'Australian Plants' Vol.1 No.3 June 1960 +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | The text in this file has been extracted from 'Australian Plants' Vol.1 No.3 June 1960. | | | | Please note that the file was compiled from a scan of the original document. As successful | | scanning is dependent on the quality of the original, there may be errors in the text where | | the scanning software was unable to recognise particular words. | | | | PLEASE USE THE FOLLOWING LINK TO VIEW THE ACTUAL, ACCURATELY FORMATTED | | JOURNAL, INCLUDING ILLUSTRATIONS AND PHOTOS: | | | | https://anpsa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/Australian-Plants/Australian-Plants-Vol1-3.pdf | +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ PUBLISHED BY THE SOCIETY FOR GROWING AUSTRALIAN PLANTS AUSTRALIAN PLANTS Reclstercd ot GO 0 Sudiey, for transmission PR THRER STHTLLINGS by post s a0 periodienl . o k Catour Phorocranhy by Prank Hurley Ploclos by conrtesy of dohin Sands o CRIMSON BOTTLEBRUSH (Callistemon citrinus syvn. Callistemon lanceolatus) A fine ornamentai soroh reaching g height of 10 feet 0 not o well pruned, c 4 Al » 7) g s hig B 3 ) Y Y HOW TO GROW BOTTLEBRUSHES By J. 1. ABEL Nitive Plant Nurserviman, Nowrn, NSV T'he Callistemons (pronounced Cal-lis-temon), commonly called bottle brush bushes, can be classed among some of our best flowering shrubs and trees. In the bush they are usually found where there are ample supplies of moisture but in the garden can adapt them- selves to any type of soil. This makes them wonderful carden @@@ 2 @@@ Page 2 AUSTRALIAN PLANTS MYREPACKANE June, 1k subjects requiring no speaal attention. They prefer a place with a vood depth of soil. ample supplies of water and protection from the worst winds, They are used as ornamental shrubs and hedges, those commonly available being hsted below. For a well shaped shrub and plenty of blooms. pruning must take place directly after flowering cach year. Cut well back to old wood removing all seed capsules. A chrub cannot produce good blooms and seed at the same time. Where cach branch is cut back, a number of new shoots will emerge siving in the next season three flower heads where there was previously one. There is always a good crop of blooms on the shrubs in the bush after bushfires, because of the heavy crowth of youny shoots and the increased mineral content in the soil from the timber ash. Callistemons respond well to manures and fertilisers which can be applied without fear of damage to the plant. Mulching by lawn cuttings or leaf mould. particularly in the spring. ix recom- mended, it keeping the roots cool and preserving moisture. liberal watering is appreciated but owing to their deep rooting system they can stand up to long dry spells without attention. I'he plants may be propagated from cuttings or by the Marcot- tage (air laying) technique, but the easiest method is by germination from seed. | use the immersion method desceribed by Mr. H. Boyd. IHowever, seedlings may not have identical characteristics to the parent plant due to cross pollination by insects, and many different shades of blooms may come out of ecach sowing. When collecting Callistemon seed, the capsules chosen for breaking off the main stem must be at least two or three years old. Callistemons Suitable for Ornamental Shrubs There are many species available with colours {from white 1o vellow, red and violet. The height varies from three feet to lorge trees. l'he native plant nurseryman can recommend the one to suil your position with a quality of bloom required. A\ few of the more readily available species are listed below. Callistemon salignus red form — Height 15ft. Foliage commences at ground level. New foliage produces lovely red tips. The blooms are red dusted with gold darkening up to almost violet as the bloom ages. C. macropunctatus (syn. C. rugulosus. syn. C. coccineus) — | lcight 5-8ft. Red tipped foliage with scarlet blooms. C. citrinus (syn. C. lanceolatus) — Height 10ft. Flowers red with cood foliace. C. lilacinus (incorrectly known as C. violaceus)— l'all dense growing shrub to 12ft. with small brushes of a violet shade. C. speciosus — Native of the Albany district of W, Australia where the average rainfall is 35 inches. Dark green foliage to a height of 10ft. with larce red brushes. C. linearis — A species of 6ft. with large pale red brushes. C. pinifolius — A tall spindly shrub to height of 20 ft. with flowers of yellowish red. Callistemons Suitable for Hedges or Wind Breaks | consider Callistemon salignus red form the best variety for a tall hedge as it has a dense growing habit from ground level to a height of 15ft. if decired. Other species which are suitable fo about 8ft. but require a lot more pruning to shape are C. citrinus also listed above, C. linearifolius with large red brushes or C. viminalis, the weeping bottle brush for larce hedges of about 20 ft. @@@ 3 @@@ June, 1960 VUSTRALIAN PLANTS S PROPAGATION P 5 THE TREATMENT OF SEED (Under Wet Conditions) By H. BOYD The seed of Callistemon, Melaleuca, Lepstospermum and Tristania are contained in capsules and in most of the species retained on the plant for many years. They are not dissipated until after the plant meets adversity such as injury, drought or bushfire. Dehydra- tion and shrinkage. sometimes caused by the plant itself forming an abscission layer (cutting off the supply of sap to the capsule), eventually causes the valves in the seed capsules to open. The collec- tion of this seed sometimes puzzles people, but it is not difficult. If capsules that are on the older wood — this is very obvious on callistemon as they are the lowest on the plant — are placed in a paper bag and the bag placed in a warm dry position, the seed contained in the capsules will, in a period of from 10 days to three weeks, be found mn the bottom of the bag. { A simple method for the germination of this seed 1s to treat them as bog plants. Take a well crocked pot almost filled with rich bush soil, wet and tamp down making sure the surface is level. Sow the fine seed sparsely from the point of a knife, and in the same manner distribute over it a very light covering of sand. The pot is now immersed in a non-ferrous container to a depth of about two- thirds its height in water or until the surface i1s wet but not mundated. The water level of the outer container might have to be experimented with. The outer container must not be of iron as rust in strong concentration is poisonous to seedlings. Aluminium ice cream trays can be used. The tray that is to contain the soil has holes punched in the bottom and another tray can be manipu]ated to act as the outer container for the water. A piece of glass is then placed over the pot without allowance for ventilation and the experiment placed in a sheltered position in about half or filtered sunlight. It is advisable, but by no means essential, to use cold boiled water to wet the soil and fill the outer container, to reduce infestation by algae as tap water has a relatively high content of this lowly plant. The water level of the outer pot must be checked as it is lessened by evaporation. If the seed is viable the percentage of germination will be very high, and seed sown very heavily will look like a covering of moss and be difficult to transplant. Plants can be pricked out when one inch high. Although many Callistemons, Melaleucas and |.eptospermums grow under dry condition, all of the many species propagated have responded to this bog-plant technique. The seedling plants grow under septic and highly humid conditions and do not damp oftf. This makes the writer suspect the presence of an antibiotic or perhaps the relative humidity is being controlled within favourable values. Better results have been had with rich bush soil rather than with vermiculite and chemical nutrients, although results with this media are satisfactory if a loose soil is not available. Editor's Note: Mr. Boyd's experience in this, and many other methods of germination of secd, is considerable. He wili only publish his findings after he has exhansted all known methods and experimented with innumerable variations of hiz own (Continued over paged @@@ 4 @@@ Page 4 AUSTRALIAN PLANTS SERDSMEN June, 1060 YOUR GUIDE TO NATIVE PLANT SEEDSMEN Andersons Seeds Ltd., 90 Parvamatta Road, Summer T NSOV Wanrataly Seed 1 - per packet — Dulk 560 Postage exira, Nindethana, Box o, Dripstone, N.SA. For all Nuative Seed. Packets ounce or pound lots. Free list on application. Parry, . J. - - “Floralund,” Kariong via Goslord, N.SAVLD Niafive Plant Seed, Wartatah seed 3 - packet posted. Western Wildlite Supply. Gilgandra, N.SOW Bulk supplies ol natives and exotic tree and shrub seed to the trade Special collections to order. Yates, Arthur & Co. Pty Ltd., 90-100 Sussexe Street, Syvdney, PG TGS ETETE T OGO TTTTTTTT T VIS . "’ “3 M [y Y m ) "ATIV I )| N N START YOUR NATIVE PLANTS N SAVY LY ! . A% ? 1n ' : s « s Revolutionary. New E = s JIFFY POTS \ N ‘ N Native plants started in 2 { revolutionary peat - libre s JIFEY POTS need no 1 TR % B N pricking out you simply ST A K 2 { plant pot and all. As the pot dissolves in the ground. it tertilises and E ': promotes strong, healthy growth., Plants grow stronger faster 8 in Andersons Jifty DPots. § HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS SOLD ANNUALLY THROUGHOUT : THE WORLD : > N E Distributed throughout Nustralia by E E ANDERSONS SEEDS LIMITED E S0 Parramatta Road, Summer Hiilo NS Ay pd s HORTICULTURAL INDUSTRIES PTY. LTD. § Plummer Street. Port Melbourne, Vie, : JN \ rr s s s s s s as (Continued from page ) I have found this method is very simpic and practically 100 per cent. cerming tion is assured. Readers are urced to (v it observe the assured results aud report their experiences. No special equipment o class-house s required Try it on the inside ledge of a window )l NeaiSs WL ( b Gabae Lo N0l NGXPH Prostanthera ovalifolia, & lTorm crow. ing focaily., and o purchased one both (l’l([ stood up to the =unimer heat very well I have =cen the docal form in purple, L] mauve, pink and white, some up 1o 12 DlS()(IS() lecr hizh.P. Nivea anmd P. rotundifolia . stand up to the heat provided they re- ceive water reaularly, (/W()'llr()l CAC Mitehelt, Wanione, N N W [z ey Iu.nlu_ fooe 200 then chayish subsoily Mind bush o will not 2row here in black
