Native Palms of Northern NSW, Australia

[Daryl]

Didn't know whether to post this here or in travel logs...moderator can move if necessary.

Today, the Brisbane palm and cycad society (including half the ratpack) had a field outing to Mt Warning in northern NSW. It is approximately a 2 hour drive from Brisbane and 45 minutes from the central Gold Coast. The closest large town is Murwillumbah, which is an old sugar cane town.

Mt Warning was named by Captain Cook when he sailed up the east coast of Australia back in 1770. It's aboriginal name is Wollumbin.

The mountain stands almost 3800ft tall, and is the remnant plug of an ancient shield volcano...apparently the largest shield volcano in the southern hemisphere when it was intact (and more than double it's current height). Most of the Gold Coast and surrounding area's geology is dominated by this volcano's influence over the last 23 million years. A lot of our soil is of volcanic origin, as is our stone, which is commonly basalt.

The climate around the mountain is subtropical, with high rainfall and most of the area has been destroyed developed over the last 100 years by farmers and the timber industry. The main crops are sugar cane and bananas. The higher elevations are cooler but warm enough to host subtropical rainforest containing many interesting plants, including three species of palms.

Here is a brief account of today's little trip, with some photos of the area and it's lovely native forest.

regards,

Daryl

Cruising down the Pacific Highway towards the state border. A swampy area with Casuarinas everywhere.

Heading west to the town of Murwillumbah

Sugar cane everywhere

Lovely sugar / molasses mill at Condong

[Daryl]

Heading towards Murwillumbah with the mountain in the background.

Saw some old CIDPs in town...one had Kris's name on it!

Getting closer to the mountain...

[Daryl]

As we got closer, the forest started to close in on us...

Our group, ready to start the trek to the top of the mountain, over 1000 steps and a 5 hour trek.

[Walter John]

Why can't I be in 2 places at the one time. Thanks Daryl and please post till you drop.

What time did you get there ?

[Daryl]

This is how the trunks look on Moreton Bay Figs when they grow inthe rainforest...

[Daryl]

And this is how the rest of the tree looks..this was more than 150 feet tall.

[Daryl]

There is a nice form of Linospadix monostachya growing on the mountain. It has regularly pinnate leaves, with only the terminal leaflets being larger than the rest.

[Daryl]

Here is another shot, with Calamus muelleri in the background.

[Walter John]

Our group, ready to start the trek to the top of the mountain, over 1000 steps and a 5 hour trek.

Looks like the ratpackers have their water backpacks from NT.

[Daryl]

Of course, Archontophoenix cunninghamiana is everywhere, and dominates the vegetation in the areas surrounding watercourses.

[Daryl]

More Banagalows. The light under the canopy was not good enough to take many photos unfortunately. Time to get a decent camera!

[Daryl]

Getting closer to the top of the mountain and we can see the ocean through the gaps in the canopy...

[Daryl]

Due to our late start and lack of fitness, we decided not to continue all the way to the top. We had other things planned for the day, so headed back down to the base and had a great BBQ at Korrumbyn Creek. All civilised with free gas barbies, tables etc, and this lovely clear creek setting the atmosphere...

After our lunch, we drove 30 minutes to a rainforest nursery at Burringbar and loaded up with lots of great treasures..palms and rainforest giants for the garden!

Hope you enjoyed this short tour...

regards,

Daryl

[Daryl]

Our group, ready to start the trek to the top of the mountain, over 1000 steps and a 5 hour trek.

Looks like the ratpackers have their water backpacks from NT.

You picked it like a nose Wal...

[Walter John]

Due to our late start and lack of fitness, we decided not to continue all the way to the top. We had other things planned for the day, so headed back down to the base and had a great BBQ at Korrumbyn Creek. All civilised with free gas barbies, tables etc, and this lovely clear creek setting the atmosphere...

After our lunch, we drove 30 minutes to a rainforest nursery at Burringbar and loaded up with lots of great treasures..palms and rainforest giants for the garden!

Hope you enjoyed this short tour...

regards,

Daryl

Well......come on, you don't get away that easy, what did you guys get ?

