt spray.

Next on the agenda was to check out Bev's C. reflexa var. glabra. We drove along North Coast Road and turned off onto Hummocky Track. Here we found the plants that Bev had described out they were not what T imagined. Growing in a low Xeromorphic heath were metre-high Coma plants, which looked like a hybrid between C. rcflexa and C. decumbens. The leaves were very hairy and narrow with prominent veins. Flowers resembled C. dccumbens but poked out in all directions or hung facing downwards.

We appeared to have come across a hybrid swarm, although we couldn't find any straight C.reflexas or C . decumbens. The stability of the population leads me to consider that this lorm should have a name. Bev' s 'var. glabra' still haunted me so I started to sniff some leaves. Eureka! The leaves were reminiscent of mainland C. glabra leaves. Another mystery confronted us. C. glabra doesn't grow on K.I. so where did this genetic feature come from? Mainland forms of C, reflexa don't have it so it couldn't have come from them.

This little discovery resulted in my instructions to everyone to "sniff the leaves" whenever we came across Correas. We msst have presented a curious sight each day to passing busloads of tourists, who would have wondered what new form of narcotic was being experienced. Somehow I don't think it will take off.

We found more specimens of this hybrid along Springs Road as we headed for Stokes Bay. Lunch wns calling so we drove down to the beach and found a nice picnic area, complete with some good rocks to clamber around. The discovery of a baby penguin in a rock crevice added an extra dimension to our expedition, with three very excited little girls having something to talk about to their friends back home.

The next couple of hours were spent hunting for either parent of our hybrid. We made frequent stops along the roadside with no luck. It was very frustrating, as we didn't know what plant habitiat to look for. Finally, by chance, I jumped out of the car to have a quick scout around while Don made a U- turn to check out another track and I almost stepped on a C . decumbens plant, What a fluke!

The whole party then fanned out and we counted about 30 plants sprawling along the ground under some E, cladocalyx trees. There were few flowers out, as this species normally flowers very early in the year, but what flowers there were poked

up vertically from long spreading branches. C. party, which was just as well for we had a few more decumbens is very rare and endangered and this days to go. population wasn't what 1 would consider to be prolific. It was the only population we found on the Here, some very tall C, aemula plants whole trip. straggled through the dense undergrowth searching

for light. The plants were practically growing in X think this may be a species we need to water and were quite lush looking with their hairy

encourage people to grow in their gardens. From my apple-green round leaves hiding the odd green flower. own experience, however, it i s fairly short-lived in An unusual feature of this species is the fact that the cultivation and this may put people off. I wonder flower becomes quite mauve as it ages. what its potential as a basket plant may be?

Having made our discovery, we drove The very rare K.I. form of Correa calycina towards Rocky River, filling up with petrol at a small

can be found in this region of the island but the track depot along the way. Rocky River campsite and there is often inaccessible so we gave it a miss. Bev Rangers headquarters were fantastic. Cape Barren later sent me cuttings and I was amzed to discover Geese, tame kangaroos and emus greeted us as we that I have had it growing in my garden for years drove in looking for a lunch site. Rob Furner, the under the name C. caIycina hybrid. That's the trouble head ranger was extremely helpful with advice on when you get plants from other people, tile origins where to look for more populations and again he are often lost in the process of passing around. called the local C . reflexa, 'nummulariifolia' . I don't

know where the islanders acquil-ed this name but it's a It was now late afternoon as our very tired but classic example of an error which keeps repea*' 7,

happy party pulled into the carpark at Cape Borda. itself. I'vc since sent Bob a sample of the 'real. -. The ligl~rhouse gleamed in the last rays of the setting reflexa var. nurnmulariifolia. sun and the sea could just be glimpsed beyond. It is a mcher dramatic site. The cottages were far better than After lunch, the party moved on south. 1 I ever imagined and well worth the money. We would have loved to spend time exploring Flinders shared wit11 the Barnetts, whilc Cherree and Ian and Chase NP but we were on a tight schedule and i t the Pedlers spent the night in other cottages. It was would have to wait for another time. Along Cape de the eve of Hannah's birthday so we started Couedic Rd, we camc across the C . reflexa celebrating early. populations , which Bob had described. These plants

grew to about a metre in height, were somewhat The next morning, we packed and scouted straggly, and had small round leaves wit11 that glabra

