DESKTOP 3223 - AUTUMN FRUIT

On a walk in the parklands I found some wild fruit growing on trees and bushes. The most unfamiliar to Northern Hemisphere dwellers perhaps may be the lilly-pilly, Syzygium smithii, (formerly Acmena smithii). This is a summer-flowering, winter-fruiting evergreen tree, belonging to the myrtle family Myrtaceae. It shares the common name "lilly-pilly" with several other plants, however in New Zealand, it is commonly known as 'monkey apple'.

It is planted as shrubs or hedgerows, and features: rough, woody bark; cream and green smooth, waxy leaves; flushes of pink new growth; and white to maroon edible, slightly tart berries that may be made into jam. Unpruned, it will grow about 3–5 m tall in the garden.

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.

DESKTOP 3170 - GUMTREE IN FLOWER

Eucalyptus leucoxylon, commonly known as the Yellow Gum, (South Australian) Blue Gum or White Ironbark, is a small to medium-sized tree with rough bark on the lower 1-2 metres of the trunk, above this, the bark becomes smooth with a white, yellow or bluish-grey surface. Adult leaves are stalked, lanceolate to broad-lanceolate, to 13 x 2.5 cm, concolorous, dull, green. Flowers in white, pink or red appear during winter.

This post is part of the Floral Friday meme.

DESKTOP 2884 - FLOWERING GUM

Eucalyptus is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including Corymbia, they are commonly known as eucalypts or gum trees.

Plants in the genus Eucalyptus have bark that is either smooth, fibrous, hard or stringy, leaves with oil glands, and sepals and petals that are fused to form a "cap" or operculum over the stamens. The fruit is a woody capsule commonly referred to as a "gumnut".

Most species of Eucalyptus are native to Australia, and every state and territory has representative species. About three-quarters of Australian forests are eucalypt forests. Wildfire is a feature of the Australian landscape and many eucalypt species are adapted to fire, and resprout after fire or have seeds which survive fire.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DSKTOP 2793 - PINK BOTTLEBRUSH

Callistemon is a genus of shrubs in the family Myrtaceae, first described as a genus in 1814. The entire genus is endemic to Australia but widely cultivated in many other regions and naturalised in scattered locations. Their status as a separate taxon is in doubt, some authorities accepting that the difference between callistemons and melaleucas is not sufficient for them to be grouped in a separate genus.

The cultivar Callistemon citrinus 'Reeves Pink ' is a dense evergreen shrub with an upright and slightly spreading habit. It has broad stiff, green lanceolate leaves that have a slight lemon smell when crushed. The new growth is a lovely pink with a soft velvety feel. In mid-spring and again in autumn (to a lesser extent) it is covered with lots of pink dense cylindrical spikes of bottlebrush flowers.

Plant in full sun in an open position to maximise the number of flowers and density of the plant. It is a fast growing and tough plant. It is able to tolerate 2nd line salt, wind, drought, frost and even pollution. As with most Callistemons, this one is easily grown and will attract bird life to your garden. It can be grown as a screen, hedge, and used as windbreaks.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 2240 - SOUTHERN BOUQUET

 The flora of South Africa and Australia is very distinctive with quite a few rich botanical families that provide a diverse and amazing bouquet of flowers. The Proteaceae (banksias, grevilleas, waratahs) and Myrtaceae (eucalypts, bottlebrushes, titrees, lillipillis) especially are well represented.Australia and New Zealand once formed part of a huge southern land mass now referred to as Gondwanaland, whereas northern hemisphere continents were once aggregated into Laurasia. Gondwanaland and Laurasia began to disaggregate about 160 million years ago. Prior to this time, the southern hemisphere land masses and India were connected into Gondwanaland, while North America, Europe and much of Asia formed Laurasia.

South Africa, Madagascar, India, South America, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Australia and various other fragments broke away and drifted northwards, leaving Antarctica behind. Australia and South America were the last major land masses to separate from Antarctica, Australia beginning slowly about 90 to 100 million years ago and establishing a deep ocean passage some 30 to 40 million years ago.

Here is a bouquet of the Gondwanaland flowers, readily available in florists throughout the world because of extensive flower exports from both South Africa and Australia.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 1703 - TEATREE

Leptospermum is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the family Myrtaceae, which is native to Australia, New Zealand. Called "teatree" because Captain James Cook in the 18th century brewed a tea from the leaves and gave it to his crew as a scurvy preventative. These are substantial and useful plants all year round; soft and casual looking (never rigid or formal).

Most make a display of five-petalled single flowers (somewhat like tiny wild roses) along stems among the small leaves. Petals surround a hard central cone or cup that matures to a woody seed capsule that hangs on for a long time after the petals drop. Flowers are typically white, pink, or red. Leptospermum scoparium shown here is the double form, with light pinkish white flowers that darken as they mature.

The species has many varieties, which are valuable garden plants, most growing from 1 to 3 metres tall and wide. Not as bold in form or as serviceable in hedges and screens as Leptospermum laevigatum, but the beautiful flowers are showier: Single or double, in white, pink, or red, profuse in spring and summer. Branches densely set with small needlelike green/burgundy leaves. Good in containers.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 1696 - GUM TREE

Eucalyptus leucoxylon, commonly known as the Yellow Gum, (South Australian) Blue Gum or White Ironbark, is a small to medium-sized tree with rough bark on the lower 1-2 metres of the trunk, above this, the bark becomes smooth with a white, yellow or bluish-grey surface. Adult leaves are stalked, lanceolate to broad-lanceolate, to 13 x 2.5 cm, concolorous, dull, green.

Flowers in white, pink or red appear during winter. E. leucoxylon is widely distributed on plains and nearby mountain ranges or coastal South Australia, where it is known as the Blue Gum and extends into the western half of Victoria where it is known as the Yellow gum.The species has been divided into numerous varieties and subspecies. A spectacular red-flowered form of uncertain provenance Eucalyptus leucoxylon ‘Rosea’ (shown here) is widely planted as an ornamental plant, it flowers profusely in winter.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 1094 - GERALDTON WAX

Chamaelaucium uncinatum, Geraldton wax, is a flowering plant in the Myrtaceae family endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect shrub 0.5 to 4m high, bearing white or pink flowers June–November. The name uncinatum means "hooked" in Latin, in reference to the tips of the leaves. The flowers (somewhat resembling those of the tea tree) last a relatively long time after cutting, making the plant popular in horticulture. It is widely cultivated throughout Australia, both in home gardens and in the cut flower industry. Purple-flowering cultivars have been developed.

Geraldton Wax is relatively hardy and fairly easy to grow in a Mediterranean climate with well-drained sandy soil and a sunny aspect. It can be grown in areas of higher humidity, such as Sydney, but tends to be short lived. It is also good in pots. It has the tendency to 'fall over' and may need support. It is very drought-tolerant and has aromatic leaves. The hardy characteristics have led to its use as a root stock species for grafting species of the closely related featherflowers of genus Verticordia.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 637 - GUM TREES

Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees and shrubs (including a distinct group with a multiple-stem mallee growth habit) in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia. There are more than 700 species of eucalyptus, mostly native to Australia, and a very small number are found in adjacent areas of New Guinea and Indonesia. One species, Eucalyptus deglupta, ranges as far north as the Philippines. Only fifteen species occur outside Australia, with just nine of these not occurring in Australia.
 
Species of eucalyptus are cultivated widely in the tropical and temperate world, including the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East, China and the Indian Subcontinent, though most species do not tolerate frost. In Australia, many of the eucalypts are called "gum trees".

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Trees & Bushes meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

DESKTOP 173 - GUM FLOWERS

Eucalypts or 'gum trees' are characteristic of Australia as native flora. There are about 700 species of Eucalyptus and many of them have beautiful flowers.

This post is part of the Nature Footsteps Floral Macros meme,
and also part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.