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Pride month '23
Plant walk 'n Talk
FIeld Report by Joel Barkus
On Sunday, 18th June 2023 the wonderful Jason Sparrow, artist and permaculturist, took us along the walking tracks of Federation Coastal Reserve at The Spit, a known queer history spot, to teach us about the plant communities there, and how each plant, tree, living natural entity there coexists to support and sometimes nurture each other. (Right: Jason Sparrow)
Along the way, we paused at certain plants and talked about their various qualities and relationships.
The first plant we paused at was...
SHE-OAK (Allocasuarina)
Jason described this as a niche plant in that when it drops its needle-like leaves to the forest floor and they break down, the ground underneath becomes very acidic.
This prevents all but a very few acid-adapted plants from growing under or around these trees, protecting them and their environment from being overtaken by other plants or weeds.
Similar plants to do this are coffee (producing caffeine) and tobacco (producing nicotine), which stops other plants growing under &/or around it.
One plant that can grow under casuarinas is Dianella (pictured a bit further down.)
Fun Fact: Black cockatoos like the seeds of this plant and is good for a long journey – you can suck on the cones for longevity from the moisture.
Close to this plant was the:
MAT RUSHES (Lomandra)
This plant has two edible parts: the seeds, & at the
base/the rhizome.
Jason described the taste as bad but he did say you can survive off it. This plant is long lasting & is great at keeping the soil together via its root system.
Dragonflies and Damselflies also use it as a viewing station whilst Praying Mantises lay their eggs on the undersides of the leaves.
MacarangA
Jason described this plant's setup as being in disturbed soil where they can grow quick, and its roots hold the soil together making it great for a sandy area like The Spit.
This plant also provides great shade which creates its own microclimate. And although inedible, when it breaks down, this plant becomes great compost & organic matter for the area around it.
But when alive, it’s a good bee pollinator plant.
The next thing we paused on was something different:
Palm Lily (Cordyline petiolaris (ASTELIACEAE))
...broad-leaved-Palm Lily (Cordyline petiolaris) or native Cordyline.
[Note: This plant is neither a palm, nor a lily]
He explained how they these trees grow straight up for sunlight, and when the berries turn red they are very attractive to birds. He also said that the Indigenous people ate the berries when they were red - but also said that he wouldn’t recommend trying them. A bit further around the walking track were some great examples of how these plants thrive without a canopy overhead growing slower because they get direct sunlight already.
A bit further around the walking track were some great examples of how these plants thrive without a canopy overhead growing slow because they get direct sunlight already.
[Pictured below (R): Cordyline in fruit, Photo by Robert Whyte]
DEAD WOOD
It was a dead tree which Jason explained was in fact, a good thing.
Not only does the decay and breakdown of a non-living tree create carbon for soil. It also gives mushrooms & fungi a place to grow off where they can create their own vast networks.
Their breakdown, essentially, becomes food for other things and is why, sometimes, removing it from an environment like this can be detrimental rather than helpful.
This plant has edible fruit & is a great fence/defensive plant as its sharp spear-like leaves/fronds can deter people from crossing boundaries that maybe they shouldn’t.
As a native botanical, the base of the leaves can be chewed, and the core of the pandanus trunk has been used by traditional owners to treat stomach pain, diarrhoea, wounds, toothache and mouth sores.
Also, despite the common name of "screw pine", not a pine (though its leaves do grow outwards in a beautiful spiral shape that seems to be where the "corkscrew" idea comes from).
Pandanus
In these next two photos, Jason talked about the importance of animal life within an environment like this. Specifically, about the significance of the Bush Turkeys, aka the Australian brushturkey (yes technically one word!) (Alectura lathami).
They’re great for airing out soil when they dig and sort through the layers of earth and leaf litter for twigs for their nest, and in doing so, they help the ecosystem out with generating airflow and variety for the decomposition process of humus (the important leaf litter ecosystem of the forest floor).
Bush turkeys also help move elements through the system. (These were the only good pics I could get as, for some reason, they were running around like mad when we were there.)
bruSHTURKEYS
BRUSHTURKEYS
Jason talked about the importance of animal life within an environment like this.
Specifically, we heard about the significance of the Bush Turkeys, aka the Australian brushturkey (yes technically one word!) (Alectura lathami).
