Sarcopetalum harveyanum

Sarcopetalum harveyanum (meaning of name: Fleshy petals) is common in or near rainforest and is also often found in moist eucalypt forest, chiefly in coastal areas along the eastern seaboard of Australia from Victoria, through New South Wales, right up into Queensland.

You have to be very lucky to see the tiny flowers of Sarcopetalum harveyanum as they are held on short racemes, 3 to 7cm long, and only last a day or so. The flowers are very, very tiny, with petals about 3 mm long - and they pop straight out from the trunk of the vine, generally on the old wood. The old wood of this vine is usually high in the canopy of the rainforest hence the difficulty in spotting the tiny flowers.





Fruit is a globular berry, 5 to 8mm in diameter, slightly flattened. They are brown to begin with, for all the world like a brown lentil; then as they swell and ripen they turn pinkish and then red. They are quite small, yet bigger than you would expect after catching sight of the tiny flowers.

They are odd in the way they can pop out of the ground or an old stalk where there are no leaves, or anything else to give you a clue as to the name of the vine.





The first time I saw this vine fruiting they looked like bunches of grapes hanging in the forest. It took me months of researching to find out what they were.




The leaves of this woody climber are distinctly heart- shaped and, when young, a lovely apple green.



They can be distinguished from other vines with similar shaped leaves by seeing where the stalk joins the leaf. In Sarcopetalum harveyanum the stalk joins the leaf in the bottom of the V or right at the top of the heart.

You can see it more easily in this photograph.



As well there are 7 clear veins radiating from the stalk.

A similar looking vine and often seen together in the rainforest is Stephania japonica, but there the stalk joins the leaf distinctly away from top edge and the leaves are much more rounded.




Something has eaten pieces out of the leaves in this photograph.



Larvae known to feed on

Harveyanum Sarcopetalum


My favourite book for attempting to name the plants on my 10 hectares of rainforest and dry schlerophyll forest is Native Plants of the Sydney District An Identification Guide by Alan Fairley and Philip Moore, published by Kangaroo Press and readily available. It is a great book because almost every plant has a photograph, particularly of the flowers, which is what I always notice first in any plant.
Also
Rainforest Trees of Mainland South-eastern Australia by AG Floyd,published by Terania Rainforest Publishing Lismore, Australia. Also a great book with a wealth of information but no photographs.

Commersonia fraseri

Looking almost like last minute spring snow fall dusting the branches (if we had such a thing in temperate Australia) - and flowering right now, September-October, is a native shrub in the Sterculiaceae family, Commersonia fraseri. If we are lucky it may even continue with the odd extra flower until January. I have noticed a long flowering season is likely if we have a wet spring and summer. When that is the case the shrubs often flower again in March. If you are travelling around the coast the shrubs are most noticeable at the moment where a bridge crosses a creek. There you will see a mass of white flowers in the gully alongside.

On the Central Coast Commersonia fraseri grows into a large shrub or small tree, 2 to 3 m tall. It is often one of the first shrubs to regenerate where clearing has taken place, particularly along river banks, in sheltered gullies, or along roadsides where it can get a little more moisture than average. It is also grows from East Gippsland, Victoria right into south eastern Queensland, wherever there is wet schlerophyll forest or creek-side rainforest.

The flowers are white and sweetly scented, reminiscent of honey. They are placed along the top of the horizontal branches in loose clusters, giving a massed bloom effect to the whole shrub.


Each individual flower is only 5-7mm in diameter but they are massed in groups, each 3-5cm across. Each flower has five sepals, triangular in shape, five long, skinny, ribbon-like petals that are generally longer than the sepals and another five staminoides; (each three lobed with one vertical and two horizontal lobes), narrow and ribbon-like, as long as the petals but more erect.



This arrangement gives a fluffy look to the flowers.


















The fruit is 15 to 25 mm across and covered with soft bristles 5 to 10mm long. They open into five cells, each with two angular, egg-shaped, dull black seeds.




The new leaf branchlets are slender, fawn and covered in a soft down, becoming hairless with age.



The leaves are alternate, simple and variable in shape. Juvenile leaves are broad, jagged and softly hairy, feeling a little like fine, soft velvet, with a fine point at the tip. They are dull on both sides, dark green above, white hairy beneath. Main lateral veins are clearly visible on both sides of the leaf. There are usually five veins, each ending in a larger tooth on mature leaves.




As they age they are more broadly lance shaped to heart shaped, with irregular teeth, two to three teeth per centimeter, often lobed or with a larger tooth at the end of each major lateral vein.

The leaves on these shrubs are always well eaten. Even when very new it is possible to find holes where something has had dinner. (See underside of new leaf above). Whether that is moth or butterfly larva or something else I have not yet been able to determine. This can give quite a straggly, moth eaten appearance to these shrubs


Commersonia fraseri can be grown from cuttings, but with their strong suckering habit care would need to be taken with placement. They would make a good background plant or could be used for screening purposes or utilized as a cover plant when attempting to establish a rainforest. They are very fast growing and quite hardy, accepting at least half shade and tolerant of frost. The sheer number of flowers and the beautiful perfume certainly makes them deserving of a place, if space can be found.