around looking for Correas. I found a number of smell, They were covered in flowers, which variccl in very nice colour farms of C. pulchelia, survivors of a size and shape but were predominantly redlgreen. fire. This was an aspect of C. pulchella that 1 didn't know about. We would come across this species' A side road leads to Remarkable Rocks. tolerance of fire again 0x1 the trip, and marvel at the These are totally stunning and no sooner had the cars large number of what appeared to be seedlings. pulled up than everyone was off, clambering over this

iatlrynth of wind-carved monoliths. Photo Back along Cape Barda Road we came across opportunities ruled and Correas were forgotten ' at

a slnall population of C. reflexa plants with red least 15 minutes. The nearby coastal heath st re^, -.ed flowers. There may be more of them scattered for miles and is full of a very leathery form of C. through the bush and one would need to do a reflexa, with a vivid red/yellow flower. Scattered in thorough suwey to map the extent of these. It is t l~e low heath we came across a vcry small number of possible that this form is similar to the of that C. pulchella plants, with brilliant orange flowers. hybrid swarm, but one can't know for sure without some fancy cherm'stq or genetic mapping.

Our next task was to locate the rare form of C. aemula, which grows on the eastern side of Flinders Chase National Park. We headed south along West End Highway and stopped in several likely locations but no luck. From my kr~owledge of C. aemula, it likeswet sites, so we figured the creek crossings offered the best hope. The land on the eastern side was heavily cleared, open and bare-looking, an unlikely habitat for C. aemula.

It was the men who made the great discovery. Husbands sometimes get dragged along on these trips, feeling a bit useless and wishing that they could be fishing. Somehow the magic of exploring rubbed off and they were just as excited as d ~ e ladies in the

Strong salt-laden winds and skeletal soils ensured thal the heath remained low. These forms may grow larger outside of their natural habitat and it would be interesting to document such variations. Time was running out and we still had another site to inspect before nightfall, so we backtracked towards Cape de Couedic.

If we thought the Cape was going to be a brief hunt around, we were mistaken. For a start, the lighthouse _is beautiful and the cottages quaint. Secondly, the New Zealand Fur seals beckoned and we were hooked. An hour and several rolls of film later, we finally dragged ourselves away from marvelling at these wonderful animals at very close quarters and organised ourselves for the night.

We'd fallen into a pattern of botanising, partying, botanising, partying and this evening was no exception. It was just great. Everyone got along and we discussed everything under the sun. Somehow, I still managed to fit in packing for the Gardens. The only Correas we found at Cape de Couedic were the same leathery-leaved forms of C. reflexa, which we'd seen at Remarkable Rocks.

the sea lions. The board walk down to the beach is very impressive and scattered among the dunes were blobs of fur, looking for all the world like giant slugs. The tour was great - one can go right onto the beach very close to these amazing antarctic animals.

On the way back, I checked out the Correas and found many plants of the same leathery-leaved form of C, reflexa. There were no C. puIchellas to be seen and I doubt if the habitat was right, being deep sand rather than skeletal sand over rock.

It was quite late when we arrived at the HoIiday cottage booked by the Bametts. Somehow we all managed to fit in with matresses and sleeping bags everywhere. Cooking in the tiny kitchen was soon under the control of Cherree, who is amazingly efficient and a fantastic organiser. Doug took control of the firc and Ian managcd to find everyone a scat. We were all pretty tired that night, so didn't rage for long but soon tucked ourselves into warm beds.

The weather had been on and off fine, with some variation and was really quite perfect for this expedition. After the first couple of days, we really didn't need our woolly caps or big coats and the nights were not too cold. Compared to Armidale winters, it was pretty mild. Thursday dawned fine and we headed off for Kelly Hill Caves.

After a tour through the caves, I took the longer walking track in search of C. aemula, which Bob Furner had told us grew there. Sure enough, there were several plants along the track. They were almost prostrate, with long stems which sprawled wildly in any direction. A few flowers were in evidence but it really wasn't the right time of year. These plants had smaller leaves than our earlier collection, but that was certainly due to a different and drier habitat.

The cottage was sited on Flour Cask Bay and around it were a number of quite nice C. reflexa plants, displaying many colour forms. They resembled the Dudley, type in growth habit. At Point Tinline on D'Estrees Bay, we found more of the same forms but further along the road, we came across a small burnt out patch, which had many C. pulchella seedlings and regenerating plants.

