gsg nsw programme 2008 newsletter no. 79 · heath are on crown land leased by alcoa australia ltd,...

Inside this issue: RecoveryplanforGrevillea Infecunda

PronunciationofbotanicalLatin

GSGFieldTriptoS.W.VictoriaandSthAustralia

VicChapterFieldTriptoGeelongandAnglesea

andmore....

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Newsletter No. 79 – February 2008

Association of Societies for Growing Australian Plants

Ref No. ISSN 0725-8755

GSG VIC Programme 2008

For more details contact either Neil Marriott (Leader of GSG Vic), on (03) 5577 2592 (Mon–Fri), (03) 5356 2404 (Fri night–Sun 5pm), or email at [email protected] (Dunkeld), [email protected] (Stawell), orMax McDowall (convener) on (03) 9850 3411 or email at [email protected]. Please email me if I do not already have you on my email list.

Easter Friday, 21 March – Tuesday, 25 March

Venue: “PanrockRidge”PanrockReservoirRd(akaSistersRocks,BlackRangeRoad)

Subject: WorkingBeeatNeil&WendyMarriott’s&FieldTrip

For details see page 3.

GSG NSW Programme 2008

For more details contact Peter Olde 02 4659 6598. Meet at 9.30am to commence at 10.00am for all meetings unless stated otherwise.

Saturday, 19 April – Sunday, 20 April

Venue: ‘SilkyOaks’140RussellLane,Oakdale2570

Subject: AutumnPlantSaleandOn-FarmVisit,setupFriday,18April.

Saturday, 3 May

Venue: Gordon&CarolMeiklejohn25WildoaksRd,Oakdale

Phone: 46571912Subject: Post-mortemandgardenvisit–Grevilleas

inheavysoils.

Saturday, 5 July

Venue: FieldTrip–KowmungRiverCrossingtoTuglowCaves

time: IntendingparticipantsneedtocommunicatewithGSGleaderformeetingtimeandplace

Subject: ExaminationofwildpopulationofGrevillea rosmarinifoliaandHybridswithGrevillea arenaria andc.1kmupstreamwithGrevillea juniperina.

August/September

Venue: TheOlde’splace‘SilkyOaks’Subject: Opengarden

Saturday, 11 October – Sunday, 12 October

Venue: FieldTrip–GoonooForestandPilligaScrubtime: TobeadvisedDetailS: LeaderAnthonyO’Halloran,ph:68441044 Accommodationavailableatleastonenight

inrestoredrailwaycarriagesatBinnaway.

GSG S.E. QLD Programme 2008

Morning tea at 9.30am, meetings commence at 10.00am. For more information contact Merv Hodge on (07) 5546 3322 or [email protected]

Sunday, 24 February Venue: BernardandRonaWilson

120AvalonRoad,Sheldon,4157Phone: (07) 3206 3399Subject: Shadetolerantgrevilleas

Sunday, 27 April Venue: HelenHoward,HelidonSubject: Grafting:root-stocksandinter-stocks

Sunday, 29 JuneVenue: JanGlazebrook&DennisCox,LoganleaSubject: Growinggrevilleasontheirownroots

Sunday, 31 AugustVenue: TimPowe,IpswichSubject: Manipulatedandnaturalhybrids

Sunday, 26 OctoberVenue: Fran&JimStanding,WoodenbongSubject: GrevilleasoftheCanningStockRoute

Special thanks to Neil Marriott and Max McDowall for this splendid edition of the newsletter. The Queenslanders will produce the next newsletter. Please note deadlines on back page.

February2008 GrevilleaStudyGroupNo.79 �

Peter Olde

Just a quick welcome to 2008. We have plentyof activities to interestmembersalong theeastcoast this year. Please come and enjoy. Ourhighly successful Autumn Plant Sale will beheld onApril 19 & 20. If you can assist with afew hours to help me run the sale it would besomuchappreciated.Obviouslyonecannotdotheseeventswithouttheassistanceofmembersand friends. Unfortunately more has fallen tofriends than members in some areas. I amparticularly appreciative of Suellen Harris whohas offered to look after the publicity. This hastakenatremendousburdenoffmyshoulders.

The Grevillea Study Group has become amember of the Garden Clubs ofAustralia.Thisorganisation has a very large membership thatweneedtotapinto,especiallyasourowngroupsseemtobeinmembershipdecline.Inoticemanyarticles contributed by APS members in their

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l magazine. Many of their members also have astronginterestinnativeplantsbutdonotwishtogrowthemexclusively.

ThisissuehasbeenputtogetherbyourVictorianchapter.Ithinktheyhavedoneagreatjobagain.Thanks particularly to Neil Marriott and MaxMcDowall. Next issue is a Queensland issueINewsletter 80). I already have a number ofarticles from Queensland members. We needmore. Please have a look at the deadline andsendmeany information thatmight reasonablybesharedwithallofusrelevanttothesubjectofgrevilleas.SomeideasmightbereportsofStudyGroup meetings, field trips, visits to the west,performanceofplantsinyourgarden,newhybridreleases etc. The World Wide Web is also asourceofmuchinformationthatcanbeadaptedtointerestingarticles.

Autumn on Farm Plant Sale & Native Garden Display 2008

Sat 19 & Sun 20 April, 10am to 4pm‘Silky Oaks’, 140 Russell Lane, Oakdale

Access M5 to Picton, turn left at Picton into Argyle St, first right into Barkers Lodge Road and Russell Lane is on the right at Oakdale.

Train to Macarthur, bus to Camden, change bus to Russell Lane, Oakdale

* Renowned guest speakers Don Burke & Angus Stewart on both days *

* Visit the extensive native show gardens where native plants are grown to perfection in a timeless open parkland setting *

* Workshops each day *

* Expert garden and horticultural advice from the experts *

The largest range of native plants for sale in the one place at the one time from $5.

Download our catalog and program from April 1 at

http://asgap.org.au/grevillea

Entry fee $5 per person – Seniors $2.50 – Accompanied children under age 18 are free.

Sponsored by: The Grevillea Study Group of the Australian Plants Society, P.O. Box 275 Penshurst NSW 2222 Contact: phone 02 4659 6598


A few people have expressed interest invisiting Panrock Ridge again from a workingbee perspective, so Wendy and Neil havesuggested they feed you in return for companyandassistance.Themaintypesofworkare:

cuttingandpickingupdeadwood(andburningifrestrictionsallow.)

removalof temporaryfenceandhangingnewgates

preparation of new garden beds, plus manymorejobs.

There is perfect cutting material of a limitednumber of species and some seedlings havecomeup.

As in thepast there isplentyofcampingspaceanda fewbeds for thosewhobook inearly,aswellasfloorspace.Pleaseregisterearlyon0353562404,[email protected]

We will provide breakfasts, lunches and GoodFriday dinner so that everyone has less toorganiseandthereismoregroupinteraction.Wewould liketoknowhowmanyasweproposetoprovide…

Breakfast Friday to TuesdayCornflakes,muesli,milk,Greekyoghurt, fruit,toast,eggs,spreads,juice

Tea,coffeeandherbalteas,cordial,biscuits

Lunches Friday to MondayBreads, butter, cheese, salad, tinned fish,chutneys,greentea

Tea,coffeeandherbalteas,cordial,cake

Dinner FridaySalmonandeggbake,ricesalad,greensalad,steamedpotatoes.

Other meals

Dinner SaturdayHall’sGapHotel–pubmeals

Dinner SundayNationalHotel–chinesemeals

Dinner ThursdayandMondayBBQavailable

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Thurs 20th March

PM: anymemberswhowish toarriveearlyarewelcome.

Friday 21st March

AM: Arrival,Tourofgardensandbeginworkoncleanupofburntgardens.

PM:BBQtea,socialgettogetheranddiscussionsonGrevillea.Cuttingswap,slidesetc.

Saturday 22nd March

AM:Continueworkingbee

PM: Garden visit Neil Macumber’s & JohnMalligan’s,Pomonal.PubteaatHall’sGapHotel

Sunday 23rd March

AM: All day tour of Western Grampians tosee Grevillea confertifolia – intermediate form,Grevillea alpina, Grevillea aquifolium, Grevillea gariwerdensis, Grevillea micrantha, Prostanthera spinosa, Hovea, Howitteaspnovafftrilocularisetc.

PM: Tea at National Hotel 16 Wakeham St(parallelwithrailwayline)Stawell.

Monday 24th March

Continue clean up before departure home.Collectcuttingsfromgarden.

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ut GSG Vic Chapter Workshop & Campout, Panrock Ridge Stawell, Easter 2008

Direct deposits can be made into the Grevillea Study Group account

BSB 112-879 Account Number 016526630

(St George Bank).

Please notifiy the Treasurer of transfer by email

([email protected])

or by post to Grevillea Study Group,

PO Box 275 Penshurst NSW 2222


Oberon Carter June 2003 – Environment Australia

Grevillea infecunda isanopen, root-suckeringshrub,0.3–1.2mhighwithleaves3–7cmlongand variable in shape, lobed, ovate, rhombicor oblong outline. (Unlike the similar Grevillea aquifolium it has an appressed indumentum of short flat hairs on the lower surface – curling in G. aquifolium. Flowers are secund in “toothbrush” shaped conflorescences, with prominent pink to red styles. Flowers are sterile, the plant apparently reproducing entirely by root suckers NM).

Grevillea infecundaislistedasVulnerableunderthe Commonwealth Environment Protectionand Biodiversity ConservationAct 1999, and isprotected(butnotlisted)undertheVictorianFloraand Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (all VictorianGrevilleasareprotected).Thereare fewer than1,635plants remaining inapproximatelyelevenwildpopulations.

ActionsassociatedwiththerecoveryofGrevillea infecunda are unlikely to affect any existingindustry or private party.Almost all populationsfall under the jurisdiction of Parks Victoria, theDepartment of Sustainability and Environmentand the Surf Coast Shire. Sites at AngleseaHeath are on crown land leased by AlcoaAustralia Ltd, and managed by Parks Victoriaand Alcoa. The one known site within StateForestismanagedbyDSE.

Distribution

Grevillea infecunda is a narrow endemic thatoccursinhillycountrynearAngleseaandAirey’s

Inlet.Amid-nineteenthcenturyrecordfromnearBrighton, a suburb south of Melbourne 100kmeast of Anglesea, suggests a formerly disjunctpopulation.Atleastelevenpopulationsoccur0.5– 10km apart. Former distribution is presumedto have been relatively continuous, howeverCinnamon Fungus (Phytophthora cinnamomi),observed within and near extant populations,may have contributed to local extinctions. (This is highly unlikely as my personal observations of the Grevillea around 40 years ago –well before Cinnamon fungus appeared in the district, showed no noticeable difference in population size or numbers NM). Two additional unconfirmed sitesoccur, one along the Colac-Forest Rd, andanotherwestof theAlcoa leasesiteonprovinggroundonprivateland.

Grevillea infecunda exhibits varying characters(particularlyinleafshape)betweensitesandsoallpopulationsshouldbeconservedtomaintaingeneticdiversity.Recoveryactionsincludesurveyfor critical, common and potential habitat thatwill further define habitat critical to the survivalofthespecies.

Grevillea infecunda occurs in dry sclerophyllforestorwoodland,usually insandyorgravellysoils. It is absent from areas where gravel hasbeenextracted,anddoesnotappearinvegetationwithadenseupperstratum.SpeciescommonlyfoundamongstpopulationsofGrevillea infecundainclude Eucalyptus willisii, Eucalyptus radiata, Eucalyptus baxteri, Gahnia radula, Platylobium obtusangulum, Pultenaea gunnii, Xanthorrhoea australis.EvenwhereGrevillea infecundaoccursbelow Eucalyptus spp., tree crowns tend to bewidelyspaced.

Key Populations

State Parks

Angahook-LorneStatePark(6populations):BaldHillsRdnearSaltCreekTrack(18plants)SaltCreekTrack(22plants)BambraRoad/northofLovesTrack(141plants)GrevilleaTrackoffBambraRoad(62plants)LinkTrackbetweenLovesTrackand‘GrevilleaTrack’(120plants)BreakfastCreekRoad(>300plants)

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Reviewed by Neil Marriott

Grevillea infecunda

Recovery Plan for Grevillea infecunda, Anglesea Grevillea 2004 – 2008


Other reserves

AngleseaHeath(4populations):Haggarts/AllardyceTracks(92plants)GumFlatRoad(500plants)TannersRoad(152plants)

TannersRoad/DangersLane(174plants)

State Forest

OtwayStateForest:HammondsRoad(approx.12kmNWofAirey’sInlet)(54plants)

Known and Potential Threats

Grevillea infecunda has no known method forproducing viable seed. As a result all existingpopulations are geographically restricted; root-suckeringistheonlymeansofvegetativespread.Root-suckeringmaybestimulatedbyfire(Marriott1986)orslashing(O.Carterpers.obs.),howeverappropriateburningand/orslashing regimes forthisspecieshavenotbeenidentified.

Phytophthora cinnamomi(PC)hasbeenobservedwithinatleastfivesiteswhereGrevillea infecunda isalsopresent.ThistaxondoesnotappeartobeassusceptibletoPCasXanthorrhoea australis,whichisusuallyoneofthefirstspeciestoshowthe physical effects of infection. Many deadindividuals of Xanthorrhoea australis lie next toapparentlyhealthyGrevillea infecundaplants.Allpopulations may be threatened by recreational4WD, trailbike and horse riding. Site specificthreats include illegal campsite construction attheHammondsRdpopulationwithinStateForestandweedinvasionbyMelaleuca armillarissubsp.armillaris close to the Bald Hills Rd population.Continued,appropriatefencingaroundGrevillea infecunda populations within State Park shouldrestrictaccessandpreventphysicaldisturbance.Future actions, including appropriate signagenear roadside populations, and education ofroadworkscontractorsbyPVandtheSurfCoastShire should facilitate conservation of roadsidesites. (During our field trip to the area last year [see article this N/L] clear evidence of continued serious damage by trail bikes to or near at least 5 populations was observed NM).

Objectives of Recovery Plan

Theoverall objectiveofrecoveryistominimisetheprobabilityofextinctionofGrevillea infecunda in the wild and to increase the probability ofimportant populations becoming self-sustaininginthelongterm.

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WithinthelifespanofthisRecoveryPlan(2004-2008), the specific objectives of recovery forGrevillea infecundaareto:

Acquireaccurate information forconservationstatusassessments.Identifycritical,commonandpotentialhabitat.Ensure that all populations and their habitatareprotectedandmanagedappropriately.Managethreatstopopulations.IdentifykeybiologicalfunctionsDetermine the growth rates and viability ofpopulations.Build a network of government and non-governmentorganisationsandindividuals.Co-operateinbioregionalpolicyimplementationandmanagerecoveryplanimplementation.

Evaluation of Success or Failure

TherecoveryplanwillrunforfiveyearsfromthetimeofimplementationandwillbemanagedbytheDepartmentofSustainabilityandEnvironment.AThreatened Flora Recovery Team, consisting ofscientists, land managers and field naturalistswill be established to oversee threatened florarecoveryinVictoriaingeneral.Technical,scientific,habitatmanagementoreducationcomponentsofthe Recovery Plan will be referred to specialistsub-committeesonresearch,in situmanagement,communityeducationandcultivation.

RegionalRecoveryTeamswillberesponsibleforpreparing work plans and monitoring progresstowardrecovery.

Recovery Actions

A table of recovery actions is provided and thisincludesthefencingofsitestoensurepopulationsare protected from recreational vehicles. (As mentioned above, in our trip to the area last year we noted that, despite attempts to fence out trailbikes, we actually observed bike riders going around the fences and destroying new areas to get back onto their fenced off tracks through the bushland! It was the unanimous opinion of all present that the destruction will continue until trail bikes are totally banned from all reserves. Apart from direct physical destruction of plants and habitat, trail bikes will also undoubtedly be spreading Cinnamon fungus throughout the entire district NM).

(There is also concern amongst some circles and many locals that the extension of Alcoa’s coal extraction lease for the next 40 years will put further pressure on the long term management of Grevillea infecunda and its habitat. This was not addressed in the Recovery Plan NM).

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Some people say that “it does not matter” howwe pronounce plant names so long as “we”agree about them, but that view is parochial,short-sightedanddismissiveof the real issues.It is also anglochauvinist since it disregardsthe potential multilingual, multicultural ormultinational character of the listeners. On theotherhand, Ihaveheardmanypeoplesaytheywould like to know better how to pronounceplant names, and it is with them in mind that Ihave written this article. As more people hearthe correct pronunciations, more will begin touse them too, and a better consensus maydevelop.Ithereforepresentthisarticletoenableusersofplantnamestolearntheproper,formal,internationally-recognised Latin pronunciationsandasamuch-neededcritiqueofthedeficienciesofanglicisation,eitheraspracticedbythegeneralusersorasadvocatedinvariouspublications.

Someauthors(1-3)havepublishedpronunciationguidesor tables foranglicisedLatin.Thesearedevised like elementary English phonics tableswith only two English sounds for each vowel,andspecificallyrejectsomeoftheclassicalLatinvowel sounds also used in everyday Englishwords, including thosewidelyused inAustraliafortheLatininflexions -ata, -ina, etc.Stearn(1)preferstheAcademicpronunciationbut,tryingtobeeven-handed,alsorecognisestheanglicisedpronunciation. Regrettably, several excellentAustralian plant publications (4-6) have alsooffered anglicised pronunciations of botanicalLatin names without adequate discussion ofthe issues or due recognition of the ReformedPronunciation.1 ([email protected])fromwhomconsentshould

beobtainedbeforerepublication–theauthorreservestherighttosubmitarevisedtext.Constructivecommentsandcriticismarewelcome.TheauthorthanksPeterOlde,Neil&WendyMarriottandDavidCameronfortheirhelpfuldiscussion,commentsandcorrections,andMargaretKofodforherdiscussionofthelinguisticissuesraisedinthearticle.AtPeterOlde’srequest,andbasedontheprinciplesofthisarticle,IwillcommentinfuturearticlesonsomepronunciationsgiveninTheGrevilleaBook(6)includingthosebasedonforeignpersonalnames.

Pronunciation of botanical Latin

Botanical Latin is an international languageused by botanists and horticulturists world-wide for the naming of plants. While it is,primarily, a written language to facilitateaccurate, international, cross-cultural, scientificcommunication, likeall languages italsoneedsto be pronounced. Accordingly, it is logicaland proper that the appropriate pronunciationbe the internationally-recognized Reformed Academic Pronunciation whichisanattemptedreconstruction and restoration of the originalpronunciationofClassicalLatin.

TheReformedAcademicPronunciationofLatinis described in the excellent book Botanical Latin by William T. Stearn.This pronunciationis useful general knowledge which can be acquired easily because it is quite phonetic and consistent, unlike English. It is muchcloser to the pronunciation of many Europeanlanguages than to that of the standard phonicsounds of English, and has clearly been usedby linguists transliterating various languagesinto the Roman alphabet or providing a writtenphonemic language for such languages asIndonesian, Japanese, Maori and Fijian in theRoman Alphabet. Of course these languagesmay also have their own special sounds andsome variants from the Latin pronunciation,but the reformed Latin pronunciation is anexcellent starting point for learning to speakother languages and for pronouncing betterthe place names and personal names of othernations.

In contrast, the mish-mash of anglicised Latinpronunciationsused,often regionally,alongsidesome correct ones by many gardeners andbotanists, and people in other disciplines, isconfusing and controversial and has no trulynational consensus, international status orcomprehensibility. The nations of the worldare becoming increasingly multicultural andmultilingual, so it is important to recognise andcherishthecommonalityofourLatinheritageasapreciousculturalresource.

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February2008 GrevilleaStudyGroupNo.79 7

Nevertheless I do recognize that some peoplemay still prefer to continue to use some of theanglicised pronunciations to which they areaccustomed, but I still suggest that they learnthe Latin rules as well. In this regard, I alsoconsider it a reasonable compromise, myself,to use the anglicised pronunciations of somecommon words. Examples include some well-knowngenericnamessuchasAcacia, Geraniumandthefamilysuffix-a-ce-ae (saying‘A-C-I’not just ‘A-C’), and, optionally, some prefixes thatare common in English words such as micro-, macro-, iso-, di-, bi-, tri- etc., and the oi inthe suffix -oides pronounced as a diphthonginstead of two syllables. These anglicisationsmaynotpleasesomeLatinscholars,butshouldhelp to make the proper Latin pronunciationsfor less familiar words easier to accept by thegeneraluser.

SomeadvocatesofanglicisedLatinhavesoughtto defend it on the grounds that some Latinpronunciations may sound salacious, hilariousor embarrassing, depending on the nationalityorproclivitiesofthelistener,notwithstandingthefactthatLinnaeuscourageouslynamedsomeofhistaxafortheirsimilaritytomammaliansexualanatomy. But it is also imaginable that someanglicisedpronunciationscouldproduceasimilarreaction,forexampleDendrobium bigibbumandSilybum marianum (VariegatedThistle). Insuchinstances, commonsenseshouldapply toone’schoiceofpronunciations,sothatthematterdoesnot become a distracting issue in any debateaboutpronunciation.

Pronunciation tables

In the tables I illustrate, in italics, the Latin pronunciation of vowels, diphthongs andconsonants by comparing some English orfamiliar foreignwordswithsomebotanicalLatinwords which Australians already pronouncecorrectly. These pronunciations can be appliedconfidently tootherLatinwordswithanalogousspelling.ThereisnoneedtodoacourseinLatingrammaror toacquirea largeLatinvocabularyin order to master the pronunciation and therulesforthepositionofthestress.Ifirstconsiderbotanical names of purely Latin (or LatinisedGreek) origin, and after that, botanical namesderivedfrompersonalandgeographicorhabitatnames. I suggest that the reader first learn

to use and recognize the simple Latin vowelsounds and then move progressively onto thediphthongsetc.

Latin vowels

Simple Latin vowels (here shown in italics)arepuresounds– theyarenever pronounced as diphthongs like the simple long vowelsin many English words i.e. the names of the corresponding English letters (shown quitesimply in this article by Capital letters A, E, I, O, U).Latinvowelscanbelongorshort.Simplevowels in stressed syllables are usually longunless followed by two or more consecutiveconsonants when they are mostly short, as in(non-American) English speech. Unlike Englishvowels,theLatinlongandshortvowelsarequitesimilarinquality.

Allvowelsshouldbesoundeddistinctlyandclearlydifferentiated, including those in unstressedsyllables which are mostly short, and should never be reduced to the neutral vowel sound(represented in dictionaries by the phoneticsymbol ə) as in many unstressed vowels inEnglish speech (e.g. ‘the, postman, England,summer). Thus, word inflexions ending in -is, -os, -us,or-umshouldbesoundedastheyarespelt,inwordslikeAnigozanthos, Ricinocarpos, polyanthemos, Exocarpos, Calotis, Callitris, Calothamnus, Myrtus, Blechnum nudum,sothatothersmayrecogniseandrememberthecorrectspelling.

