Volume 1: Plant Life Flashcards
Early pioneers were just as creative as some our early scientists, as a consequence the names of many native species:
are named after cultivated species. Often not even vaguely resembling their namesakes, and not even distantly related either.
The exceptions are the native Figs, Raspberries, Elderberries, Bananas, Passionfruits, and Melon.
Also, the native Grapes, Tomatoes, Limes, and Cashew are members of the same plant Families as their namesakes.
big gaps in plant distribution
such as Chocolate Lillies and Black Plum reflect Australias growing aridity, and the restrictions of species to wet pockets separated by dry stretches.
opposite leaves
leaves are produced along the stem in opposing pairs
alternate leaves
are produced singly, alternating along the stem
pinnate leaves
each leaf is divided fractally into smaller leaf segments called leaflets (like fern fronds)
seashore habitat includes
coastal dunes, rocky headlands, saltmarshes and mangrove swamps
the seashore environment is rich in
edible fruits and leaves. Tubers are scarce or absent on temperate coasts but common behind beaches in the tropics.
many freshwater plants are subject to
extreme changes in water levels. Theyve adapted to this by developing starch and water filled tubers to tide them over in dry spells.
in the shaded rainforest, what is common and what is rare?
common: vines and epiphytes
rare: herbs and grasses
heaths are
communities of hard leaved shrubs and small trees found on infertile sandy soils in eastern and south western australia. They are rich in wild fruits but mostly snack foods as opposed to staples.
the food plants fall into three categories
they may be plant parts that are designed to be eaten (nectars and fruits)
or parts that are unprotected by fibres or toxins (most tubers and small seeds)
or they may have some chemical defenses that can be denatured by leaching or cooking (many large tubers and seeds)
pollination methods
wind pollination: flowers such as grasses, plantains, and pine trees are pollinated by wind. Small and dull in appearance with no nectar and no food value since they dont need to attract pollinators.
animal pollinated flowers are larger, more colorful and usually contain stores of sweet nectar
the largest flowers are those
pollinated by birds and mammals such as honeyeaters, lorikeets, fruit bats, and small possums.
flowers dependant on large pollinators need to
provide plenty of sweet nectar, and this makes them a good source of food for humans too.
australia is rich in what kind of pollinatees?
vertebrate pollinated flowers such as Banksias,
many Grevilleas and Tea Trees (Melaleuca),
some Eucalypts and Hakeas (Hakea),
the Waratah (Telopea Speciosissima),
the Honey Lambertia (Lambertia Formosa),
certain Fuchsia Bushes (Eremophila),
Grasstrees (Xanthorrhoea),
and wild Bauhinias (Lypsiphyllum Gilven, L. Carronii)
australias two most characteristic plant families
Protaceae and Myrtaceae
to make a weak mead
soak banksia, grasstree and bauhinia blossoms in water to ferment
seeds come equipped with
a store of food in the form of starches, proteins and fats. They are the most nutrient rich part of plants.
very big seeds are found on
rainforest trees, cycads, and plants of tropical seashores.
these big seeds can be a liability
to a plant for they are not easily dispersed and rats are strongly attracted to them.
big seeds advantage
their large food reserves are helpful to seedlings germinating in difficult environments such as gloomy rainforests or salty mudflaps.
along seashores the large seeds include
the coconut (Australias biggest),
Matchbox Bean (Entada Phaseoloides),
Beach Bean and certain mangroves,
all of which disperse by water.
large seeds in the rainforest include
the Bunya Nut,
Macadamia,
and Monkey Nut,
among others
hard shells such as (?) have very hard shells to (?)
Macadamias & Candlenuts have hard shells to deter rats
some plants with starchy seeds
deter rats by producing seeds laced with poisons. such as
the Cycads,
Moreton Bay Chestnut,
Matchbox Bean,
and several QLD rainforest nuts
small seeds are usually
poison free
australia has how many beans and peas
more than 850 native species
beans and peas are
legumes, and as such use the bacteria in their roots to draw nitrogen from the air which is needed to produce protein and to manufacture toxins
australias soils are notoriously deficient in
nitrogen, and most plants cannot afford to divert nitrogen from growth into toxin production. because legumes have free access to nitorgen, they face no such problem and thus are invariably well protected with poisons
fruits, like flowers, can be very
alluring with shapes and colours as they are designed to be eaten
some animals are more effective
dispersal agents. birds are excellent since they usually swallow the seeds whole and then void it far away. mammals use teeth and claws so are messy and destructive dispersal agents with the exception of the fruit bat who is very good at disperal.
over millions of years a close bond
has evolved between fruiting plants and the animals that disperse their seeds
most australian fruits have developed characteristics to make them
more attractive to Birds & Fruit Bats. demonstrated by the bewildering kaleidoscope of colors, shapes, and smells
two separate targeted groups of characteristics for fruiting plants
small brightly colored but not odorous to attract birds for they see colors but cannot smell (with exceptions)
AND
sombre, smelly and large fruits to attract fruit bats for they are color blind but keen sense of smell
fruit bats are largely restricted to
Northern and Eastern Australia, so bat fruits only grow in these regions
bat fruits are often
large with soft stringy pulp, a heavy musky odour and tropical fruit flavour. nearly all edible to humans
most cultivated tropical fruits and some stone fruits
were developed from bat fruits, notably the mango, pawpaw, banana, guava, custard apple, peach, apricot, and date.
bats hang downwards when they
feed, many bat fruits hang with them including the Pandanus, Davidsons Plum, Native Bananas, and cultivated Mango & Pawpaw
sprouting directly from the trunk
prevents access of fruit pigeons who cannot hover or perch there, thus are perfect bat fruits such as the larger figs and lilly pillies
bats are clumsy
fliers so the trees they feed in often have open canopys such as the pandanus, figs, cultivated mango, pawpaw and banana
pagoda structure
developed by some bat trees such as the Leichhardt tree and Sea Almond to assist the bats
bats do not swallow
large seeds so often drop them while squabbling with his fellows
the smaller figs seem to be
adapted to both bird and bat symbiosis
