Site Inspection – 2022.11.13

Rain combined with family commitments has left Dick’s Creek bush regeneration on the back burner over the last few months. To prepare for a renewed effort, I did a quick site inspection on the 13th of November, 2022. Really just a quick walk around to see if any areas were pressing. It was a mixed bag…

At the top level, near Green Valley Rd, It was good to see Lomandra popping up in new places:

And the cheese trees planted towards the front all look healthy, even if they are growing soo slowly:

Sandpaper figs appear to be able to grow in the most unlikely of places. Here from the cliff at first falls (underneath the false bracken fern):

Also an example here, growing in the smallest patch of dirt that lies in the middle of the creek:

Still, the bank on the north side is dominated by invasive weeds. Apart from the obvious Ginger lilly seen in the image below, palm grass and mist flower have never given up trying to own this location.

At the bottom of First falls, on the south side, the bleeding hearts are going well. There is also a red cedar (I think) as can be seen in the middle of the image below. There are also other natives taking hold but unfortunately they are accompanied by wandering willy, crofton weed and many of the other weeds that are common throughout the reserve. Maintenance is definitely needed.

Here is the video of the same spot, saying the same stuff but showing off my lacking video editing skills:

Between the first and second falls, the Swedish Ivy has been loving the extra rain. I have tackled it previously and I find it is easy to remove but with so much of it, I am going to need to dedicate a day to get the bulk of it done:

It is not all bad though… Various natives are still hanging on as can be seen in this clip:

One sad finding was the loss of some sandpaper fig saplings that I had planted at a spot near the top of Second falls:

I had previously planted them at this location when there was a lot more soil on the bank. Ironically, the intention was to reduce erosion. Considering sandpaper fig’s ability to grow in the most unlikely of spots, I was thinking they would make it here. However, we had some big rain events since then and clearly this spot was not protected enough to stop them from being swept away. Who knows, maybe they found a spot further down stream…

After moving past the top of second falls, I had great difficulty moving through the bush. Tracks that were previously clear and easy to follow, no longer existed. It was the same picture however. A big mix of good and bad. My next working bees will be a mix of tackling the swedish Ivy on the west bank and the lantana that is still strong at the rear of the reserve.

 

Alocasia brisbanensis – Cunjevoi – Identification

There are a number of other plants often referred to as ‘elephant ears’ or ‘Taro’ which make identifying Cunjevoi uncertain.

I have found that this Brisbane council weed identification site to be one of the best resources in identifying weeds. In particular, they typically note similar species and list the differences.

For cunjevoi, these two pages are informative:

Their entry for Arum lilly is:

Similar species

This species is quite distinctive, however it may occasionally be confused with Italian arum (Arum italicum) and the native cunjevoi (Alocasia brisbanensis). These species can be distinguished by the following differences:
arum lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica) has green leaves and showy white inflorescences with a bright yellow flower spike in the centre. Its inconspicuous berries are yellowish-green to yellow in colour when ripe.
Italian arum (Arum italicum) has slightly variegated leaves and greenish-white inflorescences with a yellowish flower spike in the centre. Its orange or bright red berries are usually conspicuously displayed in elongated clusters when ripe.
cunjevoi (Alocasia brisbanensis) has green leaves and greenish coloured inflorescences with a greenish or yellowish coloured flower spike in the centre. Its bright red berries are usually conspicuously displayed in short, dense clusters when ripe.

For Taro:
Similar species
“The three varieties of taro (Colocasia esculenta) in Australia can be distinguished from each other by the following differences:
Colocasia esculenta var. aquatilis (native to northern Australia) usually has green leaves and leaf stalks, and its corms are very small. Its flower clusters have a very short extension at the tip that is devoid of flowers (i.e. rudimentry appendix).
Colocasia esculenta var. esculenta (cultivated and naturalised) has green or pruplish leaves and leaf stalks, and its corms are well developed (up to 30 cm long and 15 cm thick). Its flower clusters have a very short extension at the tip that is devoid of flowers (i.e. rudimentry appendix).
Colocasia esculenta var. antiquorum (cultivated and widely naturalised) has green or pruplish leaves and leaf stalks, and its corms are relatively small (4-7 cm long and 2-5 cm thick). Its flower clusters have a relatively long extension at the tip that is devoid of flowers (i.e. well-developed appendix).
Taro (Colocasia esculenta) is also similar to similar to blue taro (Xanthosoma violaceum ) and the native cunjevoi (Alocasia brisbanensis). These species can be distinguished from each other by the following differences:
taro (Colocasia esculenta) has green or purplish leaf stalks that have their stalks attached to their undersides (i.e. the leaves are peltate). It has thick, tuberous, creeping stems (i.e. corms).
blue taro (Xanthosoma violaceum ) has purplish leaf stalks that have their stalks attached to their bases (i.e. the leaves are not peltate). It has thick, tuberous, creeping stems (i.e. corms).
cunjevoi (Alocasia brisbanensis) has green leaf stalks that have their stalks attached to their bases (i.e. the leaves are not peltate). It eventually develops thick upright stems up to 1 m or more tall.”

Also, this site is quite descriptive even if it labels it as a weed in other locations:

Cunjevoi – Alocasia brisbanensis

Poison peach tree (Trema tomentosa) vs Lantana (Lantana camara)

While trekking through the bush in Dudley, Lake Macquarie, I noticed a young poison peach tree (Trema tomentosa) near some lantana (Lantana camara). I took advantage of the situation by comparing the two for future reference.

Leaf wise, they are quite alike but with poison peach leaves being more elongated. They main notable difference when they are growing upright from the ground (not that common for lantana) is the leaf arrangement. Opposite for lantana and alternate for poison peach.

Native Plant List

List from 1st landcare assessment of native plants observed onsite:

Native Plant List
Acmena smithii – Lillypilly
Adiantum aethopicum- Maiden Hair Fern
Adiantum hispidulum – Rough Maiden Hair Fern
Allocasuarina torulosa – Forest Oak
Angophora costata – Smooth Barked Apple
Brachychiton acerifolius – Flame tree
Calochlena dubia – Soft Bracken
Cayratia clematidea – Slender Grape
Clerodendrum tomentosum – Hairy Clerodendrum
Cyclosorus interruptus – Fern
Commelina cynanea – Scurvy Weed
Corymbia maculata – Spotted Gum
Cyathea sp.- Tree Fern
Dianella caerulea – Blue Flax Lily
Entolasia stricta – Right Angle Grass
Eucalyptus acmenoides – White Mahogany
Eucalyptus fibrosa – Broad – leaved Ironbark
Eucalyptus saligna – Sydney blue gum
Eucalyptus paniculata – Grey Ironbark
Eucalyptus piperita – Sydney Peppermint
Eucalyptus punctate – Grey Gum
Ficus coronate – Sandpaper Fig
Geranium homeanum – Northern cranesbill
Glochidion ferdinandi – Cheese Tree
Homolanthus nutans – Bleeding Heart

Livistona australis – Cabbage – tree Palm
Lomandra longifolia – Spiny-Headed Mat-Rush
Melaleuca stypheloides – Prickly leaf Paperbark
Microlaena stipoides – Weeping grass
Oplismenus imbecillis – Basket Grass
Pittosporum undulatum – Sweet Pittosporum
Pteridium esculentum – Common bracken
Smilax glyciphylla – Native sarsparilla
Stephania japonica – Snake Vine
Syncarpia glomulifera – Turpentine