No Latin vowels are silent, including final -eand final -ae which are never pronounced ‘E’likethesoundoftheLatinvoweli.Asthetablesshow, all the Latin vowel pronunciations are also found in many familiar English words,and are already in general use for more thana few familiar botanical names. We can learnfrom these examples and proceed to use themconsistentlyfortheotherwordssothatothersmaybecome familiar with the proper pronunciationtoo. In Latin and other languages we need toresistthetemptationtousethetypicallyEnglishshort a as in cat, especially in the first syllable(e.g.Pakistanoftenmispronounced‘Packistahn’instead of ‘Pahkistahn’) or to use the EnglishphonicssoundEforlongLatineconfusingitwiththeLatinlong i.

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Table I. Latin vowel sounds

Latin Long sound Short sounds NOT as ina father,tomato,glabrata, costata about,formosa, strata A,mAte,lack,

area,all,whate they,rein,leioderma get,simplex, racemosa,decora E,these,heri ski,kiwi,vestita, Sida, alpina sit,broccoli,brevis, Goodia, I , bIte, fir

Martina,Rita Jenni,Vicki,fungi, -folia, muellerio role,Hovea got,Oxalis, collina, stenomera O,go,for,wonderu rule,Prunus(backvowel) put,platypus, octopus U,cUte,cut,fur

rudis, venusta, buxifolia pulchella sue(frontvowel)y (= i)2 symbol,Syzygium(hardg) synonym,rhythm,phyllode, Y,bypass

(stressedyusuallyshort) Chrysanthemum, chrysalis, -botrya2 They in Latin = the medial Greek vowel upsilon (υ) is pronounced like the French uinune,but,inEnglishandFrenchderivatives

fromtheGreek,y isusuallyspokenlikealatinshorti, andso,forsimplicity,thispronunciationmaybeusedinplantnamestoavoidconfusionwiththesoundoftheEnglishuasinsue.

Consecutive vowels in LatinTwoconsecutivevowelsinLatinwordsarepronouncedeitherasadiphthongoraspartsofseparatesyllables.ConsecutivevowelsshouldneverbeamalgamatedintoasimplevowelsoundasinEnglishandFrenchwordslikesea,taut,receive,chauffeur.AdiphthonginLatinislogicallyformedfromthesoundsofitsconstituentvowelswhichmaydifferindurationandwhichglideintooneanother.

Table II. Latin diphthongs and non-diphthongs

Diphthongs Sound NOT asae (æ) I(pronoun),bite, G. victori-ae, chrysophaea, algae

Rh. loch-i-ae,Linnaeus,familynameslikeProtea-ce-aeEorA-neversilent

oe oiinjoin, coerulescens Eau sauerkraut,Bauera, Chamelaucium, lautus, aurea tauteu -Greek neurotic, Eucalyptus andsimilarly Melaleuca, leucoxylon sue

Non-diphthongs –separatesyllables:(hyphensaddedforclarity)ao Maori,Laos,MaoZedong,Aotus A-Oeu - Latin Deus(De-us =god) neuterea Grevill-e-a, lin-e-aris,lavandulace-a E,Angleseae-ae Myrtac-e-ae(‘R-K-I’or‘A-C-I’,anglicised,not‘A-C’) Eei ayiinlaying,le-i-oderma, ele-ison, olde-i Eii worry-ing,ski-ing,Banksi-inae,marriotti-i, aspleni-ifolia E-I,Iie Boroni-e-ae(atribe-say‘E-A-I’),Kyri-e lie,believeoi -oides=-o-i-des (greek suffixes) with stress on i

(buteasier,anglicisedasadiphthonginfoil)avoid

Latin consonants3

EachLatinconsonanthasauniquesound–generallyasinEnglish–andarealwayssounded,evenintheunfamiliarinitialcombinationscn-, ps-, pt-incneorifolia, Pseudanthus, Pteris(asinhelicopter).Theyshouldneverbesilent(excepthafterrasinrhubarb,calorhabdosandafteraasinGahnia,andwhenusedinthecombinationsch, phandthtotransliteratecertainGreekconsonants,chi,phiandtheta).

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Table III. Latin consonants3

Consonants Examples and commentc3 alwayshard=‘k’ Celtic,arcing,sceptic, Ficus (fig)hence ficifolia, sericea, cinerascens,

never=‘s’evenbeforee,ioryg alwayshard get,give,longer, longifolia, macrostegia, Geijera,

neversilentasinsinger,nor‘soft’(=zh)asinwordsofFrenchoriginlikegarage, nor=jasinChurch(Italian)LatinandinmanyestablishedEnglishwordsderivedfromGreekandLatinasingenuflect,biology,general

n before g c k q x ‘ng’insingr rolledasinIrishorScottishspeech,or(moreeasily)sungasinstandardor

U.S.Englishneversilent&doesnotmodifyprecedingvowelin-er, -ir, -or, -urs set-(not=z)t ten-(not=‘sh’asinnation)v3 vat-(modern,non-Classicalpronunciation)x =‘ks’ box, buxifolia,melanoxylon,Xerochrysum,Xanthosia(not=z,kz,orgz)

3 ClassicalLatinwordsdidnotusetheletters, j, k, w, y, z,orthemodernvalthoughk, yandzwereintroducedtotransliteratetheancientGreeklettersк(kappa),υ(upsilon)andζ (zeta).However,Europeanscholarshave,unfortunately,universallyusedtheletterc(ashardc=k)totransliteratetheGreekkappa.Thehistoryofthemoderndifferentiationofthelettersiandjandthelettersu,vandwisexplainedinStearn’sBotanicalLatinpp.51-52.‘V’wastheclassicalLatinletterforwhatwenowwriteas‘u’and,atthebeginningofwordsbeforeanothervowel,waspronouncedliketheEnglishsemi-vowel‘w’–(e.g.vulnero=Iwound,classicallypronounced‘woolnero’,fromwhichwederivethewordvulnerable).However,manymodernlanguagessound‘v’asinEnglish,sowecansafelydosointhemodernlanguage,BotanicalLatin,asshowninthetable.

Table IV. Combinations with H (especially in Latinised Greek derivatives)

ch (chi χ) (canbepronouncedgutturallyasinScottishlochorGermanich)or=‘k’(easier)-asinchoir,chemist,chrysalisandsimilarlyChorizema, Chamelaucium(not“shamelorsiim”),anderiostachya(not“eriostasha”)

ph (phi φ4) =‘f’ (ModernGreek)asinphotograph,macrophyllath (theta θ) thing,calothamnus(notvoicedasinthis)

4 InAncientGreekphi (φ)wasanaspiratedp, andinsomeLatinandEnglishderivaties(e.g.pteridifolia,helicopter)wastransliteratedasp,insteadofph.Similarly,compareEucalyptus macrocarpawithHakea lissocarpha.

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Table V. Semivowels in Latin/Greek derivatives and taxa named after Europeans

i = ‘y’ initiallybeforevowel y in yes,thus IVLIVS CAESAR (Classical),Grevillea iaspicula (‘yaspicula’)fromthemineraljasper(Latiniaspis),inawhimsicalLatinderivativeoftheprovenance,WeeJasper

j=‘y’ juncus, juncifolia, lejostyla5occasionallyusedbysomeEuropeanauthorsinplaceofi,especiallyinitiallybeforeavowel

v =‘w’ asinwet,liketheClassicalLatinuinitiallybeforeavowel(“veni, vidi, vici”)butseefootnote3

w English,Asian,Polynesian,likewinwetw=‘v’ European(Wendt,jawohl),Wahlenbergia (notWollenberja), Westringia,like v invat

5 lejostylaisthelegal,aberrantspellingin Darwinia lejostylabySlavicauthorTurczaninov(compareleioderma).

