Alectura lathami

Like the Swamp Wallaby the Brush Turkey is another animal that I never saw around here growing up, but has recently come back to the area. Brush Tukeys were once common around Sydney but were more or less wiped out during the depression when people found them to be an easy to catch dinner. It’s only been in the last 10 years or so that they are making a come back.

Pittosporum undulatum

“Originally a scattered inhabitant of shady, rainforest gullies, it is highly opportunistic and now aggressively colonises almost any moist, shady location..” – NPOS p.196

Like the Fishbone Fern the sweet Pittosporum is a native plant that is now often considered a weed in urban bushland. Although the Sweet Pittosporum is different in that it’s also naturally found in the Sydney area.

We have a few of these in the front and back yard. It’s a small tree, the leaves are vivid green, shiny and have wavy margins, which is where is scientific name undulatum comes from. It’s meant to have a strong sweet smell when in flower. I’ve had a blocked nose for the week though and have not noticed it. The seeds are edible and were ground for food by Aboriginies.

Gleichenia rupestris

NPOS p.314 

This coral fern was helpfully marked on the Mueller track in the wildflower gardens. It was growing on sandstone near the base of a small cliff. The species wasn’t indicated, but from the description in NPOS I think it’s Gleichenia rupestris. The fronds are flat on the underside and are larger and flatter than the pouched coral fern, the stalks are hairless.

Callicoma serratifolia

“A large spreading shrub ( usually about 4-5m high but can be 10-15m high ) with wattle like flowers” – NPOS p.157

Black wattle is not an Acacia so it’s not a true wattle. It got the name because it’s flowers are similar to the flowers common to wattle trees. The first wattle and daub houses in the colony of NSW were made from the branches and timber of the black wattle.

Gnatbobdellida libbata

When it’s been raining we get leeches. Jess spotted this one stuck to the underside of her table. From the description on the Australian Museum Leech page this Leech is classified as a “jawed leech” being in the Gnatbobdellida group:

“The jawed leeches or Gnatbobdellida have jaws armed with teeth with which they bite the host. The blood is prevented from clotting by production of a non-enzymatic secretion called hirudin. The land leech commonly encountered by bushwalkers is included in this group.”

Nephrolepis cordifolia

“A fern with narrow erect fronds, often spreading over large areas.” – NPOS p.310

Everyone except me ( neighbors, mum ) seemed to know all about the fishbone fern. Even though it’s a native to Australia where it naturally occurs in Queensland and Northern NSW, it’s considered a weed in Sydney. It does tend to take over parts of the garden, especially places I’ve cleared of other weeds.

The plant sketches in NPOS are usually very good, but for the Fishbone Fern I didn’t think it looked like the plant I saw. I checked a few other sources to make sure I had the right plant.

Acacia ulicifolia

“A wiry, prickly shrub to about 1.5m high…” – NPOS – p.67

I didn’t know what this was when I took the photo, it stood out because there appeared to be two very different types of flower growing on the same plant. It turned out to be two similar looking plants that were intertwined. I still don’t know what the 2nd plant is. It’s a Heathy Parrot Pea

After seeing a plaque at the wildflower garden I’m pretty sure this is a Prickly Moses, one of the many species of Wattle.

Dendrobium speciosum

“A spectacular epiphytic orchid with stout swollen pseudobulbs, found in clumps on cliffs and rock ledges…” - NPOS p.262

Sometimes called the rock orchid or rock lily. There are a few of these on the rocks in the front yard (where the picture was taken). In some places they are competing with some Agapanthus which I will remove at some stage.

Sydney Rock Orchid in flower from the front yard

Persoonia pinifolia

“A spreading shrub 2-4m high, with crowded pine like leaves” NPOS p.103

The Pine-leaf Geebung is pretty easy to identify when in flower or fruit. The fruit is edible once it turns purple, but whenever I’ve tried some they’ve been strongly astringent, not a good meal!

Don’t miss Banjo Paterson’s “The Geebung Polo Club”

Pine-leaf Geebung in fruit. You can supposedly eat the fruit once it has turned purple