195 years ago, Allan Cunningham collected the type specimen for Acacia fimbriata from a Brisbane/Maiwar river bank. Thus it got its common name the Brisbane golden wattle. Here it is growing in a dry Eucalyptus woodland community on a nutrient-poor, sandy-soil ridge in the #SevenHillsBushlandReserve. The channeling habit which directs rainwater to its roots is obvious. And what a welcome sight is the spectacular inflorescence in the middle of winter!

#Brisbane #Meanjin #Maiwar #flora #history

I love it when this leafless orchid pops up in #SevenHillsBushlandReserve. Without much photosynthesis, Hyacinth Orchid (Dipodium variegatum) probably trades nutrients and energy with underground #fungi and the roots of nearby #Eucalyptus trees. Just what it offers in return is a bit of a mystery. One idea is that it protects fungi of the genus Russula. Another is that it may give back nutrients when associated trees are under stress. All part of the #WoodWideWeb. #nature #australia #flora

It was the raucous Rainbow Lorikeets that alerted me. Their feeding frenzy around a flowering tree canopy 30m above had littered the forest floor with fallen buds, flowers and leaves. These are great aids to gum tree identification which are usually inaccessible. So the indigenous people of Meanjin (Brisbane) called this tree 'boonah' but its now known as Corymbia intermedia or more commonly, a Pink Bloodwood. This species is found all over #SevenHillsBushlandReserve. #eucalypts #australia