Artie

Your new planting sounds interesting.

May I suggest another you might try? There is an Aussie Crepe myrtle (L. fraseranum) that looks really nice and might be talking point. I believe it is availble from some Qld nurseries.

regards

Dennis Mc

Artie I will be looking forward to that photo...MM

Me too!

Cheers,
Dee.

Has anyone grown a Native Murraya? I tried, but it died, whereas my introduced Murrayas grow like, well, weeds. I've never seen the native one in gardens, and wonder how it compares.

Trish

Trish,

I have one growing, it's healthy, but its growth has been very slow and much more open than the exotic version - part of the reason is its location, where it has to compete with other plants.

Frank

Hi Trish,

You've opened Pandora's box on this. I assume by 'Native Murraya', you mean Murraya Koenigii (Curry Tree) ? My understanding is that this is an understory species, and would probably need the rainforest microclimate to do well. Corrections most welcome, but its the other Murraya which I'd like to discuss here.

Murraya Paniculata is a species which annoys me greatly, as you will often see the appendage 'exotic form' when looking at websites which list it as an environmental weed. I believe that there *may be* a native M. Paniculata, a remnant of the Indo-Australian land bridge, but I have absolutely no idea how one distinguishes the native from the exotic eco-terrorist. The site below has this explanation :

It was first recorded as naturalised in Sandgate, southern Queensland, in 1963. It is invasive and naturalising in South-east and Central Queensland and has the potential to become a serious weed in North Queensland.

What say you, GardenWebbers - is it just an exotic weed which has become naturalised, or is there a native form of M Paniculata ?

Here is a link that might be useful: Weeds Australia

Artie,

From your own previous post at:

http://www.au.gardenweb.com/forums/load/oznative/msg0902481532604.html?14

"* Murrayas - OK, I believe that there *is* a native Murraya somewhere in North Queensland, but the plant that most gardeners will encounter is Murraya Paniculata (Orange Jessamine/Mock Orange), and it comes from Central and Southeast Asia."

The one I have planted is Murraya ovatifoliolata. Some old references classify it as a subspecies of M. paniculata (Murraya paniculata var. ovatifoliolata). However more recent references have it as a species in its own right.

The following wikipedia link classifies it as a separate species:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murraya

as does Cas Liber at his web site:

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~casliber/nativealternative.html

From a 2005 Men of the Trees reference:

http://www.menofthetrees.org.au/docs/newsltr/nov2005/Twahamwe%20November-05.doc

"As part of the Greening Main Roads Corridors Program  a joint venture with the Queensland Government Department of Main Roads  Greening Australia Queensland (GAQ) will be trailing the use of a closely-related native species. Murraya ovatifoliolata, as an alternative to the exotic mock orange.
Previously know as Murraya paniculate var. ovatifoliolata, the native mock orange is found in drier rainforest communities in central and northern Queensland where it grows as an understorey or midstorey shrub, particularly along forest edges. It looks very similar to the exotic mock orange, and is distinguished by rounder, more olive-coloured foliage. Although slower growing than the exotic mock orange, the native mock-orange is hardy, drought tolerant and adaptable to both full sun and partial shade.

Mine is definitely slower growing than the exotic type, as I mentioned in my previous post.

Cheers,
Frank

People, I've been shown native murraya in understory in cQ, and found feral exotic murraya in MY creek (it responds nicely to medicine)and recently as an understory plant near Sarina Beach. It retains its denser form despite the shading, easy to distinguish.

Curry tree is notorious for suckering in cQ anyway. Someone placed one in my mother's tiny reveg planting (it wasn't me!) and I sprayed approx 30 x 6" high suckers and applied neat G to the parent's cut stump last week. Bet I get to spray again, and again. I haven't yet heard of bird/ wind transmission.

Cheers
Rose

Thanks Rose and Frank - great background info. Frightening to think that my own posts can come back to haunt me, but thats showbiz :)

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

Hello Trish,

I tried to find Plumbago zeylanica back in the 1980s without success. Since then I think I got some seeds from Nindethana but left it too long to plant them and none sprouted. Are you aware of any sources of plants?

