Australian Plants online - Subscribers' Newsletter Number 1

Australian Plants online - Subscribers' Newsletter Number 1 - December 1997

Australian Plants online - Subscribers' Newsletter

Number 1 - December 1997

Published by The Association of Societies for Growing Australian Plants

CONTENTS

What's this all about?
New Issue - "Australian Plants online"
Some Dates for Your Diary
New or Updated on the Web (plus a preview of what's coming)
Moving to a New Home
Eremophila Book Published
Encyclopaedia of Australian Plants - Vol.7
Research Projects - Can you help??

1. What's this all about?

This newsletter is being distributed to all subscribers to the "Australian Plants online" electronic magazine as well as to SGAP members and other (hopefully) interested parties.

The main aim is to advise of the publication of the December 1997 issue of "Australian Plants online". However, I thought it might be useful to distribute an irregular newsletter which could also cover other matters such as advice of plant sales, wildflower displays, updating of the ASGAP web site and anything else which might be of interest.

Anyway....let me know what you think.

2. New Issue - "Australian Plants online"

The December 1997 issue was uploaded on December 7. I find it difficult to believe that 8 issues have now been successfully published. The response from readers continues to be favourable and the registered subscribers list is now approaching 600. Not exactly taking the web by storm....but not too bad for a niche publication!

In the December issue you'll find:

