Saturday, December 22, 2012

Woolly frogmouth

Today whilst walking the  bush track that goes around Mt Petrie, I noticed this plant in flower :


Location : swampy area in the power line easement between Mt Petrie Rd and Prout Rd (Southern part)

Common name: Woolly frogmouth
Binomial name : Philydrum lanuginosum



Mangroves to Mountains describes it well:

"Fleshy leaved plant to 120cm on edges of ponds and still shallow water. Flowers on spikes  to 60cm, covered in  white woolly hairs."


I have been aware of this plant in the marshy low spot but this is the first time I have seen it in flower. The plant looks a bit like an iris but it has long hairy flower spikes and flowers which, with some imagination, look like the mouth of a gaping frog. Thus the delightful common name of woolly frogmouth.  It is also recorded as a good frog plant so I think I will grow some clumps in an old bath-tub.

Seasons greetings  from  both of us and our resident reindeer "Woody"
- happy gardening next year  and may the rain come regularly!




No comments: