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Sydney Botanic Garden

Posted: Mon Feb 02, 2015 8:39 pm
by MikeT
Sydney Botanic Garden has quite a location, with clear views of the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. Can't match that from Sheffield Botanic Gardens.
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And even the city skyline makes a decent backdrop
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Re: Sydney Botanic Garden

Posted: Mon Feb 02, 2015 9:18 pm
by MikeT
Lots of views
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For a visitor from the UK, the birdlife is somewhat different to sparrows and pigeons. this one's a sulphur crested cockatoo, lots of them around, quite prepared to try biting if they thought you might be hiding some food.
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If look look carefully between the bottlebrush flowers, it's amazing how well camouflaged a rainbow lorikeet can be
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Lots of colourful trees. This one was often planted in the city, but I've no idea what it is. Anyone provide an ID? Edit: Jacaranda (Thanks, Phil)
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A small Dracaena draco
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Small? - it was compared to this one
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That was definitely its best side; though from another angle you could see the stems better
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Re: Sydney Botanic Garden

Posted: Mon Feb 02, 2015 9:39 pm
by MikeT
This one's a tree waratah, Alloxylon flammeum
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Some of the trees have epiphytic stagshorn ferns.
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They weren't the only plants which would need a greenhouse in the UK
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White ibis are exotic from a distance, less attractive close up with their vulture like bare necks
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Variously coloured kangaroo paws
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Gazanias we can manage here, at least in the summer
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Re: Sydney Botanic Garden

Posted: Mon Feb 02, 2015 10:12 pm
by MikeT
The label says Malvaviscus arboreus mexicanus
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Don't know about this one. Edit: Crinum asiaticum (Thanks, Paul)
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This one looks like a bottlebrush (Callistemon)
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A bed of bromeliads providing a patchwork of colour
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And tucked among the trees, a Hylocereus (or something similar)
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Close to the Opera House entrance is this:
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containing various Carpobrotus
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Attila Kapitany's book Australian Succulent Plants is definite that of the Carpobrotus species in Australia, only the introduced C. edulis has yellow flowers
C. Glaucescens is a true native.
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Flowers are smaller than edulis, but more colourful. The Carpobrotus were the only succulents I could spot in the rockery
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Re: Sydney Botanic Garden

Posted: Mon Feb 02, 2015 10:26 pm
by MikeT
A last look at the Native Rockery...
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..then off to the really interesting plants
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Not sure why they think there are no Australian stem succulents. This plant is labelled Sarcostemma australe (also known as viminale ssp australe).
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The flower colour doesn't seem to fit with the label, but there certainly are Australian stem succulents. Kapitany includes plenty of others in his book.
Lots of Aloes, including some large plants, though many unlabelled or labelled "Aloe - species unknown"
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This one's Aloe globuligemma
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Re: Sydney Botanic Garden

Posted: Mon Feb 02, 2015 10:33 pm
by MikeT
TBC...

Re: Sydney Botanic Garden

Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2015 12:16 am
by Carl
Very nice Mike :) great photo's and plants. also loved the birds :grin:

That purple tree perhaps some kind of Paulownia? I know there are a number of different species.

Re: Sydney Botanic Garden

Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2015 6:14 am
by Phil_SK
I was thinking the more delicate Jacaranda.

Re: Sydney Botanic Garden

Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2015 9:50 am
by MikeT
Phil_SK wrote:I was thinking the more delicate Jacaranda.
One of the places we saw more of these was in Sydney harbour, Circular Quay; having googled Jacaranda Sydney, there are pictures of the Quay trees there. So Jacaranda it is. Thanks.

Re: Sydney Botanic Garden

Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2015 10:12 am
by MikeT
Quite a few large Euphorbias. this one's E. pseudocactus
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and E. cooperi
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Then something to interest Colin: a few Sansevierias. First up is S. fischeri
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Then old favourite S. trifasciata
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followed by S. pearsonii, trying to hide the infrastructure
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and final Sansevieria, S. ehrenbergii
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And in case Colin spots the Sansevierias, a few Aloes to go with them
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