    DENOVANS NURSERY Good Range of Native Plantg available at Nursery § ; | | “WILLUNGA"” NURSERY NATIVE TREES & SHRUBS From 2.6 21 Nel=on =t Thoraleigh., N S\ Closed Saturday only. WJ 3709 INS Mareao Nvetine, Panantg s s v s s rrrrs rrrss s s s PV VIV T NI LT S T S VY VYY) AUSTRALIAN NATIVE PLANTS LESCHENAUTLTINS NMAS BILELS NANGAROO PPAWSD e, P. J. PARRY, “Floralands.” Kariong via Gosford. N.S.W. [V S S e e sl ety J PPNV Ll SOOI OGP I T TGOS IGEGEIET G I GG ST EITEGIEGETI GGG GGG OESEEEEEIIIIIS NARRABEEN NURSERY CENTRAL WESTERN B b gy NURSERY T ANUSTRALIAN NATIVES GILGANDRA — N.S.W. Specialist in semi-advanced native Plants for inland slopes & plains. Tinned stock now available. Balled stock from open ground available May - June - July. 1444 Pittwater Rd., Narrabeen Nth. N.S.W. — XX 2604 (v s s s s s s s s s N EYERY DAY @@@ 8 @@@ Page & AUSTRALIAN PLANTS Nl\'}{'l'.\(‘bl.\]-? June, 1960 SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THE GENUS VERTICORDIA By W. N. B. QUICK Many species of the genus Verticordia have acquired a reputa- tion for being difficult or near impossible of cultivation. As plants of the sandplains, we provided for perfect drainage and full sun, but received little encouragement from the results achieved. More recently a suggestion was made that the plants may require substantial amounts of lime (1) at their lower root-levels, but experiment along these lines has, in a number of cases, proved costly. With a view to making a brief study of some of these plants in their natural environment, a trip to the south west province of Western Australia was organised for the August-September period of 1958. Although we had been told that thece are plants of the sand- plains, two points soon became apparent: First, that the term “'sand- plain,” as commonly employed in the west, is a very general term applied tc any area covered by a film of sand, quite regardless of of its depth or of the immediate sub-strata. In small areas the sand cover may be completely absent, exposing materials as diverse as laterite (massive, nodular, or pisolitic), granite, various clays. and kaolin. Secondly, Verticordias are certainly not limited to the sand- plains. One particularly frequent soil profile in areas of great floral wealth consists of a layer of very light-textured pale yellow-grey sand 8in. to 18in. deep, underlaid by a layer of nodular laterite of comparable depth, beneath which again there is clay — variable in colour and sand content, and often with extensive patches or pockets of kaolin, or white to yellow kaolinitic clay (2). However, as has been stated, Verticordias are not limited io these soils, and details of soils and aspects for five species are given below. Verticordia picta. Growing, together with several unidentified species, on the slopes of small sandy rises 15 miles north of Geraldton. Soil as in (2). Topsoil and subsoil acid in reaction, free of accumulation of calcium salts. Aspect to the east or south-east, but the gradient of the slopes is not pronounced. and would not exce=d 3 ov 400, Verticordia chrysantha var. preissii. Near the base of sandy hillocks some 8 miles east of New Norcia. Soil as above. Aspect to the north, but some shade and shelter provided by various Eucalpts. (Associated species. for the record, included Eucalyptus gardneri (?). E. macrocarpa, Dryandra poulycephala, and several of the smaller Sterculiaceae). Verticordia grandis. On the undulating sandplain some 20 miles west of Three Springs. and similar soils elsewhere. Soil type as in the previous two species. Although not on steep slopes, (ap- prox. gradient 4’/?) aspect 1s generally to the south or south-east. Some water would appear to flow over the surface in periods of heavy rain. Associated species include Macropidia fuliginosa, Hakea baxteri, H. corymbosa, H. conchifolia, H. auriculata, Calectasia cyanea, Eriostemon brucei and Geleznowia calycina. @@@ 9 @@@ ,h.mv, 1960 AUSTRALIAN PLANTS MY ICPANCTAT 1P aeed Colour Stide from No 1 Thomson A scene between Newdigoate and Lake Grace, West Australia, showing three varieties of verticordia. T'hey are Verticordia roci (white), V. picta (pink) and Voochry=antha (otange-vellow), Itowould =cem tronm the anzle of growth ol trees on the horizon that the Verivcordias are o reality on oo gentie