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Stress in Latin words

For comprehensibility and audibility, Latinsyllables should be articulated clearly andrather evenly in rhythm, without heavy stressor reduction of the vowel sound quality as iscommoninEnglishspeech.

Penultimate Rule:The main stress in simple Latin words fallson the second last (penultimate) syllable iftwo consonants separate the last two vowels(e.g. Coprosma, Cryptandra), or if the vowelis long or is part of a diphthong, e.g. cognata, vestita, aneura, Pultenaea, Bossiaea.Onlongerwords the first or second syllable may also bestressed.

Antepenultimate Rule:If the penultimate syllable has a short vowel,e.g. words ending in -ia, -ius, -ium (feminine,masculine and neuter genders respectively),similarly -ea, -ica, -ida, -idis, -ilis, -ula, -ola, -ima corresponding genders, the stressgenerallyfallsonthethirdlast(antepenultimate)syllablee.g.Boronia, hispida, flexilis, Pimelea, pulcherrimus, altissima, aspera, continua, banksii, Velleia, victoriae. There are someexceptionse.g.cinerea.

Compound generic and species names

These descriptive words are formed from twowordroots(mostlyadjective+noun)connectedby a link vowel – generally -i- or -a- for Latincompounds or -o- (occasionally -a- or -y-) forGreekcompounds(e.g. fili-folia, nemato-phylla, grandi-flora, macro-phylla, Callistemon, platy-sperma).ThesecompoundsarebesttreatedasiftheyweretwoseparateLatinwords,regardless of linguistic origin of the two elements,eachelementpronouncedandstressedinaccordancewiththepenultimateorantepenultimateruleswiththe link vowel unstressed for comprehensibilityandetymologicalclarity.

ItiscustomaryinspokenmodernGreektostressthe link vowel -o-, so some words of LatinisedGreek origin (e.g. Pittosporum (“p’tospr’m”)instead of Pittosporum) have been stressedin this way as though they were still Greekwords,eventhoughmanyotherswith thesamefirst (adjectival) element have not. Thus, weoften say leucoxylon (instead of leuco-xylon)and leucopteris (“l’copt’ris” instead of leuco-pteris)–yetwepronounce leucophyllacorrectly.Likewise, we insist on Callistemon (“C’list’m’n”

insteadofCalli-stemon)yetwepronounceCalli-comacorrectly.Buttheresultingpronunciationsarethenmangled(asshowninparentheses)byEnglish speakers who are accustomed to thegreatlyshortenedanddegeneratevowelsoundsinunstressedEnglishsyllables.

SeveralcompoundsoftheNoun&VerbParticipleconstruction, such as those ending in -fera, -gera, -phora, meaning ‘bearing’ (e.g. globifera, lanigera, Angophora), have also customarilybeenstressedon thesecondsyllable– the linkvowel -i-, although it would seem more logicalandcomprehensible tostress the firstand thirdsyllables,especially in specific epithets.

Botanical Latin words derived from personal names

By convention, generic names formed frompersonal names are feminine first-declensionnouns,endingwiththefirst-declensionnominativeinflexion -a. A link-vowel -i- is required after anameending inaconsonantor -e-afteranameending in -a. No link-vowel is required aftera name ending in any other vowel – e, i, o, uor y. For example, Banksia, Grevillea, Hakea commemorate Banks, Greville and Baron vonHake whilst, with Latinisation of the surname,Brunonia, Bossiaea, Goodenia, Kennedia and Pultenaea, commemorate Brown, Bossieu de laMartinière,Goodenough,KennedyandPulteney.

Specific epithets honouring persons can benounsinthegenitive(possessive)case,formedby addition of the link vowel -i- (except aftera vowel or -r) plus the genitive inflexion -i formales (wilsoni-i, pronounced wilson-i-yi) -ae for females (lochi-ae). Note that it is a mistaketo merge the -ii into one syllable as we do inEnglishforeeandoo.Suchepithetscanalsobeadjectiveswith the inflexions -iana, -ianus,or -ianum(feminine,masculineandneutergendersrespectively) after a final consonant or -ana,-anus,-anumafterafinalvowel.

To pronounce scientific names based on foreign names correctly, it may be necessary to seekguidance from someone with relevant languageskills. If thenationality is known, these canoftenbepronouncedbyanalogywithfamiliarnamesandwords– thuspronouncingmeissneri, andpreissiilikeEinsteinandHeidelberg,Sieberlikebrief, baueri likesauerkraut(allGerman),andgaudichaudiilikesauté,Beaufortia likebureau (bothFrench).

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The original pronunciation of personal and placenamesofwhatevernationalityshouldberetainedasmuchaspossibleintheLatinderivativeespeciallyin specific epithets which actually represent the person.Anysilentinternaleintheoriginalshouldbemaintained(Eucalyptus blakelyi),butsilentterminalinethepropernameshouldbesoundedasaLatin-e- vowel (Backhousea, Baeckea, Myoporum batei, Grevillea beadleana. In these derivatives,theresultingstresspatternmaynolongerconformto the penultimate or antepenultimate rules. Acompromise solution to this dilemma would beto pronounce the syllables of the personal namecomponent more evenly than in the original, andsoavoidunnaturalandclumsyvowelchangesfromthe original as with the awkward pronunciations‘KennEdia’or‘Ken-neddya’,‘wil-sOnii’.

Generic names based on personal namesare new Latin nouns in their own right andtherefore should conform to the penultimate orantepenultimaterulesforstressandvowellengtheven though the resulting word may deviatefrom the stress and vowel sound of the originalpersonal name e.g. as in Grevillea, Watsonia.However, these considerations should not applyto specific epithets as these refer directly toaperson.

ForAnglophones,pronunciationsofsomenamestransliterated from other scripts by Europeanauthors need to be specifically learned. Thesupreme example is Geleznowia which wasnamed after a Russian general Zheleznov bythe Russian botanist Turczaninov publishing intheFrench language inaRussian journalusingFrench conventions for transliteration from theRussianCyrillicscript,andwasobviouslyintendedto be pronounced ‘Zheleznovia’. The genericname Lechenaultia is derived from a Latinisedversion of the French surname Leschenaultalthough the original spelling is used for thespecies Calytrix leschenaultii. Hardenbergia(from Hardenberg) should be pronounced witha hard g as in hamburger, not “Hardenberja.”Wahlenbergia (from Wahlenberg) should bepronounced ‘Vahlenbairgia’ (not “Wollenberja”nor “Wailenberja”), with the continental W andthehardgasinthesurname.

REFERENCES1. Stearn, W.T. (1983) Botanical Latin 3rd edition, revised.

David and Charles, Newton Abbot, UK.2. Lumley, P. & Spencer, R. (1990) Plant Names: A guide

to Botanical Nomenclature. Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne.

3. Hall, N. & Johnson, L.A.S. (1993) The Names of Acacias of New South Wales, with a Guide to Pronunciation of Botanical Names. Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney.

4. Baines, J.A. (1981) Australian Plant Genera. Australian Plants, Picnic Point, New South Wales.

5. Debenham, C. (no date) The Language of Botany (third edition, ed. W. Payne). The Society for Growing Australian Plants, Sydney.

