Mount Field Flora

[PeterJ]

Over the last few weeks there has been some good flower scenery at Mt Field NP.

Here is a sample from a recent walk to Newdegate Pass. There are more at this link.

----------------

[ILUVSWTAS]

That first picture is beautiful Peter. I've never seen a flower like that before, what is it??

[corvus]

That first picture is beautiful Peter. I've never seen a flower like that before, what is it??

Unless I am mistaken it looks very much like Sprengelia incarnata, Pink Swamp Heath and it is found in damp peaty heathland (not common in the SW) But then again it could be a close up of Dracophyllum milliganii Tree Heath and nice photographs Peter.+
Nah flowers are too big and wrong shape for Tree Heath
corvus.

[ILUVSWTAS]

Thanks Corvus.
If your right, that may explain why i've never seen in it the SW.

[corvus]

Having a closer look I now think it may be the Tree Heath as it is common in Mt Field where the photograph was taken, must get my eyes checked
corvus

[PeterJ]

Having a closer look I now think it may be the Tree Heath as it is common in Mt Field where the photograph was taken, must get my eyes checked
corvus

Quite correct corvus, Dracophyllum - mountain. Curly or mountain heath are two other common names.

[whynotwalk]

Beautiful photos Peter ... it's been a spectacular summer for flowers, and such a privilege to be out among them. You've captured that so well.

I'll post a few of my scoparia images from around Lake St Clair later (with a taster below).

BTW - I think you'll find your first photo is of a Milligania densiflora aka silky alpinelily or silky milligania.

cheers

Peter

[PeterJ]

.... BTW - I think you'll find your first photo is of a Milligania densiflora aka silky alpinelily or silky milligania.

Good thanks for that - I have changed the caption.

[walkinTas]

BTW - I think you'll find your first photo is of a Milligania densiflora aka silky alpinelily or silky milligania.

I think you are right about the genus Milligania, but not sure if you've nailed the species. But hard to say without specific knowledge of the plant and just looking at one photo. Yours are very pink, other photo I've seen of M.densiflora are not so pink.

[whynotwalk]

walkinTas wrote:

I think you are right about the genus Milligania, but not sure if you've nailed the species. But hard to say without specific knowledge of the plant and just looking at one photo. Yours are very pink, other photo I've seen of M.densiflora are not so pink.

Good point walkinTas. I had read that Milligania desiflora flowers can occasionally be "tinged with red". But these are clearly pink rather than cream. So I checked with a botanist colleague, who said:

1) She's never seen the pink form (although I'm sure I have on previous occasions)
2) It's still almost certainly densiflora given the growth habit and location.

So PeterJ ... you may have photographed a rarety!

cheers

Peter

[walkinTas]

Its Milligania lindoniana.

I asked at the Uni and am reliably informed that, "Mt Field is all lindoniana (red flowers, plants mostly rather small) or stylosa (white flowers, plants mostly rather large)".

[whynotwalk]

hey wT - short of "botanists at 100m" I'm not sure how we resolve this.

I'm happy to leave it to PeterJ to decide. Also happy to admit you could be right suggesting lindoniana

... and to conclude by saying again what a great pic. of a lovely flower

cheers

Peter

[walkinTas]

PM sent - I forgot to ask permission to post the correspondence here. I'm very happy with my source. (No credit to me... I'm not familiar with the species at all. I'm just confidently passing on what I discovered. )

One of the problems I had was finding other pictures of M. lindoniana. The common name is Red-Flowered Milligania. If it helps, there is a picture of the same plant on flickr and the poster there has identified the plant as M. lindoniana.

Its and excellent picture. Thanks PeterJ.

[whynotwalk]

wT and I have come to a considered agreement, namely that he was right and I was wrong Yummm - humble pie tastes so good!

So PeterJ's lovely (first) photo is Milligania lindoniana ... we'll all know that pinkish form next time we see it!

And just for a sense of completion, here's a photo I took of Milligania densiflora on the Du Cane Range a few years back,

cheers

Peter

Silky milligania (Milligania densiflora)

[PeterJ]

Just back from Pelion area so only just caught up with the debate. I have a couple more photos of the milligania so will pop those up within the next 24 hours.

[PeterJ]

Here are the other photos which may or may not help confirm Milligania lindoniana . Also added a few others of different flora taken at the time.

I checked on the flora list for Mt Field and Milligania lindoniana is marked as rare. At the time i did not see many of them and all were close to the track; but I did not venture far off to see if any others existed. I think that this gives an additional reason for making a single hardened track between Newdegate Pass and K Col as the plants I saw are in danger of being trampled into the mud by walkers boots. I will let Brendan, the Ranger in Charge, know that he can raise this in arguing for funding.

PS i don't seem to be able to edit my earlier post so will have to leave name incorrect

[north-north-west]

I don't suppose there's a Milligania Spikeii?

[corvus]

Lesson learned Must check out all of my resourses before I make a nong of myself by picking a (wrong) flower from one photograph
At least it is a Mt Field local and M. densiflora is more common.
c

[eggs]

Just completed a walk in Mt Field and found this curious plant growing straight out of rock on Naturalist Peak

What is it?

The whole place is a wonderful garden - and we were delighted to still find large areas of brightly coloured scoparia flowering.

Scoparia fields

[stepbystep]

Love that second photo eggs, gorgeous!
We are very lucky to have Mt Field so close to Hobart, a beautiful park.

[whynotwalk]

Ditto Brian - great photographs.

After a little searching, I think I've identified that plant among the dolerite as Cheesemania radicata. It's a brassica (yes, like a cabbage) that is found in rocky places at the highest altitudes,

cheers

Peter