By Clive Larkman
Most of my articles have focused on different varieties of edible and household herbs, and occasionally on industry events or happenings. However, I haven’t touched on the actual botany of the plants I’ve written about, when in fact this is an area of great interest to me, particularly how plants evolved and why they grow where they do.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy Patrick Regnault
Buxus evokes images of clipped Renaissance garden hedges, the formality of inner-city courtyards, or perhaps even topiary. This humble plant has a long and distinguished history, as an ornamental plant and its utilisation in wood turning and carving, and traditionally, as a medicinal plant.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy Clive Larkman
Last month we looked at the foundations of the native food industry. The potential is huge but the reality has seen decades of stops and starts. There is a groundswell of desire for us to have an Australian native food sector.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy Clive Larkman
Bush Tucker, Aussie Edibles, Native Food, are just some of the group names given to Australian native food plants over the past few decades. Like other major climatic regions, we have a mass of edible plant genera, some as leafy greens, some as fresh fruit, some as tubers and rhizomes, and some as herbs and spices.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy Bruce Thompson
With common names such as Hard Aspen and Northern White Lilly Pilly, Acronychia laevis is a well disguised member of the RUTACEAE family. And yet the fruit of this citrus family species has one of the most unique tastes, described as a combination of aniseed and lime.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy Clive Larkman
The word guava tends to lean toward tropical fruits along with pineapples, mangos and paw-paws but are they really tropical? They are usually grown in the tropics and when we visit a resort or restaurant in those regions, we can be sure to find them on the menu.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy Clive Larkman
As a botanist with a passion for correct plant nomenclature and growing the right plant, the difference between regular garden plants and the edible/medicinal sectors is huge. Although the nursery industry isn’t known for accuracy in naming and growing correctly identified plants, it does try to get it right.… Continue reading
Read MoreLabel: Callistemon citrinus ‘Demesne Rowena’
ACRA Registration 330 (October 1989)
Family: Rutaceae
Origin: Callistemon ‘Demesne Rowena’ is a manipulated cross between Callistemon ‘Splendens’ and Callistemon ‘White Anzac’. These are both forms of Callistemon citrinus. The cross was performed by Mr.… Continue reading
Read MoreLabel: Correa ‘Federation Belle ‘
ACRA Registration 815 (May 2000)
Family: Rutaceae
Origin: A chance seedling in the garden of Sarah Caldwell, Mole River Station which is in the Torrington area in northern NSW. It is thought to be a hybrid between Correa ‘Marion’s Marvel’ and perhaps a form of Correa reflexa var.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy Clive Larkman
Edible and ornamental plants are usually divided into different categories, however this has not always been the case. We use the term ‘Cottage Garden’ to refer to an ornamental flowering garden of herbaceous and shrubby perennials. In reality, it comes from the small gardens created in the front, behind and along the side of small inner-city cottages that were mostly lived in by working families. … Continue reading
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