Cheers,
Frank

Frank
There is a drift of P. zeylanica at the Mackay botanical gardens. Shall inquire about seed, flower colour and get a pic of form.

From Calliope Landcare's Native Plants for Curtis Region Gardens (the best few dollars I ever spent): flowers white or pale blue, propagation by cutting.

Your list is interesting, Trish.

Chilly down there last night? SO and I are going to Ravensbourne next week, hope the woolies are woolly enough.

Thanks, Artie!

Cheers
Rose

Trotted out to the Mky bot gardens today to support the coffee shop for the cancer fund morning tea (terrified the pothole councillors will threaten to curtail the hours again). Talked to the 2IC, they have only the white form of the plumbago and aren't aware of a native blue. There was some ripe fruit and have gathered a little (with permission!). Let's know if you'd like to try the seed, Frank et al. The plumbago in the pic below is ?often pruned and kept fairly moist.

Also there: native and exotic murraya planted side by side.

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Plumbago in foreground, Graptophyllum ilicifolium behind @ Mackay Botanical Gardens

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Native murraya

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Leaf detail, native murraya.

Rose

Great photos thanks Rose. That Plumbago looks good, hope to try it -will send a separate e-mail to you.

I have a couple of Graptophyllum ilicifolium right next to the house on its south side but those in your photo look huge - I did not realise they would get that big. I might have to think about controlling them by pruning in future. Mine are less than 2m at present though a few years old.

Cheers,
Frank

Wow, Rose - I think you may have blown a few minds with those photos - I am about to sprint out to the car and drive straight to Mackay based on these !

Whats a 3.5 hour drive at $1.33 a litre compared to such native treasures ? :)

The gardens people would be very happy with that feedback, Artie.

I should probably tell you that the murraya in the pic was the best in a line of about 8 plants, one of which had carked it. But you know, the exotic one gets a disease of some kind. All those my mother planted years ago at the acreage have gone to heaven, lack of water may have had something to do with it :).....they have extremely hard wood and are so difficult to pull out. And now her short hedge of them near The Caves has just about gone after 12 years, aided by the chainsaw.

She has 3 x G. ilicifoliums in that spot now doing well, they were just about giveaways at Fitzroy Nurseries. 14 in 8" pots, easily negotiated down to $3, shared with some neighbours. Not popular with the plant buying public apparently.

Frank, the grapto hedge blends in rather with the background, unknown spp. The staff keep it at about 1.5m by clipping 4 times yearly. It's in full sun and in good soil and gets plenty of water in this spot. Got your PM!

Cheers
Rose

Frank:
Plumbago zeylanica appears on a plant list for Franke's Road Scrub (between Highfields and Gowrie Junction) (outside Toowoomba for those others of you interested). I haven't met it personally, but plan to do so shortly if I can find it.
Rose: I have read a description of it as "white or blue" but no-one seems to know where to find a blue one. Hopefully some sensible person will find some, slap a PBR on it to cover their costs, and put it on the market.
I'm very impressed by the photo of the Native Murraya.
What impressive photos of the Murraya. I don't think I could get one started in Toowoomba's current post-holocaust climate, but will keep it in mind for the future in case it ever looks like being rainy again.
Trish

Rose - I got the seeds thanks very much. I might plant some now and hold off planting the rest till Spring just to see if that makes a difference.

I see now that the Graptophyllum is a lower hedge in front of another taller bush in your photo. I had thought the tall bush at the back of the photo was the Graptophyllum.

Trish - good to know the Plumbago is indigenous. We had the exotic blue form in our front garden but I took it out because my daughter hated getting the sticky seeds on her when she brushed past it. I will choose a less prominent spot for the native plant, if I succeed with the seeds Rose sent me. Let us know on the forum if you do locate a plant at Franke's Road, and a photo would be good too if you can manage it.

Cheers,
Frank