The BMCS Plant Study Group (PSG) generally meets on the second Saturday of each month and travels to different locations in the Blue Mountains. Before attending for the first time please contact Meredith by email at mountains@westnet.com.au. Changes to the program appear in red.
Notes: *Outing is a week earlier than usual. **Additional outing.
13 Jan | Mount Bindo, Hampton Sue Nicol report |
10 Feb | Mt Victoria TBA Alison Hewitt |
24 Feb | Deanei Reserve, Springwood Meredith Brownhill
Plant Id with Bushcare Group |
9 Mar | Pt Pilcher, BM National Park Meredith Brownhill report |
23 Mar | Hampton private property Meredith Brownhill report |
13 Apr | Glenbrook Lagoon Ros King & Valentin Siderskiy with guest speaker report |
11 May | Winmalee, identifying eucalypts in the field Don Cameron report |
8 Jun | Lalor Drive, Springwood Helen Yoxall report |
22 Jun | Deanei Reserve Meredith Brownhill with Bushcare group report |
13 Jul | Murphy’s Glen, Woodford Jelena Emmerick report |
10 Aug | Faulconbridge Mallee Ridge Margaret Baker report |
14 Sep | Cumberland Plains Meredith Brownhill & Alison Hewitt
Bus Trip report |
12 Oct | Birrabang Ridge, B.M. National Park Sue Nicol report |
9 Nov | Fairy Falls & Echo Pt. Lawson Jo Newman report |
23 Nov | Boyd River Crossing Meredith Brownhill |
14 Dec | Charles Darwin Walk, Xmas lunch in Wilson Park Lesley Gersen |
EXTRA EVENTS:
11 Apr | Thirlmere Lakes
Bus trip with Thursday Walkers Bookings: contact Maurice - M/P 0402 402 783 |
We saw Eucalypt Woodlands, some swamp plants around the waterfalls and, a special wet cliff face plant community with Styphelia monticola showing its white flowers high up on the wet rocks and Styphelia incarnata beside the track.
Yellow flowering plants won the day with Hibbertia bracteata, Isopogon anemonifolius and, Dillwynia retorta just finishing its flowering season. Poranthera ericifolia with delicate white flowers was a delight. We ate our lunch together sitting peacefully below some Eucalypts on a rocky ledge, and listened to the cicada chorus that is having its 7th year emergence this spring.
Leader Jo Newman. Report Meredith Brownhill.
Eucalypts were recovering with new leaf growth and we noticed some Proteaceae shrubs with multiple stems, as in a mallee form of growth, such as Hakea laevipes. Beside the track there were white flowers as well as clumps of Comesperma ericinum and scattered Mirbelia rubiifolia spreading over the ground.
Telopea speciosissima looked lovely in the misty woodlands and so, feeling quite damp and with water running into our boots we finished the morning with lunch in a cosy café in Mt Victoria.
Leader: Sue Nicol - Report: Meredith Brownhill
Perfect Spring weather kept us comfortable. The pea bushes including Daviesia ulicifolia, Dillwynia sieberi and listed Threatened species Pultenaea parviflora and Dillwynia tenuifolia, were all putting on a prominent yellow flower show.
There were also Eucalypts to entertain; the Epacridaceae - Astroloma humifusum and Lissanthe strigosa had early fruits; and new to some of us were Cryptandra spinescens and Wurmbea biglandulosa with its delicate flowers. A hint of mauve, with Calotis cuneifolia and Prostanthera scutellarioides in flower, added to the colourful flowers we saw.
Leader & report Alison Hewitt.
Welcomed by the abundant bright yellow flowers of Acacia oxycedrus and the groves of Eucalyptus burgessiana (Faulconbridge Mallee) collected from here by Laurie Johnson and Colin Burgess in just 1953, the group went on to identify every flowering plant evident on this day. Woollsia pungens, Dillwynia elegans, Boronia ledifolia and many other species provided a taste of the biodiversity potential of this extensive ridge.