They’re great for airing out soil when they dig and sort through the layers of earth and leaf litter for twigs for their nest, and in doing so, they help the ecosystem out with generating airflow and variety for the decomposition process of humus (the important leaf litter ecosystem of the forest floor).
Bush turkeys also help move elements through the system. (These were the only good pics I could get as, for some reason, they were running around like mad when we were there.)
We turned at a fork and went from the forest path up to the beach track.
Here, Jason pointed out the difference of the sand, sea, and salt on the microenvironment, and how this area was different from the previous area we’d just come from.
Near here, Jason came back to the Macaranga and pointed out the three different ways it grew on this side of the
dune. Some grew more shrubby, some grew straight up, but overall, on this side in this area, there was more direct sunlight so they grew slow and on the ground.
Between the forest and the sand dunes, Jason pointed out the fleshy stems of Coastal Pig Face (Carpobrutus) which, for some reason, I didn’t get a picture of, even though I was standing right in front of it. He noted that their leaves were
edible as well as their fruit, though salty.
bruSHTURKEYS
DUNE PLANTS
coastal wattle
Now, this wasn’t a part of the walk but was a question a fellow participant raised (& a great one at that.)
It was to confirm that this was indeed a Coastal Wattle (the plant in the mid-ground.)
What we learnt was that this plant was a Nitrogen fixer, which other Legumes (anything from the Fabaceae plant family like beans peas, and lentils etc.) are, and they assist in ‘fixing’ nitrogen into the soil.
It was also here where Jason wanted to point out the soon-to be-seen change in soil as we were about to ascend this dune up to another turning point.
We turned at a fork and went from the forest path up to the beach track.
Here, Jason pointed out the difference of the sand, sea, and salt on the microenvironment, and how this area was different from the previous area we’d just come from.
Near here, Jason came back to the Macaranga and pointed out the three different ways it grew on this side of the
dune. Some grew more shrubby, some grew straight up, but overall, on this side in this area, there was more direct sunlight so they grew slow and on the ground.
Between the forest and the sand dunes, Jason pointed out the fleshy stems of Coastal Pig Face (Carpobrotus) which, for some reason, I didn’t get a picture of, even though I was standing right in front of it. He noted that their leaves were
edible as well as their fruit, though salty.
bruSHTURKEYS
DUNE PLANTS
Tuckeroo / Beach tamarind
The tuckeroo (Cupaniopsis Anacardioides) is a common landscaping plant on the Gold Coast.
This tree's usual habitat is this exact area we’re in.
The berries are edible - mostly by birds - but can assist with the human body as well.
It was around this time Jason made a very good point, one that I had not considered, especially being from Far North Queensland.
Down south, in New South Wales, Victoria etc. their climate is practically an all year cycle whereas ours up here is very seasonal because of the big, different shifts in our weather patterns.
It’s something I hadn’t considered before, but it does makes sense as something that affects the way plants look - grow - and live here.
Dianella (BLUE FLAX LILY)
This plant is either D. brevipedunculata or D. caerulea. Its flowers have blue petals followed by blue berries. Eating the berries is not advised as some species are edible (in small doses) whereas others can be toxic.
Also, a sneaky cameo by my shoe in the pic. Whoops me. LOL
A bit further down we came across an unknown climbing plant. This time, though, Jason pointed out that sometimes, a plant like this climbing plant (name unknown but possibly an Epipremnum) starts on the ground then once it attaches to a tree, it can detach itself from the ground & gather its nutrients from said tree (like a parasite.) In this case, the Macaranga. A fascinating process…
Next we moved on to the dune plants. These plants pretty much live off the nutrients they can get from the salty soil
and are more focused on reproduction than anything else.
microenvironments
The final place we paused at was a top a small valley hidden within the walking track.
Jason wanted to point out how even a slight elevation, can drastically change how a plant grows and what it’d do to get the nutrients it needs (in this case, sunlight.) And with the
different depths, what’s created below is its own
microclimate with its own fertile soil and differing
temperature.
Regrouping
About an hour after we begun, we made it back to the carpark where we debriefed our experiences before heading up to the BBQ area for some snags and some further winding down for the humans, and zoomies for the furry friends (Molly, Shona, Ziggy and friends).
To these wonderful folk who came today, listened & learned from our incredible speaker, a massive thank you!
& to Jason, thanks so much for your time, knowledge, and education.
Field Reporting by Joel Barkus.
