Native or Indigenous?

Native or Indigenous?

by | Jan 25, 2023 | Uncategorized

by Spencer Shaw

We’ve always been passionate about our Indigenous (local-native) plants and bringing them back into your gardens. I’d identify Indigenous (for the garden) to those plants’ native / naturally occurring in SEQLD. But Gardeners are a curious bunch, and always want to grow something from just over the horizon, so we also stock a range of cultivar natives and Australian Native’s, that is plants native to / naturally occurring throughout Australia.  However, Australia as we know is big, really big and diverse, very diverse and what grows naturally in South West Australia might be stunning in bloom, but has buckley’s chance of surviving in the humid subtropics of SE QLD and what grows naturally in the tropics of NE QLD may in fact become a weed when planted down here. I was reminded of this recently when visiting North Queensland and admiring the beautiful Umbrella Trees – Schefflera actinophylla in their natural habitat. Having killed so many in my career as a bush regenerator in SEQLD (where they are considered an environmental weed) over the last few decades, it was quite novel to see them in their natural habitat. That’s why at Forest Heart we encourage us of Indigenous /local-native plants and cultivar natives to avoid the spread of more ‘native’ weeds.

“But surely If I just plant Indigenous / local-native plants, then that is going to limit me, and I’ll have a boring garden” I hear you say. Well, lucky for you, we live in one of the worlds great Biodiversity Hot spots and we are blessed with thousands of different species of plants / Indigenous plants in our natural area that you can potentially use in your garden.  The Sunshine Coast Council area alone is home to over 1500 Indigenous plants and on a slightly wider scale SE Queensland is home to some 3000 Indigenous plants. So, with a palette of between 1500-3000 Indigenous plants gardeners in SE Queensland, gardeners have a plenty to choose from when it comes to making the most of our local flora for their horticultural endeavours!

Realistically, for our gardens, most of us are going to use native plants in the broader sense, but using Indigenous / local-native plants has the added benefit of providing habitat for a whole range of fauna that may have specific needs that these plants meet, and allows them to survive and move throughout the landscape.  There’s never been a better time to visit us at Forest Heart ecoNursery so we can help you create a backyard full of biodiversity, using Indigenous plants, that benefit not only you with their beauty, but the wildlife too!

Focus on Flora: Cunjevoi – Alocasia brisbanensis

Focus on Flora: Cunjevoi – Alocasia brisbanensis

by | May 3, 2019 | Flora, Gardening

With Spencer Shaw

Large lush deep green leaves of Cunjevoi add a tropical twist to the landscape and this particular plant fits into this category. Our largest local member of the Arum Family   ARACEAE, this fleshy herb grows to between one and one and a half metres high on the Sunshine Coast, with large leaves up to half a metre long. Being this big and lush   requires  plenty of moisture and if not shade then certainly protection from wind and its drying effects, hence it is often found along slow moving creeks, shady wetlands and   generally in rainforests.

There’s a story about that I often see referred to, that traditional Indigenous medicine advocates it as a cure for Stinging Tree Dendrocnide spp stings, however this may be ok if   you are a skilled practitioner of Indigenous medicine (but most of us aren’t) and the sap can be very irritating on its own – may just take the edge of the Stinging Tree by causing its   own inflammation! I’ve witnessed a very severe reaction to the sap from the leaves on a fellow Bush Regenerator and after witnessing that experience, give me Stinging Tree any   day!  Do not put any raw part of the plant in your mouth as it contains potent irritants that can cause swelling of your throat – not good.

Now you’re all scared and taking a wide berth of Cunjevoi in the bush – just in case it attacks you, let’s focus on the positive. The tall white / cream / green arum flowers are very   nicely perfumed to us and are insect attracting and pollinated. The flowers are followed by clustered bright red fruit, which given everything else I’ve said about this plant – do not   eat them, just for the birds!  They are a great plant for boggy shady areas, one of the few local plants that really thrive in these conditions.

Cunjevoi’s heart shaped leaves will always have a special place in my heart, and are an essential part of the understorey in the very moist sections of rainforests.