Australian Floral Emblems 8; Wahlenbergia gloriosa The "ACT Bluebell" - the floral emblem of the Australian Capital Territory. A Simple Botany of Wattles The characteristics of the genus Acacia with a minimum of technical terms. The Flowering Sands "Wallum" (coastal heath) is home to an enormous variety of plants. Bunya Feast Bunya pines produce a bountiful harvest. Phosphorus Needs of Australian Plants Removing the uncertainty regarding phosphorus toxicity. Re-establishing Local Bushland in Suburban Melbourne Dedication pays dividends in the return of native flora. Dyeing with Eucalypts This isn't a story about falling branches!!! Here we're adding colour to wool..... Electronic Mailbox Problems, comments, suggestions...and a few answers. Short Cuts Growing plants from seed; Plant nomenclature; Getting the priorities right; Hakea trineura - a geographical oddity; Around the "S" bend; Growing grass trees. A Good Read Reviews of some current publications on the Australian flora. Net Watch Sites worth visiting...you're sure to agree! Odds and Ends An Australian plant mailing list? Archiving old articles; New cultivars; Media watch.: The "ACT Bluebell" - the floral emblem of the Australian Capital Territory.
A Simple Botany of Wattles The characteristics of the genus Acacia with a minimum of technical terms. The Flowering Sands "Wallum" (coastal heath) is home to an enormous variety of plants. Bunya Feast Bunya pines produce a bountiful harvest. Phosphorus Needs of Australian Plants Removing the uncertainty regarding phosphorus toxicity. Re-establishing Local Bushland in Suburban Melbourne Dedication pays dividends in the return of native flora. Dyeing with Eucalypts This isn't a story about falling branches!!! Here we're adding colour to wool..... Electronic Mailbox Problems, comments, suggestions...and a few answers. Short Cuts Growing plants from seed; Plant nomenclature; Getting the priorities right; Hakea trineura - a geographical oddity; Around the "S" bend; Growing grass trees. A Good Read Reviews of some current publications on the Australian flora. Net Watch Sites worth visiting...you're sure to agree! Odds and Ends An Australian plant mailing list? Archiving old articles; New cultivars; Media watch.: The characteristics of the genus Acacia with a minimum of technical terms.
The Flowering Sands "Wallum" (coastal heath) is home to an enormous variety of plants. Bunya Feast Bunya pines produce a bountiful harvest. Phosphorus Needs of Australian Plants Removing the uncertainty regarding phosphorus toxicity. Re-establishing Local Bushland in Suburban Melbourne Dedication pays dividends in the return of native flora. Dyeing with Eucalypts This isn't a story about falling branches!!! Here we're adding colour to wool..... Electronic Mailbox Problems, comments, suggestions...and a few answers. Short Cuts Growing plants from seed; Plant nomenclature; Getting the priorities right; Hakea trineura - a geographical oddity; Around the "S" bend; Growing grass trees. A Good Read Reviews of some current publications on the Australian flora. Net Watch Sites worth visiting...you're sure to agree! Odds and Ends An Australian plant mailing list? Archiving old articles; New cultivars; Media watch.: "Wallum" (coastal heath) is home to an enormous variety of plants.
Bunya Feast Bunya pines produce a bountiful harvest. Phosphorus Needs of Australian Plants Removing the uncertainty regarding phosphorus toxicity. Re-establishing Local Bushland in Suburban Melbourne Dedication pays dividends in the return of native flora. Dyeing with Eucalypts This isn't a story about falling branches!!! Here we're adding colour to wool..... Electronic Mailbox Problems, comments, suggestions...and a few answers. Short Cuts Growing plants from seed; Plant nomenclature; Getting the priorities right; Hakea trineura - a geographical oddity; Around the "S" bend; Growing grass trees. A Good Read Reviews of some current publications on the Australian flora. Net Watch Sites worth visiting...you're sure to agree! Odds and Ends An Australian plant mailing list? Archiving old articles; New cultivars; Media watch.: Bunya pines produce a bountiful harvest.
Phosphorus Needs of Australian Plants Removing the uncertainty regarding phosphorus toxicity. Re-establishing Local Bushland in Suburban Melbourne Dedication pays dividends in the return of native flora. Dyeing with Eucalypts This isn't a story about falling branches!!! Here we're adding colour to wool..... Electronic Mailbox Problems, comments, suggestions...and a few answers. Short Cuts Growing plants from seed; Plant nomenclature; Getting the priorities right; Hakea trineura - a geographical oddity; Around the "S" bend; Growing grass trees. A Good Read Reviews of some current publications on the Australian flora. Net Watch Sites worth visiting...you're sure to agree! Odds and Ends An Australian plant mailing list? Archiving old articles; New cultivars; Media watch.: Removing the uncertainty regarding phosphorus toxicity.
Re-establishing Local Bushland in Suburban Melbourne Dedication pays dividends in the return of native flora. Dyeing with Eucalypts This isn't a story about falling branches!!! Here we're adding colour to wool..... Electronic Mailbox Problems, comments, suggestions...and a few answers. Short Cuts Growing plants from seed; Plant nomenclature; Getting the priorities right; Hakea trineura - a geographical oddity; Around the "S" bend; Growing grass trees. A Good Read Reviews of some current publications on the Australian flora. Net Watch Sites worth visiting...you're sure to agree! Odds and Ends An Australian plant mailing list? Archiving old articles; New cultivars; Media watch.: Dedication pays dividends in the return of native flora.
Dyeing with Eucalypts This isn't a story about falling branches!!! Here we're adding colour to wool..... Electronic Mailbox Problems, comments, suggestions...and a few answers. Short Cuts Growing plants from seed; Plant nomenclature; Getting the priorities right; Hakea trineura - a geographical oddity; Around the "S" bend; Growing grass trees. A Good Read Reviews of some current publications on the Australian flora. Net Watch Sites worth visiting...you're sure to agree! Odds and Ends An Australian plant mailing list? Archiving old articles; New cultivars; Media watch.: This isn't a story about falling branches!!! Here we're adding colour to wool.....
Electronic Mailbox Problems, comments, suggestions...and a few answers. Short Cuts Growing plants from seed; Plant nomenclature; Getting the priorities right; Hakea trineura - a geographical oddity; Around the "S" bend; Growing grass trees. A Good Read Reviews of some current publications on the Australian flora. Net Watch Sites worth visiting...you're sure to agree! Odds and Ends An Australian plant mailing list? Archiving old articles; New cultivars; Media watch.: Problems, comments, suggestions...and a few answers.
Short Cuts Growing plants from seed; Plant nomenclature; Getting the priorities right; Hakea trineura - a geographical oddity; Around the "S" bend; Growing grass trees. A Good Read Reviews of some current publications on the Australian flora. Net Watch Sites worth visiting...you're sure to agree! Odds and Ends An Australian plant mailing list? Archiving old articles; New cultivars; Media watch.: Growing plants from seed; Plant nomenclature; Getting the priorities right; Hakea trineura - a geographical oddity; Around the "S" bend; Growing grass trees.
A Good Read Reviews of some current publications on the Australian flora. Net Watch Sites worth visiting...you're sure to agree! Odds and Ends An Australian plant mailing list? Archiving old articles; New cultivars; Media watch.: Reviews of some current publications on the Australian flora.
Net Watch Sites worth visiting...you're sure to agree! Odds and Ends An Australian plant mailing list? Archiving old articles; New cultivars; Media watch.: Sites worth visiting...you're sure to agree!
Odds and Ends An Australian plant mailing list? Archiving old articles; New cultivars; Media watch.: An Australian plant mailing list? Archiving old articles; New cultivars; Media watch.