It seems to me that C. pulchella must have a lipnotuber, which allows it to regenerate after light burns. This was an aspect of correas that I'm not familiar with. At Portland, Vic, some experimentation is going on with light burns as control of the Coastal Wattle. Here one can see hundreds of seedling Correa reflexa plants, but no regenerating mature plants.

Bev had given us another C. pulchella location near Point Reynolds, so we turned off the main road and headed towards the sea. Suddenly we were stopped in our tracks by a farmer trying to get a 14 ft cultivator through a 14ft gate. With Ian's help, he just managed it and in the process we got talking. Bob Hagerstrom turned out to be not only a friendly farmer, but also knew C. pulchella by name and calmy informed us that he had a heritage block which was full of it on his property. He invited us to look around the block, so we took the opportunity to fit in a lunch stop at the same time.

I couldn't believe the variations among his C. pulchellas. They were similar to what we'd found on the road from Penneshaw, with pink and orange forms and a great variation in leaf types. The heritage block was wonderful and we spent quite some time exploring his piece of natural bush.

It was a fair drive along South Coast Road to We decided to call into American River to get Seal Bay. We made a few detours looking for some supplies and also to post off the first batch of specimens but had little success. We arrived at Seal plants for Mt. Annan and ANBG. Amazingly, we Bay in time to take advantage of the last tour to see coincided with a large funeral, with cars everywhere

and none of them moving very fast. I think the whole population of American River parked near the Post Office that day.

i t was raining lightly, and trying to retrieve large bags of specimens from a broccoli box on top of the car in front of hundreds of mourners was interesting. Our number plate said it all for them - "mainlanders".

The party split up and arranged to meet at Cape Willoughby, where we would spend the night. Packing and sending she specimens seemed to take a long time, especially since the postmistress was at the funcral and a friend, who didn't know where anything was, was looking after the shop. She tried hard but was relieved when thc boss walked in and took over again.

On the way to Cape Willoughby, Don and I came. across another fabulous C. pulchella site. I never cease to be amazed at the variations in form within a very small area. One really needs to collect from quite a number of plants to get a good sample of the whole population. This find slowed us down somewhat, so it was a bit of a race to make it to the Lightllouse by 4 pm in time for the last tour. We just made it.

What a spectacular site met us as we drove up. The beautifully shaped white lighthouse gleamed in the afternoon sun, and stood majestically on the cliff facing the ocean. We climbed to the top and admired the million dollar view across Backstairs Passage. The sea was calm and the only negatives were the heavily cleared cliff-face and the lines of white rocks, which we were told the rangers painted when they were bored. I'm not sure they get too many visitors in winter as the rocks looked freshly painted.

There was not a Correa in sight, which was a disappointment, but then, we probably had been Correa-ed out by this stage. It was party time again and we had a bit to celebrate. My birthday the next day was duly toasted, then the success of the trip, the wonderful company and the island itself. Evelyone was feeling tired but happy and we crawled into our beds that night praying for calm weather for the ferry crossing the next day.

Our prayers were answered. We bade goodbye to the Pedlers who decided to spend some more time with Lynn. The rest of us quite enjoyed the trip back to the mainland and drove in convoy towards Victor Harbour, where we called into Nanamooka Flora Reserve to collect some more cuttings. The Reserve has an extensive collection of Correas and well worth a visit. Then it was time to say goodbye to the Densleys and they headed home.

Don, Sarah and I were to spend a very hospitable night with the Barnetts at Mt. Barker so

6

that I could investigate the C. glabras which Mt. Annan had asked about. There's plenty of confusion about these. According to the 1961 Revision, C. glabra has green flowers ;and C. schlechtendalii has red ones. However, it was pointed out to me a few years ago, that there are red forms of C. glabra and C. schlechtendalii only grows on the Mallee sands while C. glabra grows on rocky hillsides.

Margie Barnett took us to Monarto, where we found some very sorry looking specimens, but with the fairly typical greyish-green dull leaves of C. schlechtendalii. We found some healthier and larger plants growing in the Ferries McDonald Flora Reserve. These were quite different to the glossy green leaved C. glabra plants growing on Mt. Barker. And the Mt. Barker form has red flowers.

