Palm House Plant Life
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Australasian Plants
The Australasian Border is dominated by several large specimens of the Australian Tree Fern, Dicksonia australis. Some of these are probably a hundred years old.
Several Kentia palms can be seen in this border. Their natural distribution is restricted to Lord Howe Island, off the east coast of Australia, but they have now become very popular as decorative plants for indoor situations.
A specimen of Araucaria heterophylla, popularly called the Norfolk Island Pine, is growing in the Australasian Border. This is not a true pine, but a relative of the Monkey Puzzle Tree. In its native home, which is situated between Australia and New Zealand, it grows to 60 metres or more in height.
Other attractive plants which can be seen in the Australasian Border include the pendulous form of the Silver Wattle, Acacia dealbata, and the Bottlebrush, Callistemon, which is named after the shape of its colourful flower spikes. Both Acacias and Bottlebrushes are important constituents of the Australian native flora.
Pittosporum undulatum Watercolour by Ann V. Webster, 1951
- Acacia dealbata
- Agathis
- Araucaria heterophylla
- Callistemon citrinus splendens
- Dicksonia Antarctica
- Eucalyptus spp.
- Howea forsteriana
- Livistona australis
- Macrozamia communis
- Pittosporum spp.
- Schefflera actinophylla
species in bold print were used in the original planting