You can reach the December issue through the SGAP Home Page:

http://www.ozemail.com.au/~sgap/

or you can go straight to it at:

http://www.ozemail.com.au/~sgap/ac97-4.html

3. Some Dates for Your Diary

Three Regions of the Society have Autumn Plant Sales planned for March/April 1998. These will provide a great opportunity to purchase quality plants at reasonable prices and to find species not readily available elsewhere:

Leopold (Geelong region), Victoria - Plant Sale

Saturday 28 to Sunday 29, March 1998

To be held at "Uranagong", 25 Melaleuca Road, Leopold (Geelong region), this annual event will feature 1000s of Australian native plants for sale at very reasonable prices. There will also be book sales, display garden, light refreshments and a BBQ. Adults $2.00; children free.

Campbelltown, New South Wales - Plant Sale/Art Show

Saturday 18 to Sunday 19 April 1998

To be held at the Mt Annan Botanic Garden. A wide range of displays and activities is being arranged including:

Propagation demonstrations (grafting and cutting)
Display of Banksia and other Proteaceae
Talks on rare and endangered grevilleas
Guided tours of the nursery and collections
Guided walks through the Botanic garden
Art works based on the Australian flora
....and lots, lots, lots of plants for sale!.

The Botanic Garden entrance is signposted on Narellan Road, about 1 km north of the Camden exit from the South Western Freeway.

Grovely, Queensland - Plant Sale

Sunday 19 April 1998

An annual sale with many species not commonly available and including native daisies, grevilleas, bush tucker plants, etc. The sale will be held at the Grovely TAFE college.

4. New or Updated on the Web (plus a preview of what's coming)

New

Because of space problems on the server, there have been no new sections added to the ASGAP web site since August when the "Treasure Chest" appeared. This is an archive of articles from earlier editions of Australian Plants online. The articles can be downloaded (in ZIP format) from:

http://www.ozemail.com.au/~sgap/chest.html

Updated

The Photo Gallery was updated in September and now features 122 photographs with links to distribution maps and species descriptions.

Other relatively minor updating has been provided to:

The Acacia page (additional info on seed treatment); www.ozemail.com.au/~sgap/acacia.html
"Link-Up" Internet Resources; www.ozemail.com.au/~sgap/internet.html
Name Changes; www.pnc.com.au/~brianwal/changes.html
Nursery List; www.ozemail.com.au/~sgap/nursery.html
Seed Suppliers; www.ozemail.com.au/~sgap/seedsupp.html
Seed Propagation Page (seed treatment for Acacia); www.ozemail.com.au/~sgap/propagat.html
Where to see Australian Plants; www.ozemail.com.au/~sgap/whereto1.html
Troubleshooting Page (problems with viewing and printing); www.ozemail.com.au/~sgap/trouble.html

Real Soon Now!

A page about emu bushes (Eremophila species) has been prepared and will be put on line as soon as the move to our new home has been completed (see below). Other features in various stages of planning include:

Rainforests
Epacris and Relatives
Pests and Diseases
Plant Identification
Attracting Wildlife

5. Moving to a New Home

Baring unforeseen circumstances, the ASGAP web site will be moving shortly. For the last 6 months space on the Ozemail system has become critical. The site exceeded the 5MB allocation (which is part of the standard account) in late 1996 and additional space has been purchased on two occasions to make a total of 9MB currently available. However, this space is now inadequate and all but 1 back issue of APOL have been removed from the site to enable the December issue to be published.

