In Flower this Week

Spyridium burragorang click for larger image

Today we will walk in the winter sunshine along the clearly marked Main Loop. As you leave the Visitors’ Information Centre on the right is a pot of bright orange/red Kangaroo Paws Anigozanthos ‘Kings Park Centennial Flame’ [Section 221]. Further along on the right is Spyridium burragorang, a low woody plant which is rare in the wild, with white floral leaves and brown central flowers from Lake Burragorang, NSW. Also on the right is Woollsia pungens [Section 174], a straggly bush with prickly foliage and terminal heads of white flowers which are very attractive to bees and butterflies. As its name suggests it has a pungent scent. Also on the right is Epacris impressa [Section 174], the state flower of Victoria. It has narrow bells of lipstick pink clustered closely on a straggly bush. On the left, notice the long flowering Prostanthera phylicifolia [Section 210] with small mauve cupped flowers on a neat rounded bush. Across the bridge and past the café is the Ellis Rowan Garden. On the left is Banksia ‘Stumpy Gold’ [Section 131] showing many gold candles with red pistils. If you look up you will see the white fluffy flowers of Eucalyptus gregsoniana [Section 131]. Further along the path on the right is Crowea ‘Coopers Hybrid’ [Section 240] with cheerful pink star flowers showing up clearly on neat foliage. At the base of the eucalypt on the right is Acacia alata var. biglandulosa or Winged Wattle [Section 240] with flattened phyllodes covered in cream balls.

Up the hill on the left is X Astartea ‘Winter Pink’ with tiny pink five-petalled flowers on an insubstantial bush. On the right, just behind the section sign is a small white flowering daisy bush, Olearia ramosissima [Section 303]. On the right both the tree and prostrate forms of Banksia integrifolia subsp. integrifolia [Section 27] are in bloom with pale yellow candles on wonderful dark green foliage with silver backs to the leaves. On the left is the unusual Green Grevillea Grevillea jephcottii [Section 25] with pale green flowers on darker green foliage much loved by nectar-feeding birds. On the left is the Red Spider Grevillea Grevillea dimorpha [Section 25] with brick red spider flowers on an open bush. Grevillea ‘Bonfire’ [Section 24] is on the left, a tall grevillea with waxy red flowers well displayed above bushy divided foliage. Another excellent grevillea is on the left, Grevillea ripicola [Section 24], a mound of mid-green divided foliage with red and yellow spider flowers.

Grevillea ripicola click for larger image

We now move into the Sydney Region Gully and notice on the right Epacris calvertiana var. calvertiana [Section 191j] with white bells on a green heathlike bush. We turn down through the Eucalypt Lawn and as we enter the Acacia Section we see the winter flowering Acacia flexifolia [Section 18] with cheerful golden balls on a low bush. Opposite the Rock Pool is the lovely Guichenotia ledifolia [Section 4] with dusty pink cupped flowers hanging on a grey bush. We continue past the Wollemi Pines and down the Rainforest Gully. On the right just before the Visitors Centre is Banksia spinulosa var. spinulosa [Section 210] with gold blooms and contrasting black pistils.

Rosalind Walcott