All this proves is that we desperately need another revision. Having seen many of the Kangaroo Island plants now, I'm convinced that all of the forms need to be given sub-species status. It was great clarify a few little mysteries and to get a vis,-, overview for myself.

I would like to thank all the members of the party for making it such a friendly and memorable trip, the Barnetts for their hospitality, Bev Overton, Bob Fwner, Bob Hagerstrom and all the rangers and islanders who were so helpful.

We are already considering going to Tasmania in winter 1998 for our next expedition. Next year is probably out because of the ASGAP Conference. Keep it in mind. We'd love to have you along.

More Kangaroo Island Jottings

More Kangaroo Island Jottings

Rosemary and Doug Pedler stayed behind when we returned to the mainland and did some botanising of their own. Rosemary writes:

'At Kingscote, near the aerodrome, we stopped to look at a green-flowered Correa, which seemed to me to be different from anything we had yet encountered. It was a large dense bush (2m x 2m), growing in among natural mallee type vegetation. Leaves were light green, tomentose on both surfaces and densely packed and turned down over the narrow green flowers. There were no bands of colour on the floral tube, just an even green from top to bottom, with short reflexed petals and distinct points on the hairy green calyx. Stems and branchlets were rich brown and densely tomentose with rusty coloured hairs. There was no shine on the leaves at all, just a soft dull (but not grey) leaf surface. They felt thick but soft.'

Rosemary, you forgot to snifS the leaves. (Ed.)

'We left Cape Willoughby Rd and travelled south along a very rough bush track (that description rather flateefs the surface over which we jolted). It was definitely not for conventional vehicles, being barely wide enough for Lynn" battered 4WD Ute. We twisted and wound our way through very dense bush for about 10 kms and finally reached the sea at Black Point, which forms the southern boundary of the block.

As Lynn had indicated there was a great deal of Coma a11 along the way and it was the typical Correa reflexa type of the Dudley peninsula, but with no pink or red forms at all. They were uniformly cream with green tips. Some very large bushes were heavy with flowers, but most were more open and spindly, pushing through the dense growth.

Further on towards the beach, the form changed to one with thickened leaves but which were tornenrose above and below, without the bright shine above of those near D'Estrees bay. The flowers had become stronger and larger and more yellow than green, the anthers had retreated into the i7oral tube and there was little or no reflex to the petals.

On the lowest steep slope above the beach, the Correas were absolutely prostrate and 1.5 - 2 m. across.'

As X mentioned in my article above, the Kl collection definitely needs looking at by an expert and reclassified. Isuspect that these may be remnants of wider commmities that spmad across the Bass Straiit plains and were then cut ofl wirh rising sea levels. If that assumption is fme, we shozt Ed see similar foms on other Bass Strait islands. Perhaps the trxpedition to Tasmania m y solve a few mysteries,

L - From the Members

Firstly, some sad news. Trix Chambers' husband, Lewis, died in January and she is gradually getting over her loss. Our thoughts are with you Trix and I know I speak for all members in extending our deepest sympathy to you and your family.

. . . .

Trix is still propagating Correas and helping out at Karwarra gardens, which has an extensive Correa collection, thanks to John Knight, the former Curator and Leader of the Boronia and Allied genera Study Group. They also have a Iarge range of Boronias and even a Boronia Festival.

She writes that she still has a large number of flowers on her potted Correas (in mid November) and that they seem to have been going for ages.

I suspect that the even soil temperatures and perhaps more sheltered positions of potted plants could prolongflowering but someone may like to correct me on that, (Ed.)

Trix sent a small piece of a pink-flowered Correa which has been variously named as C. reflexa x aemula and C. reflexa x pulchella.

I think that it is neither one of those but a hybrid between C. pulchella and C. aemula. I've drawn a sketch below and you can have a go at picking the parents yourself.

n

Ma1 Lyndon of Toowoomba, Qld. has growing in his garden, C. reflexa, C. 'Dusky Bells9, C. a h a 'Pink', C. lawrenciana 'Red', C. decumbens, C. glabra. All were bought as tube stock from 'Wild Tech', Victoria, 18-24 months ago and are doing very nicely. Mal's soil is deep red clay loam and he can grow plants plants belonging to the Proteaceae family which are the envy of other SGAP members.

We don't have many members in Qld (no doubt because of the climate, so it's good to hear of someone growing Correas successfully. Ma1 is keen to trial any plants that members would like to send him.