While we have been very happy with the Ozemail service, it is obvious that an organisation like ASGAP with limited availability of funds cannot continue to purchase extra space. To overcome the problems we have been negotiating with Charles Sturt University (Wagga Wagga) to move the ASGAP site to its SILO server. The move should occur early in 1998 and we will then have access to much more space which will allow expansion of the site considerably.

The Ozemail system will be retained for the immediate future to provide redirection for those using the old URL and for email.

Details of the new URL will be advised in a future newsletter.

6. Eremophila Book Published

The South Australian Region of SGAP has just published a great little book on emu bushes. Called "Eremophilas for the Garden", it covers around 70 species with a colour photo of each and a short description. At $8.50 ($10.50 posted within Australia), it is a bargain. Overseas customers should add an appropriate amount to cover postage.

Copies can be obtained from:

Colin Jennings, 4 Kinnaird Cres, Highbury, South Australia, 5089 (Colin is the leader of the Eremophila Study Group).

7. Encyclopaedia of Australian Plants - Vol. 7

The latest volume of this monumental work has been recently published by Lothian Books. The Encyclopaedia commenced in 1980 and is a credit to the authors, Rodger Elliot and David Jones and to the illustrator, Trevor Blake. Vol.7 covers genera from N to Po.

At $130 per volume ($90 for Vol.1), this is not cheap but the content in the publications is staggering. Vol.1, a general introductory volume, is worth having even if you have no real need of the subsequent volumes as it includes detailed information on propagation, pests and diseases, history of cultivation, plant selection/cultivation and lists of plants for special applications.

8. Research Projects - Can you help??

From time to time I receive requests from people carrying out research into aspects of the Australian flora and requesting assistance from Society members and other enthusiasts. Often it's difficult to respond to these requests in sufficient time to be of much help, because of the infrequency of issue of most of the Society's newsletters.

This email newsletter might be one way of overcoming this problem.

The following two request were recently received - if anyone can help, please contact the researchers direct.

1st Message Starts___________________________________________________________

From: "MANZANAR" <MANZANAR@prodigy.net>
To: <sgap@ozemail.com.au>
Subject: need info
Date: Tue, 2 Dec 1997 21:18:36 -0800
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal

Involved in seven year acacia project in Southern California. Need any book, seed source, propagation medium, etc. which anyone may have. Will send International Money Coupon for incurred costs by prior arrangement. Will respond to all correspondence.

Thank You,

Dwight L. Roberts

1st Message Ends_____________________________________________________________

2nd Message Starts___________________________________________________________

From: "plantwest" <nreese@nrg.com.au>
To: <sgap@ozemail.com.au>
Subject: Plant Search
Date: Sat, 6 Dec 1997 16:38:56 +1100
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V4.71.1712.3

Dear Ed,

My name is Nicholas Reese and I am studying the genetic diversity in Backhousia citriodora as well as some of the other Myrtaceae. I have a problem in that I am finding it difficult to procure samples of all species in the Genus Backhousia and Choricarpia. I only need 10 leaves of each individual plant of any of the species in a fairly fresh form. I was wondering if anyone could mail me fresh samples, wrapping each individual collection in a plastic bag, placed in a padded post bag, and a note of the species with exactly where it was collected from (with altitude, latitude and longitude if possible), and whether it is wild or cultivated. I will happily reimburse the cost of postage and packaging to anyone who sends me samples and inform them of the results of the genetic analysis for their collections.

Regards,

Nicholas Reese
71 Lindendale Rd
Lindendale NSW 2480
ph: (02) 66295216

2nd Message Ends_____________________________________________________________

Finally.......

A Happy Holiday Season to all and may 1998 bring lots of enjoyment with the Australian flora.

Best wishes

Brian

Brian Walters,
Society for Growing Australian Plants (SGAP)
Email; brianwal@pnc.com.au (personal or SGAP)
sgap@ozemail.com.au (SGAP only)

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