[Daryl]

Due to our late start and lack of fitness, we decided not to continue all the way to the top. We had other things planned for the day, so headed back down to the base and had a great BBQ at Korrumbyn Creek. All civilised with free gas barbies, tables etc, and this lovely clear creek setting the atmosphere...

After our lunch, we drove 30 minutes to a rainforest nursery at Burringbar and loaded up with lots of great treasures..palms and rainforest giants for the garden!

Hope you enjoyed this short tour...

regards,

Daryl

Daryl

Well......come on, you don't get away that easy, what did you guys get ?

Lots of goodies Wal..you should have been there!

Seriously...

Some palms...

Linospadix minor

Hedescepe canterburyana

Some Trees...

Black Booyong

Red Carabeen

Yellow Carabeen

Python Tree

Dorrigo Tree Waratah

Pidgeonberry Ash

Maidens Blush

Spicy Mahogony

Red Bean

Large leaf Tamarind

I'll let you figure out the botanical names, but needless to say, most are large buttressed rainforest trees and all of them are stunning natives!

Everyone had a ball at the nursery, and I'd highly recommend it..a huge range of native rainforest plants...stuff you can't get anywhere else.

Daryl

[Tyrone]

Thanks for the pics Daryl. Mt Warning was an area I wanted to visit when I came over last year, but we ran out of time and energy after taking the red eye over. Some really nice shots. On Google Earth you can see the old volcanoe shape that has Mt Warning in it. When it was alive it must have been an absolute monstrosity. Those L monostachya look like the form I'm growing over here with the large terminal leaflets. It's that form of forest I'm trying to emulate in my own garden. I think I need to get all those strappy leaved cordylines into the garden for extra authenticity. Thanks for the inspiring pics. Did you see any Doryanthus Gymea Lillies up there? I beleive both species grow there.

Best regards

Tyrone

[Daryl]

Hi Tyrone,

The cordylines are C.petiolaris.

There are several forms of L.monostachya in this area. There is a form with regular pinnate leaves without the larger terminal leaflets, a forma that has a weeping habit ie all leaflets are very soft and droopy, the regular form with uneven leaflets and the form shown above.

The Gymea lilies like it sunnier and drier, like hillsides of open eucalypt forest. When I lived in Sydney we had thousands of them right up to the back fence, growing on sandstone strata.

As for your garden, just keep the water up and you'll get there!

Daryl

[realarch]

Thanks Daryl for taking all of us along. Surprising how the geology in that part of Australia is similar to Hawaii. Well to those of us still learning about Oz anyway.

Glad you chimed in Wal, I was wondering why you were missing in the group picture.

Tim

[Bon]

G'day Daryl, thanks for the pics. I love that part of the East Coast. It brings back memories of waking up on the top Mt Warning in 95. good times had by all. Thanks mate, Bon

[Dave-Vero]

It's almost scary to think of my young Archontophoenix cunninghamiana getting as tall as these forest trees. The A. tuckeri's are shooting up, too!

[amazondk]

Daryl,

That looks like a great place for an outing. I really like the picture of the Archontophoenix cunninghamiana as well.

dk

[bubba]

That Moreton Fig is Gigantic!Thankyou for the unbelievable pictures.

[Little Tex]

On 4/27/2008 at 6:08 AM, Daryl said:

There is a nice form of Linospadix monostachya growing on the mountain. It has regularly pinnate leaves, with only the terminal leaflets being larger than the rest.

I went to this exact location and collected seed, do you know of how to germinate it?

[KrisKupsch]

On 4/27/2008 at 9:44 PM, Tyrone said:

Thanks for the pics Daryl. Mt Warning was an area I wanted to visit when I came over last year, but we ran out of time and energy after taking the red eye over. Some really nice shots. On Google Earth you can see the old volcanoe shape that has Mt Warning in it. When it was alive it must have been an absolute monstrosity. Those L monostachya look like the form I'm growing over here with the large terminal leaflets. It's that form of forest I'm trying to emulate in my own garden. I think I need to get all those strappy leaved cordylines into the garden for extra authenticity. Thanks for the inspiring pics. Did you see any Doryanthus Gymea Lillies up there? I beleive both species grow there.

 

Best regards

 

Tyrone

Only palmeri grows there