The Glen Innes Branch of SGAP have recently propagated a large number of Correas from cuttings X sent them from my garden. They are hoping to raise money for the group in a future plant sale and spread the Coma message at the same time. Great stuff! If any of you have visited Glen Innes, you will have trouble finding any native pIant gardens: The newly formed branch wants to change that situation and 1 wish them the best of luck.

Margie Barnett wrote about a conversation she had had with someone who lives on Hindmarsh Island (the one that has been in the news lately because of the secret women's business stopping a bridge developmen I). Apparently the local landcare group is husy recorcliing what indigenous flora tbere is left on the island and they were quite excited to find a specimen of C. nlba var. pannosa, which occtlrs on the mainland at King's Head as well.

She also wrote that after the Kangaroo Island trip, life will never be the same again. Hverywl~ere she goes, she looks for Correas, mcE even the girls keep an eye out nnrl recugnise them.

Isabel Smith and husband Keith have been 'dawdling' on the back roads of the Eyre Peninsula during April ant1 May and despite the weather conditions found C. reflexa flowering frequently.

Matthew Oxford is also a Kangaroo Island fan. .He cycled around the Dudley Peninsula one weekend back in '9 1. Re sent me some photos of Correas seen along the way, and remarked that a week would not be long enough. He's right, we could have spent two or more weeks there and still not recorded every single location.

Marian Beek wrote:

'Today is really spring weathcr, miId and sunny and the birds are busy building nests. X had a walk in the garden and cleared away some soursobs where a "Fat Fred' used to grow and lo and behold! There he was still iilive after 3 years and flowering, I couldn't get over it. 'Old Gold' seems to be a very vigorous plant. It Is such a strong grower."

people got wise to its unreliability? W-e should follow up the 'Fat Fred' story. Who can top Marian's efSort? Remember, it must be a true C, reflexa var. cardinalis~form, with very narrow leaves. (Ed.)

Yvonne Bakes wrote to say that hers is still going OK (at Barmera SA). I can't remember how old Yvonne's plant is, but I think it's more than 3 years. Yvonne spotted lots of Correas down Edithvale way (in a plantation along the railway line).

Steve Clemesha added a little more information to his Mt. Mitchell discovery.

'There is a walking track to the top. The Correa is on the top small flat area. Part of this is rainforest, part stunted heath. The Correas I found were near where the track turns to go into the rainforest at the summit. There is only an area of 2 or 3 square metres of heathland you can get to in safetv. About 6 Correa plants are in the area. More co exist in parts you can't easily get to. They were fairly stunted probably due to the drought and exposed mountain top position. There are possibly more Correas on top of Mt. Cordeaux.

Obviously, this is a very endangered remnant population and it would be good to know if this foim is more widespread and if it has been conserved in any way. I will send off a copy of Steve's description to the Botanic Gardens in Brisbane and keep you all posted Well done, Steve.

One of the important functions of a Study Group is to document incidences of our flora in the wild. If you are travelling anywhere and come across Correas, please note the locations and write to me. You never know, you may have discovered a new form not previously recorded. With the demise of the rabF;+ through Calcivirus, I am expecting the lot understorey shrubs , like Correas, to spread out and pop up in unexpected places. The next five years should see some interesting finds. (Ed.)

Has 'Fat Fred' gone out of fashion, or have

Sunraysia Botanic Gardens Postie's Corner

The Study Group has been approached (along with others, I'm sure) to assist with this new venture at Mildura. It aims to feature Australian arid zone flora, heathland species and salt-adapted plants. They hope to obtain financial assistance and labour through the new Green Corps, which will employ 17-20 year olds for 6-12 months in environmentally related projects.

They are keen to establish comprehensive collections of groups of plants and are seeking help from Study Group members. At some stage they hope to invite Study Group leaders to the gardens. As I live too far away for that to be a practical suggestion, one of you may be willing to go in my place. Let me know if you are interested and I'll keep you posted.

Correas in England

Jeanette Closs sent me a letter she had received from England. Jeff ? sent a small dried specimen of a Correa which he hoped she could identie. It resembles C . backhousiana, but the upper leaf is velvety and the calyx of the flower has a wavy rolled back edge. 13e said that i t is being sold as C. backhousiana. he goes on to say hat Correas are in a mess here (in England). A split corolta form of C , backhousiana is sold as C. alba, another creamy white plant with flattened stamens is sold as C , lawrenciana, something with stellate hairs is sold as C. backhousiana. Sounds like they've had a longer time to create some interesting hybrids than we have, and that naming is just as chaotic over there as here.