6. Olde, P. & Marriott, N. (1995) The Grevillea Book Vols 2 & 3. Kangaroo Press, Kenthurst, N.S.W.

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AUSTRALIA’s OPEN GARDEN SCHEME

Native plant gardens open in 2008

MARCH 2008Malcolm&JennyJohnstonatBoongala,70PittTownRd,Kenthurst8–9 March

WombarraSculptureGarden,57MorrisonAve,Wombarra15–16 March

APRIL 2008SextonsatBlackstumpNatives,26CranaRd,,BrownlowHill,Camden12–13 April

February2008 GrevilleaStudyGroupNo.79 1�

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Max McDowall, Neil & Wendy Marriott

On a wet Thursday afternoon and evening, allparticipantsfromVictoriaandNewSouthWalesarrivedatDunkeldwherewedinedattheRoyalMail Hotel, and were billeted overnight at theMarriott residence – formerly owned by BrianandBettyLacy.NextmorningtherewastimetoinspectBrianandBetty’sformergardensandtheextensivedisplaygardensattheRoyalMailHotelwhichwerethenbeingmaintainedbyWendy.WefirstvisitedthesegardensonaweekendfieldtriptotheSouthernGrampiansinAugust2002.Neilis progressively restoring most of the gardens,removingoldandunthriftyplants, improvingthesoil structure and replanting with more droughttolerantplantspecies.OnebedinfrontofanorthfacingstonewallhasbeenplantedwithnumerousplantsofthespectacularGrevillea magnificasspmagnifica, Grevillea magnifica ssp remota andGrevillea petrophiloides – white flowered formas a backdrop. In front of these and plantedamongstmassiveslabsofGrampianssandstoneare a range of dwarf and prostrate Banksias,Pimelea physodes,Geleznowia verrucosaandamassplantingofSturt’sDesertPea.Atthefrontare numerous Lechenaultias and Dampieras,while interspersed Lomandra and Dianella linkthebedtonearbyolderplantings.

We then departed for the renowned PeterFrancis Points Arboretum at Coleraine, wherewewere joinedbyour leader for theday,BrianLacy, who has now retired in Hamilton. ThePoints Reserve was described in detail in anearly issue of our ASGAP journal, AustralianPlants, and is being maintained and developed

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by a voluntary committee of management anda “Friends of” group. Sadly it appears to bereceiving little government support at presentandisshowingclearsignsoflackoffundingforday todaymaintenanceanddevelopmentsandplantings. Genera featured extensively includeEucalyptus,Hakea,Banksia,Dryandra,GrevilleaandAcacia.TenyearsagothePointshadmoreextensive collections of Grevillea and Banksiaas well as the wonderful Eucalypt collection,howeverwithdroughtandalackoffunding,plantshavediedoutorbeenovergrown,andtheyhavenot been replaced so the species range is nowrather disappointing. Grevillea parallelinervis andGrevillea acrobotryasspuniformiswereappreciatedbymembersastheyarequiterareincultivation.

AfterlunchweproceededwestthroughCastertonand north-west along Tullich Road to CentreTrack, Nangeela where we parked and walkedabout250mnorththroughrichheathywoodlandwherewefoundthelowsuckeringpink-floweredformofGrevillea lavandulaceawhichBrianhadbeen wanting to show us for many years.Alsogrowing in the area we noted a suckering formof Correa reflexa, Tetratheca ciliata, Dillwynia sericea,Dillwynia hispidaandBoronia pilosa tonamebutafew.

ContinuingsouthtoWilkinConservationReservewe found two more locations for similar formsof Grevillea lavandulacea among open BrownStringybarkforest,beforeleavingforourovernightstopatPortland.

Saturdaywaswet.No,itwasVERYwet!!WeleftwithDepartmentofSustainabilityandEnvironmentranger Andrew Pritchard for Mt Clay, previouslyvisited byAPS Quarterly gatherings in the past,andwereabletofindonepopulationofavigorous,root-suckering long-leafed form of Grevillea micrantha growing in damp heathy forest onTowerRd.TheraineasedandbykindinvitationinherabsencewevisitedCherreeDensley’snearbyproperty where many Banksias and Grevilleaswerethriving.CherreethoughtshehadaplantoftheextremelyrareMtRichmondformofGrevillea aquifolium, however it turned out to be the formfromtheKentbruckHeath.Still,thisformisrareincultivationsoafewcuttingsweretakenalongwithafewotherbeauties inthis lovelygarden.ThankyousomuchCherree!

Sturt’s Desert Peas in new gardens at Royal Mail Hotel, Dunkeld

GSG Field Trip to S.W. Victoria and South Australia


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rainpreventedus fromdoingmuchexploration.However we did scour the roadsides aroundthe mount, vainly searching for the now fearedextinct formofGrevillea aquifolium thatusedtogrowintallwetheathhere.Thiswillprobablybetreatedasanewtaxon in thefutureso itwouldbeatragedyif it is infactextinct.MembersareurgedtosearchforthisbeautifulGrevilleaifeverintheMtRichmondarea.

The beautiful Mt Richmond race of Grevillea aquifolium

We repaired to the Nelson pub for lunch whileAndrewreconnoiteredtheroadtoKentbruckHeathbutfoundittobeflooded.AfterlunchAndrewtookushighupontothetopofGlenelgRiverGorge,where after 100m of bush-bashing we came totheRiverWalkTrackabovethisimpressivegorgecut through limestone.Hereon theveryedgeofthe cliff a scattered population of a small deepred Grevillea species affin lavandulacea/rogersiiclung tenaciously to life in small sandy pocketswithotherlowshrubsanddwarftrees.Thankyou,Andrewforthatmagnificentexperience.

We farewelled Andrew and set off across theborder into South Australia, dropping in toPiccaninnie Ponds Conservation Park wherewe marveled at the amazing sink holes fromwhich flows a never ending supply of crystalclear water! The rain was setting in again andonarrivalatMtGambierwedecidedmotelunitswereabetteroptionthancamping!!

AfteranovernightstayintherainatMtGambier,we met in clearing weather at Phillip Dowling’snursery‘NativePlantWholesalers’,wherePhillipled us on a wonderful tour of the nurseryand display gardens, demonstrated his plant-potting machinery and allowed us to browsethrough the extensive growing-on areas. Phillip continued >

has grown on a huge number of species andvarieties of advanced Grevilleas grafted on 6footstandards;withmanyoftheseinfullflower,much excitement was created amongst thegroup.A number of beautiful specimens in thegardensalsogeneratedmuchadmiration.

Ray Brown and Meryl Webb admire the standards

After we had bought some plants we continuedon to our next destination at Carpenter Rocks.Herewewerehostedatthewonderfulbeachsideramblinghomeofwell-knownnaturalistandauthor,NevilleBonneywherewewerefascinatedbyhiscollectionsofhistoricalbooks,naturalspecimensandhisoriginalwoodwork,buildingconstruction,furniture and wood carvings, all made fromAustralian timbers. After lunch, Neville led usto his private cabin in the bush through uniquecoastal limestone outcrop heathland. We feltprivilegedandareindebtedtoNevilleforsharingsuchanamazingplace.Manyspecieswereseenincluding the distinct prostrate race of Grevillea aquifoliumforwhichthislocalityisrenowned(andwhichalmostcertainlywarrants recognitionasanew taxon), as well as Correa reflexa, Kunzea pomifera, Scaevola albida, Thomasia petalocalyxand the nationally endangered Carpenter RocksGumEucalyptus splendens ssp arcana.

Grevillea aquifolium –Carpenter Rocks race


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features, including the fantastic eroded rockfeatures at Cape Bank lighthouse, where weadmired numerous stunted coastal plantsparticularlyStackhousia spathulata in full flowerand Lasiopetalum discolor clinging to the cliffsbeforeproceedingtoourovernightaccommodationatBarbaraandMartinCameron’sholidayhouseat Beachport. We thank the Camerons for theirwonderful generosity.Despite the fact that theycouldnotjoinusonourtourtheyinsistedthatwestayattheirlovelyoldhouse.

