IN this column we often talk about home gardens, their value and their uses.
Occasionally different subjects arise that cause a flurry of website searching and one gains extra knowledge in this maybe unknown field by searching for photos and information.
Bush walking is a great way to relax and forget the worries of the world.
With an amazing array of trails within 50kms of Ipswich and many mountains to explore we are blessed with native plants often not seen in suburbia.
Bush walking can be favourite pastime of some families and groups, often exploring the wild rocky escarpments of the mountains that border Southeast Queensland.
Often along the trails many different native plants are encountered from the small, nearly invisible rock orchids to the giant prehistoric spear lily.
To see this giant among plants growing naturally on the hillside is a wonder to behold, its spear like stalk of flowers growing up to five metres tall with the plant itself some three metres high and four metres wide with long sword like leaves which form in rosettes and are ribbed to provide structural support.
The flowering stalk is called a scape and unlike similar species, the stalk droops with the weight of the flowers which are about 10cm diameter, bright red to reddish orange as seen in the photo.
It is pollinated by birds that are attracted to the bright red flowers, with the fruit being egg shaped and around 8cm long.
Flowering in spring, it can take over 13 years for the plant to grow to maturity (so growing pineapples may not be so bad after all).
Indigenous Australians used the flowering spikes as a food source and the roots were pulped and turned into cakes.
Seeds and plants are available to purchase from selected stores and nurseries should you feel the urge to grow something unique and special.
Or you could clean up your bush walking shoes and join one of the many organised groups to explore our amazing landscape, or maybe a family trip close by at Redbank Plains or Purga.
At present and with all the rain, the bush is at its best with the once bare mountain cliffs now a touch of green.
Till next time.
