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Flora of New South Wales, Australia The emblem of New South Wales is the rather splendid Waratah. It takes its name from an Aboriginal word meaning beautiful. It has spectacular scarlet flowers and grows in clumps on tall stems. The blooms are usually 8-10 cm across. The flower is so highly regarded that it is protected by law. The climate of the region is very mild ensuring that the flowers grow prolifically in late spring from September to November without fear of frost damage. In the wilderness rainforest area of the Wollemi National Park in the Blue Mountains in 1994 an amazing discovery was made. There, growing in a series of steep-sided sandstone gorges, was the Wollemia nobilis, the Wollemi pine. Until then this species had only been known through fossil records, dating back some 200 million years. It is now a protected species and a recovery plan has been drawn up to manage and increase the numbers of this pine. The mature trees live a long life, many are estimated to be between 500 and 1000 years old. The cones which form at the end of branches release seeds which take some 18-20 months to germinate. 10
New South Wales has some wonderful national parks and gardens to visit and enjoy with some plants which can be found nowhere else in the world. Averill Lovatt What do you know about Taraxacum Dens Leonis? When I was young I was told that smelling taraxacum dens leonis would make one wet the bed. I never experimented with the plants diuretic properties as I suspected my mother would not have appreciated the effects. We were also told that by blowing on the seed head one could tell the time because taraxacum dens leonis is the humble dandelion. Sadly, I have never found it to be a reliable time piece. On one occasion I hoped to use the fluffy seed head in an arrangement for a flower festival and questioned a knowledgeable friend how to prevent the seeds scattering prematurely. She suggested the heads should be sprayed with cheap hairspray which contains little or no lanolin. The same dandelion comes from the jagged edges of the leaves which look like the canine teeth of a lion, hence the name from the French dent-de-lion. In the past dandelions had many uses. They were believed to be good for the complexion and dandelion tea was used to treat liver complaints and fevers. Young leaves may be included in salads in the Spring or cooked as a vegetable. The roots can be ground and used as “coffee”. The flowers attract a wide range of insects which sip nectar from the flower head and the seeds are, of course, scattered by the wind. All in all, it is an interesting weed, all be it annoying when it appears in the front lawn. Ruth 11
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