Jeff ? is growing a number of Correas, including C. alba, C. backhousiana, C. decumbens, C. pulchella, C. reflexa (green), C. 'Dusky Bells', C. 'Marian's Marvel', C. 'Harrisii', C. 'Mannii' . It's interesting that the only forms of C. 'Harrisii' one hears of are all growing overseas. I wonder how we can bring it to Australia?

Cherree Densley sent me an extract from a book called 'The 3,000 Mile Garden' by Roger PhilIips and Leslie Land. In a letter sent from London, Roger writes:

'We have an Australian family living in the Square and after being here for years they have got homesick for plants from the outback. Jim, JuIie ancl their two sons Ben and Mike have taken over a bed and planted loads of really odd Australian plants, mast of them incredibly tender. The bed they have taken' up is on a slight incline facing south and rather dry, so we hope that they have a hot dry area that the frost will run off in winter. The red and white Correas that they planted seem to have never stopped flowering.'

A few people have asked for instructions on how to send Correas by post. I'm no expert but I have sent both cuttings and rooted cuttings successfully through the post so here goes.

*imens for Identification

Pick a small piece about 10 cm long (4 in.). It needs to have

* leaves (not too many) * flowers in bud * mature flower

Place between tissues under a heavy book for a couple of days until flattened. Make sure the flower is visible and not covered by a whole lot of leaves. Change the tissues and press again for a couple of days, then air dry before sending. If you put your specimen inside some folded stiff paper, it should arrive safely.

Write on the paper my information you have about the plant, e.g., six, origin, possible parents-if it is a hybrid, age of plant and name (if you have one).

sending Cuttings

Cut 15cm (6 in.) pieces from the tips of firm branches. i find these are best for Correas. The ideal time to pick-cuttings is either early in the morning or in the evening but, if that's not possible, then any other time will be alright as long as they are not left to dry out. Place them in a plastic bag straight away and bring inside.

Wrap groups off the same bush in single sheets of wet newspaper, with a waterproof label included. Put your bundles in green vegetable bags, 2-3 bundles to a bag and put a twist tie on top. The green bags slow down the rate of vegetable decay caused by ethylene gas release and many SGAPers swear by them.

You don't want your cuttings to get crushed in transit, so a padded bag or small box or even a post tube would be best. Write PERISHABLE on the outside.

I find the best time to send cuttings is in Autumn or eariy Spring, when the weather is cooler, and you may need to use one of those foam tubes (designed for sending bottles) in the middle of summer, to ensure that the cuttings don't overheat.

Putting them in the bottom of the fridge overnight before packing is also a good hint. They must stay cool and moist for best results. If you are receiving cuttings, they also need to go in the bottom of the fridge straight away until you have time to prepare them.

I am open to other suggestions so please write if you do it differently. Margie Barnett uses those Zip Lok plastic bags from the supermarket and dispenses with the newspaper and green bags. She has excellent results, but I don't know how they would go through the post.

Sending plants wi& roots

The best plants to send are small ones in tubes with a reasonably dense root mass. Soil is pretty heavy and also can harbour diseases and pests, so it is a good idea to wash the roots before posting. I usually take the plant out of the pot and put the whole lot into a bucket of water, swishing a few times until the roots come out free of most dirt. Wash them again in fresh water until they are quite clean.

Soak some sphagnum moss until it is moist and spongy and squeeze out a small handfull. Place half of it on some cling wrap, then put your plant on top so that the roots are sitting on the moss and cover the roots with the remaining moss. Now fold the cling wrap over and around the rootball, so that it is well covered and protected from drying out.

/ Sphagnum moss has a natural fungicide which acts against your roots rotting in transit.

Wrap the whole plant with its plastic wrapped roots in a single sheet of wet newspaper (don't forget the label), place in a green vegetable bag and seal with a twist tie. As with cuttings, send in a padded bag, box or tube to prevent crushing.

If you are receiving rooted cuttings, they should be placed in the bottom of the fridge straight away until you have time to pot them on. They really should be potted on for a while before planting out for best results. Good luck!

