Meet “Allo the old cobber” – or at least what I imagine this familiar fella should be known as in Australia. Known to science since 1779, this shrub of mangroves and coastal regions is a well known and variable entity … Continue reading →
Sapindaceans. Or so I feel they deserve to be called. Many know them as the family of plants, the Sapindaceae, that gives us rambutans, lychees, longans, ackees, tamarinds, tuckeroos. What would tropical rainforest be without them. They may not be the tallest … Continue reading →
This is the well-known foambark tree famed for the saponin foam that forms on the bark after heavy rain. It is usually found in lowland areas in coastal rain forest but can also be seen in upland rain forest. The … Continue reading →
A rather common species of Mischocarpus found from lowland to upland areas, often as an understorey tree. It seems for often encountered not flowering. Often only has 4 leaflets, but easily recognized by their gloomy and hariy appearance, with very … Continue reading →
Commonly known as the Silky Tamarind, this understorey shrub is a very common rainforest successional species, but can also persist in the shade of a mature rainforest. The leaves are pinnate with 4 leaflets, occassionally 6, and has very short … Continue reading →
Dodonaea triquetra is a shrub of wet eucalypt forest, typically at the more open canopied spectrum of the habitat. This is one of a few native species of Hop Bush and I find this species particularly interesting because it is … Continue reading →
This very common rain forest tree is endemic to Australia and is also known as the Brown Tamarind or Native Chestnut. The leaves are compound and the leaflets have a whitish underside which makes this species very distinctive. The fruits … Continue reading →
Harpullias are one of the fruity highlights of Far North Queensland because of the very striking character. The open fruits have a seed encased in a bright red-orange to yellow aril, with a little bit of the black seed peering … Continue reading →
This rather dull looking small shrub of open woodland is not the most frequently encountered of shrubs. It is a member of the well known Hop Bushes (Dodonaea spp.) and is yet another example of a member of the Sapindaceae … Continue reading →
Been in Australia for over a decade gazing at plants, both large and small, grasses and trees, in rain forest and savanna, in the tropics and in temperate zones. I love connecting with people with similar interests. You can read more about me on my About page and at my personal BLOG.
David Tng botany Tumblr
Leaf Whispering in the Tropics 