Travelling northwest along the highway paralleltothelimestoneWoakwineRange,wedetouredto view an amazing cutting right through therange.Ithadbeenconstructedtodraintheinlandswamp togrowsuch thingsaspotatoes.Thesedayssuchdestructionofvaluablewetlandswouldneverbeallowed.FurtheralongthehighwayweweremetbyMargaretFergusonandherbrotherMichaelMcCourtswholedusinfour-wheeldrivevehiclesonthefamilypropertyupintotherangethroughalowscrubofCoastMalleeEucalyptus diversifoliagrowingonsteepexposedlimestone.Beneath the mallees we discovered a wealthof showy shrubs including the unexpectedGrevillea aquifolium. To our knowledge, this isthe westernmost population of the species andprobably also warrants recognition as a newtaxon. Plants generally grew to around 0.6 x1.0m and were highly variable in leaf shapewith several plants sporting wonderful oaklikeleaves while others had small almost entireleaveswitheveryshapeinbetween!Toothbrushflowers were a uniform soft pink similar tothe Carpenter Rocks race. Nearby were lowspreading shrubs of the floriferous WoakwineformofGrevillea lavandulacea–thespecieswewere meant to be searching for! Other speciesseenherewerePomaderris obcordata, Dillwynia sericea, Dillwynia hispida, Kennedia prostrata, Pultenaea hispidula, Pultenaea rigida subsp.rigida, a beautiful form of Scaevola aemula, Acacia myrtifolia etc. This is a very significantremnant growing in red sandy loam in pocketsoverandamongstasolidlimestonebase.

After thanking Michael and Margaret for theirgenerous hospitality we proceeded to AvenueRange,and thepropertyandarboretumofMaxEwer, a wonderful Hakea specialist who hasthe largest collection of the genus. After lunchwe toured the extensive arboretum and displaygardens where we saw fine specimens andmany species of hakea, grevillea, dryandra,

isopogon, petrophile and many more. Max is adedicated gardener and members were able tobuyarangeofHakeasandotherplantsfromhissmallnursery.ThankyouMaxforyourhospitality.At the end of the visit, the NSW contingentdepartedforhome,andthereststayedovernightat Wirreanda Bunkhouse at Naracoorte CavesConservationPark.

OnTuesdaymorningweinspectedtheWonambiFossil Centre, which features among others,fossilsofextinctAustralianmacrofauna,includinga huge Thylacine discovered by one of ourleaders, John Barrie, in one of his previousoccupations.WegreatlyappreciatedtheguidedtouroftheVictoriaFossilCave.

WethendrovetoNaracoorteanddroppedinonCathAlcockwherewewere thrilled toviewherwonderfulpaintingsofallthenativeflowersandplants she has seen in her long and eventfullifetime.Cath joinedusandwecontinuednorththrough open country to a bushy heathlandremnant on private land east of Padthawayabout7-10kmnorthofFrances.Herewe foundthe prostrate form of Grevillea ilicifolium ssplobata growinginsparseopengrasslandamongYellowGumsEucalyptus leucoxylonontheedgeofawinter-wetswamp.Theyhadtobeoneoftheleastfloristicallyimpressiveformsofthespecies,but the occurrence is significant because of itsabilitytogrowinnearwaterloggedsoilinwinter.Nearby were some impressive stands of brightpink Calytrix impressa and Dillwynia sericea etc.Timedidnotpermitexploringthefull rangeof plant communities mentioned in the promofor the trip, including Bangham CP (Grevillea ilicifolium) which would have needed 2-3 hoursreturn to Frances, our point of departure fromSouthAustralia.

FromFranceswealldepartedonourownwayshome, full of memories of the wonderful dayswe had spent together, exploring, sharing ourenthusiasmandknowledgeandsocializingwitha great bunch of friends. Very special thanksmust go to John Barrie and John Edmonds-Wilsonforalltheirworkinorganizingandleadingthisfabuloustrip.


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Neil Marriott

Geelong Botanic Gardens

The firstportof call andmeetingpointwas theredeveloped and superb new gardens at theentrance to Geelong Botanic Gardens. Abouta dozen members greeted each other and hada quick cuppa before the tour of the gardensbegan. We were thrilled to have Peter Olde,LeaderoftheGSGjoinusfortheday.

A pair of large bold Queensland Bottle TreesBrachychiton rupestre dominate the entranceand set the scene for the creative low waterlandscapinginsidetheentrance.Alargesunkenamphitheatre is the focalpointasyouenter thegardens. The centre of this features a seriesof bold crescent-shaped beds of native herbssurroundedbya largeopenarea surfacedwithwhitepebbles.Around theedgearecontrastingpaved paths and sloping up from the pathsare a series of garden beds featuring differentvegetationtypesandregions–significantBrisbaneRanges flora, significant Anglesea Heathlandflora, significant Basalt Plains Grassland flora,cacti,succulentsetc.SadlythespecimensofthenowextinctLararaceofGrevillea rosmarinifoliassp glabella are in fact hybrids, as are thespecimens of Grevillea chrysophaea from theBrisbaneRanges. It ismost important thatpureplantsbeurgentlyobtainedofboththesespeciesto ensure that these errors in identification arenot entrenched in other botanic gardens. I willendeavour to organise for this to happen. Thegardensarequitewonderfulandwarrantavisitby those who have not done so. There is somuchmore in thegardens,but spacedoesnotpermitmetodescribe.

Anglesea Heathlands

WeweremostfortunatetohaveFieldNaturalistsMargaretMcDonaldand friend fromAirey’s Inletto leadusaround theextensivehinterlandnorthand west of Anglesea. We headed inland andsoon came to our first population of Grevillea infecunda growing in theopenheathywoodlandonacoarsegravelysand.Theplantswereingoodhealthalthoughfewwereinflower.Theamazingfeature of each population was the variation infoliagefromonepopulationtothenext–Grevillea infecundaisasterilespeciesreproducingentirelyby root suckers, so how can there be suchvariation among the populations? Is the loss ofsexualreproductionamorerecentphenomenon,or are we still to learn about the reproductivebiologyofspeciessuchasthis,ofwhichthereareanumberinthegenusGrevillea?

As we travelled further into the park we soonbeganseeingextensivetracksthroughthebushcreatedbytrailbikes.Inanumberofareasthesehave caused serious eroded gullies and muchdamage to thesurroundingbush.Atonepointonthetouraroaringconvoyofbikespassedus,totallyspoilingtheambianceofthebush.ParksVictoriaistryingtocontrolthisbyinstallinguglyfencesalongthetracksandroads–allthesearedoingismakingthebikersstartnewtrailsaroundthefences,whilethefencesruintheappearanceofthebush!

Despite the trailbikeswe foundsomewonderfulpopulationsofGrevillea infecunda–onewiththemostspectacular longoak like leavesshown tousbyourgreatFieldNatsleaders.Thankyousomuch.

Vic Chapter Field Trip to Geelong and Anglesea

The amphitheatre of the new low water garden at Geelong Botanic Garden

Grevillea infecunda


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With the day getting away from us we headedbacktovisitJohnMahoney,abrilliantwholesaletubestock nurseryman at Mt Duneed out ofGeelong. We had a good tour around John’sgardens and bought a load of cheap andunusual plants before we continued on to ourlastdestination for thedayatPhillipVaughan’snursery.

Vaughan’s Nursery

Since moving to his new nursery at Curlewisnear Geelong, Phillip has had to put up withdrought, gales and contaminated soils. Despitethese setbacks, the gardens he has createdare quite spectacular, with practically everyconceivable rare and beautiful plant availablegrowing in his gardens. He has a wonderfulcollectionofGrevilleas,andhasmanyof theseavailable for sale in his nursery along with avast array of other plants. We all stayed toolate, but finished up a superb day on a veryhighnote,headingoffhomewithloadsofplantsandcuttings.Fieldtripssuchasthisareagreatopportunity toseesomeof thebeautifulnatural

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A long-standing member and former Vice-President of the Australian Plants Society(SGAP) Victoria Don Weybury passed away inDecember2007.

DonandhiswifeJeanweremarriedfor52yearsand had two children and six grandchildren,.DonworkedintheBuildingIndustryandwastheSiteManagerforreconstructionofthePalaisdeDanceatSt.Kilda.

