Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => General Forum => Topic started by: David Lyttle on January 01, 2009, 10:44:34 AM
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It is a family tradition to go for a picnic on New Years Day. This year we headed of to Waipori Gorge south of Dunedin where the Waipori River flows down through a bush- covered gorge out to the Taieri Plains where it ultimately joins with the Taieri River.
First pictures of the red mistletoe Peraxilla colensoi growing on silver beech (Nothofagus menziesii). This particular tree was right next to the road. I am taking a risk showing these pictures here as I am not sure what sort of passions red mistletoes may excite in northern hemisphere viewers!
Picture 5 is a native New Zealand bindweed Calystegia tuguriorum.
Picture 6 is a colony of the lichen Usnea
Picture 7 is a view looking down the Waipori Gorge
Picture 8 is of the bluffs above the river.
Pictures 9 and 10 are of a little waterfall called the Crystal Falls It is not possible to see the entire falls from the bottom. I climbed up on a big rock to get the second picture and managed to dislodge the lens cap from my camera. Luckily I was able to retrieve it. Altogether a very pleasant outing, particularly the strawberries and cream we had for afternoon tea.
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Gosh, lovely views and the red mistletoe is something to die for. I wonder if it would parasitise any plants we grow over here? Mind you, I'm still looking forward to the promised seed of the lovely wee dwarf Nothofagus spp. from someone. ;) It is a lovely sunny day here, but a picnic is definitely out of the question! ;D
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Mind you, I'm still looking forward to the promised seed of the lovely wee dwarf Nothofagus spp. from someone. ;)
It wasnae me! but if you'd like some seed of Nothofagus antarctica later in the summer I can supply.
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Not antarctica as that grows into a 'king huge tree Lesley. It was those wee dwarf jobs.
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Great idea to go for a walk today. I thought of it but it was so dull
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I don't know of any really dwarf Nothofagus. The Australian N. cunninghamii probably grows to about3 metres. N. pumila is taller in the wild. Anyone for bonsai?
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I don't know of any really dwarf Nothofagus. The Australian N. cunninghamii probably grows to about3 metres. N. pumila is taller in the wild. Anyone for bonsai?
Strange that?
We all went for a walk in glorious sunshine. From my house up the hill to the Gathering Stone on Sheriffmuir must be about 2½ miles along various types of footpath/track/logging road, but we met over a dozen like-minded folk. A day for hot soup (shame ye cannae Campbell's anymore - "the difference is in the thickness ye ken").
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Nasty damp day here, I kept my snuffly nose safely indoors. Ian was out for various walks with Lily but I chickened out! :-[
If it had been a day like David had for the Lyttle family picnic, I would have been right there with the sandwiches.
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I don't know of any really dwarf Nothofagus.
Lesley
There is a var. prostrata of N. antarctica which I saw at Tromso BG. In a cold climate it might be dwarf for the first 10-20 years.
If Anthony is not interested I would gladly relieve you of a pinch of N. antarctica seed. Viable N. pumilio seed seems to be impossible to find.
johnw - deathly still here and -9c.
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I don't know of any really dwarf Nothofagus. The Australian N. cunninghamii probably grows to about3 metres. N. pumila is taller in the wild. Anyone for bonsai?
Strange that?
(shame ye cannae Campbell's anymore - "the difference is in the thickness ye ken").
Very strange. A sudden flashback when I saw the word Campbell's + cannae, I am taken back to childhood Xmas days when the plum pudding would be light, paraded through the house by whomever cooked it with all in tow single file singing The Campbells Are Coming. Now why that song I have wonder? Anyone?
johnw
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Antony,
To the best of my knowledge the scarlet mistletoe parasitises only beech. The common native mistletoe Ileostylus micranthus is quite happy on a number of introduced plants. It has been recorded on willow, poplar, elm, wattle, rhododendron, apple, pear, plum and hawthorn. None of the New Zealand species of Nothofagus are particularly dwarfed though they may be a bit stunted at treeline. All of the southern beeches are ectomycorrhizal and are colonised by similar species of fungi In New Zealand, Australia and South America.
It sounds likely that a walk in Scotland at this time of year would be an invigorating experience
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Wonderfull, i love the mistletoe! If we have the specific host, it is possible to easily grow these parasites, if we ssow them on the trunk?
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We spent a few days around the turn of the year about 200 km north from here near Osnabrück. A friend offered us a small weekend home which is situated south facing on the edge of the forest. So we enjoyed some unsual silent days with fireworks only in an agreeable distance.
Here are some impressions.
Gerd
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Now why that song I have wonder? Anyone?
Glencoe 1692.
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My apologies, I went to "quote" from Michael's post and ended up making my own post there in error!
Now why that song I have wonder? Anyone?
Glencoe 1692.
While the song, The Campbells are coming was written to commemorate the massacre at Glencoe, the music became very will known as a military band tune and there is a story that the strains were heard as a battalion marched to rescue the survivors of the Siege of Lucknow in the Indian rebellion, 1857.... signalling that help was at hand.
I have a vague recollection of the tune used at regimental dinners, but I'm not sure about that, but I think the use of the song to accompany the arrival of the pudding is a joke reference to the "relief" of the hungry diners...... ::)
http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/archive/exhibits/oneil/pages/mutiny.asp
http://www.qdg.org.uk/pages/1857-to-1858-106.php ( Commander of rescuing force.... Sir Colin Campbell !)