They evidently support wildlife so perhaps space could be found for that reason alone.

A complete list of butterflies and larva supported by the Sterculiaceae family.

References.

My favourite book for attempting to name the plants on my 10 hectares of rainforest and dry schlerophyll forest is Native Plants of the Sydney District An Identification Guide by Alan Fairley and Philip Moore, published by Kangaroo Press and readily available. It is a great book because almost every plant has a photograph, particularly of the flowers, which is what I always notice first in any plant.
Also
Rainforest Trees of Mainland South-eastern Australia by AG Floyd,published by Terania Rainforest Publishing Lismore, Australia. Also a great book with a wealth of information but no photographs

Eggs and Bacon on the Central Coast.

Don’t think the gold of the wattles has gone – it hasn’t yet, but flowering alongside and adding to the golden glow are many varieties of plants collectively known as Eggs and Bacon.

Why Eggs and Bacon? I don’t know, maybe because the flowers are yellow and brown? Many plants contribute to the Eggs and Bacon look; the common link is that they are all pea-shaped flowers, in varying shades of yellow and brick red, and belonging to the Fabaceae family. In each local area the Eggs and Bacon look is comprised of different indigenous plants.



On the Central Coast of New South Wales our Eggs and Bacon include; Daviesias, Podolobiums, Pultenaeas and Dillwynnias. Along the middle of the highways and on the edges of the road during September and October there are masses of yellow and brown Eggs and Bacon brightening everyone’s day.

If you visit the bush at this time of year you will surely have been scratched by these plants. The fire trails on the Central Coast are often edged with them, which tells us that they like disturbed soil or that they are one of the first to come back when bush has been cleared; or even that they like a bit more sunshine than they would receive in a close canopied forest. They enjoy their place in the sun while they can, before being replaced by slower, but eventually larger growing shrubs or trees.

In past years I used to ride my horse along the trails, and so I learnt to recognize the plants by the ouch factor, as many Eggs and Bacon score very highly on that score. My horse wasn’t too fond of the plants either, she was a sensitive soul and they are generally quite prickly and can cause nasty scratches if you get too close.


Daviesia ulicifolia is one that comes to mind.


The flowers are quite tiny, but look at the spines! And yes they are as sharp as they look. You do not want to be dragged through these bushes; making you dog come back, for example. Yes, been there too.

Enmasse they are quite beautiful. Very eggs and bacony.



All Daviesia have very unusual triangular seedpods, and as no other pea-flowers on the Central Coast have such distinctive pods these are very useful for identifying the genus.


As they ripen they turn quite a pretty brown and look almost as attractive as the flowers for a few more weeks.


Another Daviesia adding to the Eggs and Bacon look is Daviesia squarrosa. These are undergoing some name division at the moment, so all is not yet clear in the name department.

Daviesia squarrosa is a small shrub with delightful heart shaped leaves -topped with vicious spines. Pretty but don’t touch!



Different shades of flowers exist within the family, but basically still yellow and red.


The leaves and flowers are very tiny, both perhaps 6mm long but when there is a tiny flower in each leaf axil you have a very beautiful massed effect. Again triangular pods.


Continuing the eggs and bacon theme and jump to Podolobium aciculiferum previously known as Oxylobium aciculiferum.
This not only has pointy heart shaped leaves like Daviesia squarrosa but also sharp spines like Daviesia ulicifolia. The best of both. Have a look.



The whole shrub is a pretty fresh green early in the season, and appealingly graceful in form, but beware falling into this plant.


A close relative and more prickles are found in Podolobium ilicifolium, formerly Oxylobium ilicifolium, commonly called Native Holly or Prickly Shaggy Pea - and you can see why when you look at the leaves of this plant.
Very Holly like indeed, and each point is viciously sharp. Note the stick insect in the middle.

This one is a much taller grower than the others and can reach up to 3m of prickly plant. The leaves are 2 to 4 cm long, strongly veined, with 3 or more lobes each ending in a prickly point. The leaves change depending on the habitat, there can be more lobes or less, and the size of the leaf alters too. The only thing that doesn’t change is the prickles.



The flowers are generally yellow with red (or reddish brown) keel. The flowers are much larger than the other flowers I have discussed. The shrub in flower is very handsome indeed.


There is no mis-diagnosing the seedpods on this one, though small they are typically pea shaped.


Group all the plants together and you have a very pretty effect.



Podolobium ilicifolium is available from time to time in native nurseries. It is a great plant to attract little birds to your garden as the spiny leaves gives them some protection. It needs good drainage and some shade. It is often not very long lived though.


And finally one without spines, Pultenea villosa. Looking very pretty on the Central Coast right now (October)



This one forms a graceful weeping shrub, 2 m high by 3 m across so I am told, but I’ve never seen it grow to that size in my neck of the woods. It is many branched and spreading with flowering occurring quite heavily along the whole branch with the weight of the flowers contributing to the weeping appearance.


Fabaceae in general support various Australia butterflies.