In addition to documenting the plants participants thoughtfully discussed other aspects of this ridgetop environment: the very long Aboriginal history, the importance of Linden Creek in the region’s ecology and hydrology, recreational use since the late 1880s excursions to Peggys Pool and the challenge of conservation in the face of expanding suburbia.
Leaders Margaret Baker, Helen Yoxall and Jill Dark - Report: Margaret Baker
A member observed Polyscias murrayi – not commonly seen, but previously recorded in Woodford - growing close to a large Eucalyptus deanei. With intrepid investigation, she established that the Polyscias was actually growing in a hollow of the Eucalypt. It will be interesting to see how this partnership develops in the years to come.
Leader & report Jelena Emmerick.
The Deanei Reserve has rare and Endangered Ecological Communities in it that are protected by local and state government legislation. In the Blue Mountains Shale Cap Forest community we saw Eucalyptus deanei, Syncarpia glomulifera and E. punctata, which is favoured by koalas. The ground layer of herbs and grasses was dense.
Turpentine Ironbark Forest is the other endangered community. Unfortunately we did not find any Ironbarks - E. fibrosa and E. crebra. They probably were logged long ago.
Leader & report Meredith Brownhill.
Discovered in flower was an intriguing member of the mint family with tubular greenish-yellow flowers - Chloanthes stoechadis. The specific epithet “stoechadis” refers to the French Lavender and was given to our plant as it has similar wrinkled leaves.
Other plants flowering here in winter were Acacia hispidula, Acacia suaveolens, Acacia ulicifolia, Euryomyrtus ramosissima, Grevillea mucronulata, Phyllota phylicoides and Woollsia pungens.
Lunch was enjoyed on a rocky outcrop looking over the valley of Glenbrook Creek across to Lost World.
Leader and report Helen Yoxall
This set the scene for us to efficiently use A Key to Blue Mountains Eucalypts: Angophora, Corymbia and Eucalyptus species native to Blue Mountains Local Government Area, which Peter and Judy Smith have expertly compiled and continue to refine.
Leader and report Don Cameron
The new floating island for Eastern Snake-necked Turtles (Chelodina longicollis) was occupied by Ducks and a Darter drying its wings.
There were many species of Eucalypts around the lagoon - some were planted and not endemic to the area, so identification kept us all busy.
Leader Ros King; Report: Meredith Brownhill
The shrub layer was sparse. A population of Acacia gunnii, a plant of the higher tablelands was doing well, and a good diversity of ground covers such as Goodenia hederacea in flower indicates future recovery.
Happily we sat under a tree to complete the morning's survey with a good cuppa, good company and wonderful views across the valley towards the Blue Mountains.
Leader, Report: Meredith Brownhill
We walked through Eucalyptus oreades Open Forest in Medlow Bath with tall white tree trunks around us inspiring our interest. They are cold climate trees so are very vulnerable to the warming climate.
We visited E. piperita, E. radiata, E. blaxlandii Woodlands and finally, at Pt. Point Pilcher enjoyed views of spectacular sandstone cliffs with flowering Corymbias on the slopes in the valley. After lunch in the shade we strolled to a small swamp which completed our day of great floristic diversity.
Leader, Report: Meredith Brownhill
We took three cars for the drive to Mt Bindo which is in the Hampton State Forest and has an altitude of 1360m. We were lucky to have a warm, sunny day as two days later it was 11° and drizzling.
As we drove up through the pine forest the air cooled a little to 24°. We stopped to examine the first plant of interest, the low, spreading Persoonia acuminata, which is found only on the higher parts of the tableland. It grows in profusion on the upper slopes of Mt Bindo. On very rocky slopes we saw an unusual form of Platysace lanceolata.
We finally emerged from the pines into native eucalypt forest and snow gum woodland (Eucalyptus pauciflora) on the upper slopes and summit area. The ground cover included Stellaria pungens and bracken ferns.
We had seen signs warning us that we would be under surveillance at the summit, where there are various installations and observation towers. Sure enough while sitting eating our lunch we were visited by a security guard, curious to know what a bunch of people were doing hanging round the base of the towers. He would have realised instantly that none of us mainly older women had plans to scale the ladders!
Leader, Report: Sue Nicol