Flower Calendar

With this newsletter, I have included the results of the last Flower calendar and also a new one for next year. Thank you to Cl~ristine Wadey, Ron McKeown, John E m s , Ma1 Lyndon and Brenclon Stahl for filling theirs in and returning them.

In the columns I have put a number to represent the number of records for that plant for that month. For example, 'Dusky Bells' appears to be a popular plant, which flowers in all five locations (luring July and August but then tapers off. My record for October is at Metung, Vic.

I have also included the oldest plant submitted to give you an idea of expected reliability and the size of that pIant. I'm sure there are many older specimens out there. If you haven't had time to fill in your calendar (I do understand - I'm one of the slackers myself) but you do have older plants, send me the sheet back just with that information wonder who would have the oldest 'Marial, s Marvel' ?

I found sizes of plants very variable and no doubt this depends on the growing conditions in each garden. Please take this information as a loose guide only. If you put your sheet on the fridge door or nearby, that will help you to remember to fill it in.

One thing I'm starting to do is to put the date of planting on my labels which get buried with each plant. Trying to remember when you planted things is a headache.

So, everyone's New Year Resolution is going to be to fill in their calendars and return them to me in early June. Right? I even promise to fill out my own this time. Cheers,

Maria n

-. - - - - . - . . - .

/ .~orrea . Flower Calendar. 1 ? ? ) ! L + , b s t r i o ! s : ~~~t~.n.~!E!tha.~!~./na~u~ra!Too~w~.o.mb.a!Loch I . , , . , . , , . . . . . . . . . . .

st?%!!? 4 + . . . . . . . . . . . ,,, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -

~ l ~ ~ . s ~ ~ ~ . . ~ r . . ~ l ~ ) . . . .....................................

a h !!ar!?gated . . . . . . . . . . . .

....... . . . . . -. . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . , . , , . . .; I. , calycina , 3j 3i 11 . .

..: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , , : ......... . . , : . . . . . . . : i. pulchella. - u~rjght ....... . . . . ............... 4 . . . . ! . .;. ........... S..yrs. .... :0:3 x 0.2

I . . . 1 : 1 , 1. 1 : . , - milor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......,r., .:.... 4. Y F 0.6 x 1 .O "'i

lpulchella : pros!c!!e. . . . . . . ..I .......... i. 1 : 1 ; : 3 YYS 0.1, x , W . . . . . . . . I I

qlease,,?i?k ,c!um?..if..plant is fl0weriv.g add .age and. size, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JUIY: AW ! ~ 9 p t . j . 0ct .. i , .............. i. i Oldest .................... plant j, size (H x W).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - , , . .....,... 3; 4 : 3: 2 ;

,...., ...... .b, ...... .,.... .......!........ . . i 5 .,yrs . . . . . ..I .....

1 I : 1 ; 1 ; , , , , , i , , , , , , j4,,yrs io.3 x -0 .4 . . ,

.................................................

, , . . , . . , . , . , . . . ..... .decumbens , . . . - - . - . . . . . . . -

............. . . . . . - . . ..,- . I ........ j , . .+ .. .: ..........*.... ..... i ...... , " " . -'! ' - '

I

glabra .......................... 1 , 2 , 3 ; 3,. 1.; . . . . . . . j.6, yrs . . . . z ... 1.5 , X 1.5

I . . . . . -- I reflexa - green ,5 yrs 1 . 0 x 1 . 5 -

x decumbens 1 1 1 , 1 : 4 yrs :1.5 x 1.0 reflexa - red (coastal Vlc) , ' 8 yrs ' 0.6 x 0.4

j ..................................... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... a1b.a ..var!..~an.c.?sa... 2 : 2 121. j : 3 . Y ~ S 1 014 X. 1 .O

........................................... .." ........... ;.. ......... :.. .... .: ........... :. . i , ,

' I I .................................. . ................ ................. . . . . . . . a3-I-lula .- .:.. .<. :, .. , , ' .

I ! x calycina 1 i : ........ 1.;. ..... !..i.. . . . . 1 i 1 .3... YIS 1 1..2 x 1.5 , ...................................................... ........ ......... 1 2 i 3; 2 ; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ! . . . . ;0,8, ,x 1.5 !.baokhousi%a 3 j, , 8 . Y ~ S !.

