Trip to Bolivia Range, October 2010

Text by John Nevin

The last weekend in October was our annual trip to Mole Station to pick up plants for the St Peters Open Garden. We usually combine this with a field trip. On this occasion, we made a further exploration of Bolivia Hill as there are several areas we are yet to fully explore.

After an early start, we met up at the southern aspect of Bolivia Hill. Pat Laher, Maria Hitchcock, John & Barbara Nevin, all from Armidale, Thelma Denis from Inverell, Chris & Margaret Bristow from Dorrigo and Sarah Caldwell and the President of the committee for the Tenterfield Botanical Reserve were in attendance.

After morning tea, we started on the ascent, aiming for a granite dome on the south west that we had not explored before. Pat was on his crutches after his recent hospitalisation for his infected knee prosthesis and he elected to take an easier looking way with Thelma. The rest of us went “bush” up a fairly steep slope.

In keeping with general conditions following all the rain, there was lush growth everywhere. We were a bit late for peak flowering of many of the species such as the wattles, but others were putting on a great display. Some seen included Arthropodium milleflorum, Bulbine semibarbata, Caustis flexuosa, Lomandras (longifolia, multiflora and filiformis), Haemodorum planifolium, Brachyscome stuartii & B. nova-anglica and Chrysocephalum apiculatum. A large white daisy (Olearia gravis) was putting on a particularly good display. Hibbertia riparia and H. obtusifolia were flowering well.

On top of the granite ridges, we found lots of Micromyrtus sessilis (just past flowering), the white boronia (Boronia anethifolia) past its flowering and a huge display of Boronia boliviensis flowering at its’ best. Pat managed to find a white form of this that we had not seen before. Also, there was Kunzea bracteolata about to come into flower, Kunzea obovata, Philotheca myoporoides ssp epilosus, Isotoma anethifolius and Prostanthera nivea var nivea.

For the descent we went via a wet gully. Here we found Banksia integrifolia, Hakea eriantha and H. macrocarpa, Lomatia silaifolia and two Zierias (cytisoides and fraseri ssp B). Maria was happy to find the ubiquitous Correa reflexa var reflexa. In the grasslands on the bottom, Stackhousia viminea and S. monogynya, Stylidium graminifolium, Wahlenbergias, Ajuga australis, Jacksonia scorparia and Glycine clandestine were all looking good.

We found a small blue plant that we could not recognise. Subsequently, we found out that it was Linaria pelisseriana (one of the Plantaginaceae) (see picture). This is a widespread naturalised exotic and reported as tending to grow along railway lines. This certainly fitted, as the remnants of the Great Northern Railway line were nearby.

We finished the day happy with our finds, but were unable to locate Homoranthus croftianus. There are further granite domes that we have yet to explore. Maybe in 2011? Pat’s leg held up well—we promised to not tell is doctor what he had been up to.

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