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Very nice pics Gerd and David.
Here had been cold and dull and I had been sitting inside and reading Jim Jermyn's Alpine Flowers of Europe. ;D So no pictures to show.
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Commander of rescuing force.... Sir Colin Campbell
Maggi,there is a faint resemblance between myself and that chap,the mustache and hair are the same.
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Antony,
To the best of my knowledge the scarlet mistletoe parasitises only beech.
Beech (Fagus sylvaticus) is a fairly common tree hereabouts. I know Evelyn Stevens grows Nothofagus spp. in her woodland plot. NZ has at least three species and I'd certainly like to try the smaller ones. I seem to remember an article in the forum about the amazing colours of the leaves in the dwarf forest. I thought these were beeches? Can't find the article though.
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Anthony, I think I may have found the post.... it was in the Old Forum...
Lesley made the post on on Saturday, October 07, 2006 and wrote......
Start off with a couple of small trees in flower now.
Nothofagus antarctica is a small (for now anyway) southern beech from South America. It is deciduous and has beautiful gold autumn colouring.
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Or it may have been this page,
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=1584.msg43543;topicseen#msg43543
where you discussed the southern beeches with RobK...... mention of Notofagus gunnii
and which contained this link..... http://www.sgaonline.org.au/plant_nothofagus.html .... to the great autumn colours!
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I've never noticed flowers on a tree growing in a friend's garden.
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Yep, not the first one but the second with Lesley's Nothofagus gunnii. The 'Tanglefoot' references says it only grows to 2 metres tall. What a sleuth you are Maggi?! 8)
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N. gunnii is Australia's only true deciduous tree. We have some other plants that are semi-deciduous, but nothing that truly drops it's leaves for winter. We have 2 small plants growing at the ANBG that have now survived for 3 full years. The guy who planted them is ecstatic each year when they come out of dormancy. They really aren't suited to our heat. ::) Cute little plants though (they're only a foot high, so have some growing to do if they continue to survive! ;D). The N. cunninghamii on the other hand seem to thrive here, growing to well over 4 metres, but not sure exactly of their height. They're lovely plants, nice new growth, nice shape. Altogether something I would love to grow if I had the space.
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Anthony, all of NZ's Nothofagus ssp are evergreen except that they do drop a lot of leaves, pushed off by new ones I think. A walk in a beech forest is like a walk on sponge, with a thick carpet of the fallen leaves which are very persistant. In particular, N. fusca, the red beech loses a lot of leaves in very hot or dry conditions (it's probably the one most seen in gardens) and these leaves are frequently scarlet though the tree as a whole remains green. All our species grow to be forest giants, beautifully shaped, as specimens.
All or come of the South Americans are deciduous and some at least, colour superbly. I remember seeing slides at a talk a few years ago, of (perhaps) N. pumila, a whole forest of scarlet and crimson.
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Lsley,
Our Toona in Aus (Red Cedar) has the same sort of very brief leaf loss, as the new buds are shooting through. Technically they're more or less deciduous I guess, but aren't dormant for winter like the truly deciduous plants. We have a couple of other plants that do the same, but I am not sure what other Nothofagus we have here in Aus and whether they do this or not. I think you guys have more of the Nothofagus than we do (although I think we also have some northern ones that stretch into New Guinea?), don't you, and then South America has even more of them?
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Paul,
did you see the Nothofagus gunnii in my garden ? after 35 years it is now 4 meters
tall - in autumn it turns a golden yellow - not the brilliant orange -reds , as in its native
Tasmania , where on exposed mountaintops it is almost prostate- simalar to
Betula nana, also in its shape and size of the leaves.
Otto.
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Otto,
No, I didn't see it in your garden. Then again I was mostly looking downward at all the stunning little treasures in view, rather than up into the trees. ;D ;) Oh well, I guess we had better come down for another visit some time. 8)
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So now I need a kind Tasmanian to send me seeds of Nothofagus gunnii and hope I'm still around in 35 years to appreciate it. ;D
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I didn't see it either Otto but of course we were there in spring and it would be most noticeable in the autumn. when Don and I saw it at Mt Field, it was about 2-3m high and all gold, no orange or red at all.
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N. gunnii is Australia's only true deciduous tree. We have some other plants that are semi-deciduous, but nothing that truly drops it's leaves for winter.
Paul,
you have to remember that the Kurrajong (e.g. Brachychiton discolor) can drop all its foliage - but usually in summer! ;D Absolutely useless as a Shade Tree especially as it's in full leaf in winter and cuts out the winter sun!
cheers
fermi
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Fermi,
Brachychiton bidwellii (The "Little Currajong", being only to around 5m instead of 30m, apparently) I notice is "naked" at the moment while flowering (I think I just posted pics of it flowering in the ANBG Aussie Native thread, or haven't I got to that one as yet?), so I wondered about that one as well. Apparently it drops it's leaves just in time for flowering, then sends out new leaves. So is that regarded as being the usually termed "Deciduous"?
I guess then that the N. gunnii is our only traditionally winter deciduous tree then. ;D ;)