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 Genevieve Powell by email at genevievepowell99@gmail.com. Changes to the program appear in red.

Plant Study Group 2026 Program

Notes: * Outing is a week earlier than usual. ** Additional outing.

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28 Jan	Blue Mts. Botanical Gardens Bus trip, Mt. Tomah   Don Cameron in conjunction with staff leader report
14 Feb	Fairfax Heritage walk, Blackheath Helen Yoxall report
14 March	Coates Park Bushcare group, Hazelbrook Bushcare Group contact Susan Jalaluddin & Meredith Brownhillreport

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11 April	Adeline Park, Faulconbridge Jo Newman & Genevieve Powell
9 May	Thirlmere Lakes National Park bus trip Meredith Brownhill
13 June	Adams Lookout, Hazelbrook Genevieve Powell & Jo Newman

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11 July	TBA
8 August	TBA Alison Hewitt
12 Sept	Murphys Glen, Woodford Jelena Emmerick

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10 Oct	Yondell Ave. Fire trail, Springwood Helen Yoxall
14 Nov	TBA Janice Hughes
12 Dec	PSG Christmas lunch - TBA

Possible Events: Newnes Plateau Swamp, BMCC Bushcare groups

2026 Reports  (click image to see a larger version)

14th March 2026 - Coates Park, Hazelbrook

A sunny autumn day raised group expectations in finding a good diversity of plants in Coates Park. At the start of the track we did tuck our long pants into our socks to protect ourselves from any hungry leeches! Then we stayed on a narrow track through swamp surrounded by the large dominant rush, Schoenus melanostachys.

Coates Park is a council reserve, with protected vegetation under the Local Environment Plan 2015 i.e., B.M. Heath & Scrub and B.M. Swamps being present. Also, council mapping shows Corymbia gummifera and Eucalyptus sieberi Open Forest as being present. Additional Eucalypts formed the open canopy for vigorous Proteaceae shrubs such as the Persoonia species.

Persoonia acerosa was a plant of interest, as it is a rare and listed Endangered species. It has very narrow leaves, acerosa, coming from the Latin acerosus meaning ‘needle-shaped’. The plants are killed by fire and recruitment is only from seed. So hazard reduction and bushfire are one of its threats.

It was a delight to see orchid leaves emerging beside the track. We ate our lunch sitting on a log, surrounded by a splendid diversity of plants and then returned back along the track

Leader and report: Meredith Brownhill

Report: Helen Yoxall and Don Cameron

Photo: Persoonia acerosa - Meredith Brownhill

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14 February 2026 - Fairfax Heritage walk, Blackheath

Nine members arrived at the Blue Mountains Heritage Centre in wet and misty conditions. We watched some audiovisual displays in the Auditorium, visited the bookshop and set off on our walk when the weather improved a little.

The track, which was constructed in the mid 1980s, goes to Govetts Leap lookout via a woodland dominated by Eucalyptus piperita, E. sieberi and E. racemosa ssp. racemosa. Also at the site is E. radiata.

The shrub and herb layers of the woodland are very diverse. We particularly noted Daviesia ulicifolia, Gahnia clarkei, Grevillea laurifolia, Haemodorum planifolium, Hakea teretifolia, Persoonia myrtilloides, Polyscias sambucifolia and Acacia rubida. The latter is unusual in that some bipinnate juvenile leaves persist on the plant, as evident in the photo. Most species of Acacia with phyllodes (modified stems) have no juvenile leaves beyond the seedling stage.

Along the way, there were some good-humoured disputes about the pronunciation of botanical names. Should the “c” in ericifolia be hard or soft? Ought we to say “Lambert-ee-a” to properly honour Mr Lambert instead of the usual “Lambersha”? Things got too serious when the discussion turned to the French “au” in the name of botanist Gaudichaud-Beaupré and the Latin “au” in the name of the new tea tree genus Gaudium – at which point we wisely abandoned the subject altogether!

Leader: Helen Yoxall

Report: Helen Yoxall and Don Cameron

Photo: Acacia rubida by Don Cameron

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28 January 2026 - Blue Mountains Botanic Garden

This outing was a mid-week bus trip. Ashley Filipovski, the Curator Manager of the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah, took us on an extensive tour of the botanic garden itself and the tall wet forest juxtaposed with it. Both areas have superb plant assemblages, with the magnificent Eucalyptus fastigata Brown Barrel as the dominant species.

Another common tree in the native forest is Doryphora sassafras Sassafras, the tree in the photo. The ten or so ring of trunks in the foreground are all the same ancient tree. There was once a massive trunk at the centre of the ring, and the younger trunks grew from the periphery of its root system.

Ash provided expert commentary on the increasing role of the garden in nature conservation, the ongoing installation of a sprinkler system to protect against bushfires, the differences between French and English formal gardens, and other topics. All in all, the outing was very enjoyable and educational.

Leader: Don Cameron

Report: Don Cameron

Photo: Doryphora sassafras by Meredith Brownhill