They joined the Society for GrowingAustralianPlants in 1977. They were members of theformer Werribee District Group and later of theKeilorPlains,theMelton-BacchusMarshandtheBallaratDistrictGroups,allofwhichDonwasatonetimeorotherPresidentandJean,Treasurer.In 1998 they were awarded a Certificate ofCommendation by the Society in recognition oftheirservices.Theyhavebeenmembersof theGrevillea, Dryandra, Banksia, Pea and CorreaStudyGroups.

Their firstAustralian garden was at their NorthAltona home where they were reputed to havea huge Grevillea ‘Robin Gordon’ plant overfourmetresacrossandalsogreweremophilas.

They also kept an extensiveAustralian gardenin their 2.5 acre property in natural bushlandat Greendale on the tablelands north-west ofBacchus Marsh where they later built theirretirementhome. Itwashere theyhostedsomeof our Grevillea Study Group Victorian Chaptermeetings and field trips in the area. Correa‘Pink Sorbet’ (not registered) was a chancehybrid seedling of Correa pulchella X Correa backhouseanawhichoriginatedintheirgarden.

Don and Jean kept detailed records of theirplantings in their Greendale property listingover 2000 plants. Their garden included manygoodspecimensofGrevillea, Hakea, Dryandra, Banksia, Acacia, Eucalyptus, Beaufortia andEremaea species. They generously sharedpropagatingmaterialwithvisitingmembers.Donwas an ardent propagator and courageouslycontinued to be, even when failing health andchronicpainforcedthemtomovetoanewhomeinBacchusMarshwheretheywereagainabletogroweremophilas.

We send our sincere condolences to Jean andtheirfamily.


Free + s.a.e.

Pleasenote:seedfromhybrid-substitute-cultivatedplantsdoesnotnecessarilycometruetotype.

Grevillea banksii – redtreeformGrevillea banksii – redprostrate Grevillea Bon Accord Grevillea bipinnatifida Grevillea caleyi Grevillea dryandri Grevillea endlicheriana Grevillea hodgei Grevillea johnsonii Grevillea johnsonii ‘Orange’ Grevillea leucopteris Grevillea longistyla

Grevillea ‘Moonlight’Grevillea ‘MoonlightxIvanhoe’? Grevillea paniculata Grevillea petrophiloides Grevillea plurijuga Grevillea pterosperma SA Grevillea robusta Grevillea ‘SandraGordon’Grevillea‘SidReynolds’Grevillea superbaGrevillea stenobotrya Grevillea treueriana Grevillea wilkinsonii

Seed BankMatt Hurst13UranaStreet,WaggaWagga2650NSWPhone(02)69251273Please include a stamped self addressed envelope.

$1.50 + s.a.e.

Grevillea armigera Grevillea aurea Grevillea baileyana Grevillea bipinnatifida Grevillea candelabroides Grevillea drummondii Grevillea excelsior Grevillea decora Grevillea floribunda Grevillea glauca Grevillea goodii Grevillea johnsonii Grevillea juncifolia Grevillea leucopteris Grevillea longistyla Grevillea magnifica ssp magnifica

Grevillea monticola Grevillea nudiflora Grevillea paniculata Grevillea petrophiloides Grevillea polybotrya Grevillea pteridifolia Grevillea pulchella Grevillea refracta Grevillea superba Grevillea teretifolia Grevillea tetragonoloba Grevillea triloba Grevillea wickamii sspaprica Grevillea wilsonii

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k Thanks to those members who have donated seed: Hess Saunders, J. Vandepeer, Pip Gibian and another member whose name I have forgotten. Thanks to you all and keep sending any spare seed you have.

IfpossiblecouldmemberssendtheirrequestsinpostpackswhichIcanreuseandwillhelptheseedsurvivetheseventyoreightymetersdownthesortingrollersofthemailroom.Betterthanseedinbubblewrapinanormalenvelope.

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Merv Holland

LynThompsonfromRylstonereportsthatDavidCootes from Dubbo NPWS has been prowlingon her property for Grevillea obtusiflora andfound quite a few small plants further from thehousethanshehadpreviouslyexploredandonaneighbouringproperty.Thesesitesareinlessdangerfromroadgrading.

You may have heard of a very rare Phebalium bifidum so far only found on Port MacquarieRoad. There are also plants on the Henry’spropertywhichhasanentryoffPortMacquarieRoad.Merleand Ihavealso found in thesameroadsidesiteavariantofProstanthera saxicola which may become a separate species. RobertMillerhasonlypreviouslyseenitonPantoney’sCrown.Wehavenotfoundevidenceofeitherofthesespeciesonoursideoftheriver.

Lyn Thompson

Merv Holland from Lyttelton in New Zealandreports that he has a seedling from a plant ofGrevillea victoriae thatgrewfromacuttingfromPeter’sgardencollected20yearsago.Theplantwas6metresacrosswhenitsplitdownthetrunkand died but just before that happened, theseedlingappearedbelow it in theshingledrive.LuckilyhehadpropagatedtheGrevillea victoriae andhadareplacementforit.Thisplantisnow2 metresacrossandgrowingquickly.


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e Financial Report – February 2008

Income

Subscriptions $190.00PlantSale 419.00Seeds 10.00Donations 5.00Interest 46.79 $670.79

Expenditure

Newsletterpublishing $256.00Postage 131.65Stationery 24.95Bankfees 5.00 $417.60

AmountinInterestBearingDeposittill08/06/08$22,021.47

BalanceinCurrentAccount31/01/08$3,772.96

BalanceinBusinessChequeAccount26/01/08$20,540.12

Office Bearers

Leader PeterOlde138FowlerRd,IllawongNSW2234Phone(02)[email protected]

Treasurer and Newsletter Editor

ChristineGuthriePOBox275,PenshurstNSW2222Phone/Fax(02)95794093

Curator of Living Collection

NeilMarriottPOBox107,StawellVic3380

Curator of Grevillea Park Bulli

RayBrown29GwythirAvenue,BulliNSW2516Phone(02)42849216

Curator of Seed Bank

MattHurst13UranaStreet,WaggaWaggaNSW2650Phone(02)69251273

Deadline for articles for the next newsletter is 31 May 2008, please send your articles to [email protected] before this date.

Ifacrossappearsinthebox,yoursubscriptionof$5.00isdue.PleasesendtotheTreasurer,ChristineGuthrie,POBox275,Penshurst2222.PleasemakeallchequespayabletotheGrevilleaStudyGroup.

2007 2008

Ifacrossappearsinbothboxesthiswillbeyourlastnewsletter.

Email Group

Thisemail groupwasbegunby JohnandRuthSparrowfromQueensland.Freemembership.

Tosubscribe,gotogroups.yahoo.comandregister,using the cyber-form provided.You must provideausernameandpasswordaswellasyouremailaddress to enable continuing access to the sitewhichhousesallemailsanddiscussionstodate.

You will receive a confirming email back andthenyouareabletoaccessthesitewhereinyoucanselectthegroupstowhichyouwouldliketosubscribe.Inthiscasesearchfor‘grevilleas’andthensubscribe.

Following this youwill receive the latest emailsregularlyinyouremailtowhichyoucanrespond.This is a good way to encourage new growersandthoseinterestedinthegenus.

Postmessage:[email protected]

Subscribe:[email protected]

Unsubscribe:[email protected]

Listowner:[email protected]

URLtothispage:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/grevilleas

Online Contact1.President’[email protected]@yahoogroups.com3.URLforGrevilleaStudyGroupwebsitehttp://users.bigpond.net.au/macarthuraps/grevillea%20study%20group.html

gsg nsw programme 2008 newsletter no. 79 · heath are on crown land leased by alcoa australia ltd,...

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