Carol, once again, you aced it! It is Graptophyllum pictum 'Chocolate' 'Chocolate Caricature Plant' In my 'distant' mind I tried Chameleon, Camouflage....so I wasn't not too far off! Thanks!

Artie What about Native Plumbago (Plumbago zeylanica). It's native here as well as in Africa, Asia and the Pacific. I've come across references to "white or blue flowers" but have only seen the white. I'd be interested to know whether there are blue versions in anyone's gardens. The plant is variable, but is more ground-cover-ish than the introduced plant. There's also: Cinnamomum oliveri - our answer to the Camphor laurel, Cinnamomum camphora. Celtis australis - surely better than Celtis sinensis. Aphananthe philippensis, Native Elm -different Generic name, but definitely in the Ulmaceae, and a truly lovely little tree. There's a native poppy, too -forget its name, but it's a little annual and an interesting shade of orange - Papaver something. Native Daffodils (Calostemma luteum and C. purpurea) are very good value, being bulbs which flower at Christmastime. They're closely related to the introduced plant (and just as poisonous. Don't let the kiddies eat them). There are plenty of native Hibiscus, including the lovely "Barambah Creek" if you can't be bothered with prickles. Native Capers - Capparis species - have lovely perfumed flowers and always come with a horde of dancing butterflies. Slow growing and prickly, though. (Good for birds, of course, especially blue-wrens, which, amazingly considering their size, love to eat the "Caper White" butterflies.) There are some very good minature versions of Callitris, the native cypress, some of which must like your area? Native orchids? There are a lot of these. Best of luck with the project. Trish

I'll second Mallee's suggestion of Clematis, especially microphylla. I have a two-year-old one which would cover a stump that size well but not overflow too much. It's a delicious froth of white flowers for quite a long time in spring, and is good looking and sun-hardy even when not in flower. I haven't succeeded in getting fertile seeds. Wish I'd bought multiples of the plant when I had the chance, as I haven't seen it for sale since. It's the Crows Nest Shire Council not the Toowoomba one which sells local natives, Artie. I wonder whether any of your surrounding councils would be a source? In Crows Nest's case, the nursery is a by-product of an active revegetation programme, and largely the result of the work of one particular person who has had the push to keep it going. Would you be able to get hold of local plants by getting into conversations with people doing revegetation? Landcare and Greening Australia might be starting points? Here, there are two really good sources of local natives, but they both need to be telephoned in advance, as there doesn't seem to be a full-time income in running that kind of nursery. The more commercial nurseries quote lack of demand, but also say that they don't get these plants in because suppliers require them to get them in in large quantities, so even when the demand exists they won't fill it until it is a BIG demand. They also say they don't like dealing with small suppliers because they don't provide the pretty-coloured labels. Mass market economics rule, alas. Trish

>>the species at risk in the wild should be preserved within the general locality in which they are endangered as the genotypes and the associated genetic variability is suited to that region I agree that it SHOULD be that way.... but having accepted the reality that plants often are not adequately protected in their native habitat (especially in third world countries.... but extinctions may occur even in some first world countries) I think that cultivating threatened plants is a legitimate means of protecting them, whether it's halfway around the world or not. What about the highlands of Peru and Bolivia? What about all those New Caledonian endemics that are still being whacked down and burned indiscriminately by landowners? How about your own Eucalyptus recurva which is known from only four wild plants... a bushfire could come along, the regrowth could be grazed and the plants could be lost. This plant is now being preserved at Currency Creek Arboretum but it could just as well have been lost forever if it had not been brought into cultivation, and something happened to the original plants. Plants are inevitably vulnerable in the wild, often due to human influence but sometimes not... so isn't it better if as many people as possible have them in their gardens? Wattleblossom... your example is just about foolish people who are trying to make a profit and do not really have a clue what they are talking about, not people responsibly collecting plants to preserve them. It is one thing to harvest trunks of relatively common D. antarctica (and C. australis) from the wild.... this is unnecessary as it is unlikely to go extinct no matter what anyone does. Nothing wrong with growing D. antarctica in England but personally I think it would be better if they were spore raised plants. Now if someone were to collect spore from a very rare species of treefern (rather than harvest a whole plant) and disseminate the plants to help preserve them... is there anything wrong with that? I don't think so. I also think that when possible a variety of genetic material should be used for each species cultivated.