ARTIFICIAL BOUQUETS FOR WEDDINGS

A Complete Guide to Native Orchids of Australia: Including the Island Territories

In this spectacular and comprehensive book, orchid expert David Jones describes more than 1,300 species and subspecies of Australian native orchids. Almost every species is illustrated with a beautiful color photograph, and the detailed species descriptions include information about every part of the plant, as well as its distribution, habitat, how to distinguish it from other similar species and its conservation status. A must for dedicated orchid enthusiasts, professional botanists or anyone interested in Australia flora.

Yesterday I posted an image of the umbrella tree on the Cooktown Esplanade and I was convinced I had already posted a couple of macro images but I can't find them. I remember posting an image about 6 months ago and seeing who could recognise it, (and someone did!!) but it seems to have gone from my photostream so doing it all again.

These 5 images were taken on Grassy Hill on a small track I ventured along and eventually got a nice sea view. This umbrella tree had a branch I was able to access by climbing up rocks. The flowers are in various stages of emergence but I think they are pretty and some supermacro images here. Hope you like them. Underneath is some information about this species gleaned from the Internet. I was rather interested to see that our Nth Qld umbrella tree is now an invasive pest in Florida.

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Schefflera actinophylla (Brassaia actinophylla; schefflera, octopus tree, umbrella tree, Queensland umbrella tree, Australian ivy palm, bastard) is indigenous to the rainforests of the northern region of the state of Queensland and naturally occurs from about Rockhampton (central Qld coast) to Cape York.
It was introduced to the southern part of the state via the indoor/potted plant industry [naturally] and became a garden escapee [somewhat like James Coburn as the Australian in 'The Great Escape.'] It is now undergoing a major range expansion, mostly in coastal areas, that is facilitated by bird dispersal. Some landcare groups after removing coastal bitou bush have had it come up in the thousands per hectare. Umbrella tree is considered an invasive species in southeastern Queensland and northern New South Wales. In a recent NSW North Coast Weeds Advisory Committee Weeds Risk Assessment it was ranked No. 28.
Southeastern Queensland has a very similar climate to Florida, so it's probably no surprise that schefflera is proving weedy there, too! Florida has a substantial collection of weeds from SEQ; Melaleuca quinquenervia, Old World climbing fern (Lygodium microphyllum), Casuarina glauca and C. equisetifolia ('Australian pines') and carrotwood (Cupaniopsis anarcardioides). SEQ also shares weeds that have invaded Florida, such as Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius) and all the aquatic weeds, but not tropical soda apple (Solanum viarum). [Yet. -- BTW, Florida is about to do its first release of beetles for biocontrol of TSA.]
Australia is currently undertaking management trials to figure out the best way of managing the species in sensitive areas (coastal national parks, hind dune vegetation and coastal forest).

This tree often branches close to the ground and thus most specimens are multi-trunked. It is also common to find seedlings germinating epiphytically on other plants. It has a vigorous root system and should not be planted close to underground pipes. The leaves are compound with 7-16 leaflets radiating out from a central point, each leaflet has a glossy upper surface. The flowering spikes radiate out at the top of the branches like spokes in a wheel and these bear numerous small umbels of red flowers which are followed by fleshy red berries. Nectar rich, the flowers are bird pollinated and the fruits are eaten and the seeds dispersed by birds. This species has the potential to become an invasive weed.

Umbrella tree (Schefflera actinophylla) is native to northern Queensland, north of the tropic of Capricorn. In its natural ecosystem it has maintained a balance with other native species, however when it is grown in southern Queensland this fast-growing invader out-competes local native species.
Umbrella tree is not a declared plant under Queensland legislation, however its control is recommended.
Scientific name
Schefflera actinophylla
Impacts
•causes harm to local ecosystem's flora and fauna
•roots can pressurise building foundations and block plumbing joints and pipes
Description
•evergreen tree grows up to 15 m
•flowers are spikes of red
•leaves are compound with stalks up to 40 cm long
•fruit is dark red, up to 5 mm long with a single seed
Habitat and distribution
•invades national parks, remnant bushland, undisturbed forests and reserves
•readily spread by birds, particularly through native bushland
Control
•a combined approach of different control methods including cut stumping, basal barking and stem injections is most effective
•see the umbrella tree fact sheet for more information
Declaration details
•not a declared plant under Queensland legislation but may be declared under local government law

I have various views of this flower and one of the 5 you may prefer. I encountered these on one of the walking trails at around 250/300 metres high in the rainforest ranges. The first I noticed was yellow flowers on the ground and then I saw the rather sparse tallish plants. The stems were green and a little prickly like sandpaper. I wish I had photos of better specimens but the flowers I did see on the plants were much too high for me to get. This is a fallen one. Australia has about 40 native species of hibiscus. This one proved hard to indentify exactly but I think it is this one described:-

Hibiscus divaricatus is a medium to large shrub of open habit, from about 3-6 metres high. The leaves are up to 200 mm long by 100 mm wide and may be linear to oval shaped either entire or 3-lobed. Flowers are large, up to 150 mm in diameter of typical hibiscus shape. In common with most Hibiscus species, the individual flowers last only 1-2 days but new flowers continue to open over a long period, generally from spring through to summer. The blooms are variable in colour and may be white, pink or yellow with a deep red centre. They are followed by hairy seed capsules containing a number of seeds. The hairs on the capsules can cause severe skin irritation and need to be handled with care.

The flower buds can be made into a jam. Other parts of the plant are also edible and have been used by Aboriginal people as a food source.

Hibiscus...from Greek, hibiskos, the marsh mallow, a malvaceous plant that grows in marshy conditions.

A completely revised new edition of this classic handbook of native plants found from Newcastle to Nowra. With 1,400 color photographs and its authoritative text, this is a magnificent reference for anyone who loves the Australian bush.
In a handy portable format, Native Plants of the Sydney Region is the ideal companion for anyone who wants to put names to the plants they see in the bush.
Covering an area from Newcastle to Nowra, and westwards to the Great Dividing Range, Native Plants of the Sydney Region contains plant species from remote areas as well as those common in remnant suburban bushland. Many of the species described are also found along the whole of Australia's east coast and west to the slopes and plains. This book is based on the authors' earlier editions of Native Plants of the Sydney District, which became the standard reference for bushwalkers, gardeners, bush care workers, environmentalists, botanists, landscape architects, and students. It has been completely rewritten with descriptions of nearly 1,400 plant species, some only recently discovered, as well as many new color photographs and revised names in an up-to-date taxonomy.