........ ................................... ............................ : 3 i

I . . . ..,.,. ....... ..... ............... .....

I basu~r!er)il .,...,., .,... ..; :...a..~rs ! 0.7. x 0.7, ..,:

3j. ....... : .......................... : , 8 yrs ... j 016..x, 1.5 . . . . .

........................ I . ....... : . . j . .. i

3 i .. ..... ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... .,-. ..: , 3j.. 3.; 1. / 8 Yrs l.Q:3 ,x 2:o.

... x backhqusiana. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

lawre?ciana., !?!.,.losea , ,. . . . . .

.................

1 ............................ reflexa - red (coastal SA) j 2 .:. . 2 2. , 2 , , , i 5 .YE i1.0 x 1.5 ,,

. I

..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......... . . . . . . 1 ; 1 ; 1; ... 1 : . . . i 3 yrs i 1.0 X. 1-2.

.!..; . . . 2; .. 2;. ..l,;,. ,: 3 ,.yrs . . . :2.0 I ,X 1.0 ...... . . . . . *.. ....... : , ................... i , . . . . . . : + - - ' - - -

I . . . ceflexa var. nurqmulariifolia, 2: 3 4 . 2,

I , 8 yrs 0.2 x 1.3 1

lawrenciana va,r cordifolia. / . 1 , . 2.. ........ 1.1 . 1 - ,:,3 Y l S ............... 11.5 x 1.5 i 1

! . . , , , ,

1 'Dusky. .. Be!!5.: . . . . . . . . . . . . . I

.-, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . schlechtsndalii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . .

'Marian's, Marvel' . . . . . . . .

..... i 'Benera Bell' ,,, , ,

I

.-:- ..; : j... . ............ .......... .............. > . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I ... 2.; .... ..: ....... .,.... i . . . . ..,.; 8 , . Y E .... ... : 0:7 x 0.4 *... ......

I

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - 1 i . . . . . - - ............. ........... . . . . 4 4; . . . . . . . . . . . . , : j .Z,.YE,. ;.115..x. 1.5,

. . . . . 4 ' 4 4: 3, 8 yrs 0.6 x 0.3

f ' . . . . I 'Poorinda Fantasy' 1 1 1 2 yrs

1 Correa .. Fower Ca lendar 1 9 9 - Name: 1 D-istriqt,: .: .-- * , . ..... : .......:..._...... :.. . . :

.Please,-tick oolumn,.if.,ptant is.flow@riyg- add age and size, , , , .

Jan ;.Feb i . ~ a [ ; A p r / , M ? ~ .Jun .Age of p1ant:Size ( H x W) ,

. . . . . . . . . . . . . ............ 1 .... ..,. ..: .;.

aemula . . . . . . . . . ,. ., , . . . . . . . . . . ..I . . . . . . . . i.. . . .

.......................

backhousiana , , . . ,

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . baeuerlenii, . . . . . . . . .

........................................ ............

refl%a,.-,.red (coastal ,Vlc) ,., . . , . . . . . . . .-- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

.reflex.a - red.. (coastal-. S41. ........................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

r*flexa .var! .... nu.mmulali jfplia ................

.... .:.. ... < ................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..............

, ....... . ,:. . . . . . . . . 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . , , , ,

*.......... > . . ........ ........... . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..:.. ..: i :... ..:

j .... 1.. . . . , . .;... , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . ,+ . . . . . : . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ,

i . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , , , , , . . , ,

I . . . - ......... . . . . . - . - . , . . . . . . . . i ........... i . . . . . . j ..................... . . . . . . . . . I i ,. , 1 ' ~ u s k y . .. eel# ...................................................... I. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....... . j . . . i, ... :.. ... ..: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

schlechte?da!!! ................... ........ ........ ,:.., !. . . . ..! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I'pjnk Mist' ..................................... I 8 . ............ ..........

+ " i i l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I ......................................

,'Benera Be!': ....... , ............................

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 'Poorinda Fantasy' --

............. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -: !

- 4 .

/ . : . . ' . . . . . ..> . . . : .............. * ............... 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , ......................... ........................ ..,

. . , . - . . . . . . . . . . ; . . . . . . . . , . ,

...................... >. .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - . . ,., I

. . . . . . . .........+... . . . . . ; ......... :. ; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. -

........... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , .... .". ....... , , ,