The umbrella tree (Schefflera actinophylla) is native to tropical rainforests in Queensland and the Northern Territory as well as New Guinea and Java. It is an attractive fast-growing evergreen tree that colonises disturbed areas. As a young plant, it can be hemi-epiphytic or lithophytic, growing on and up boulders and the trunks of larger trees. The large elongate leaves are palmately compound, arranged in a circular “umbrella”.
Umbrella tree leaves
Deep red flowers are borne on long terminal spikes and are copious nectar producers that attract a variety of insects, birds and small mammals. The nectar and fruit can sometimes ferment resulting in mildly intoxicated, rowdy parrots that may occasionally fall out of the tree, too drunk to fly. The leaves are a favourite food of Bennets Tree Kangaroo
Umbrella Tree flowers – photo by Russell Cumming on Flickr
The umbrella tree is a popular house and garden plant in Australia and around the world. It has also been used to create bonsai trees.
Umbrella trees are quite common in gardens around Paluma village and occur occasionally in the forest behind backyards. Naturally occurring trees can most easily be found along the range road and along the creek upstream from the Little Crystal Creek Bridge.
Schefflera actinophylla has become naturalised in many countries. In southern Queensland and parts of NSW (outside its native range) it has been declared an invasive plant invading national parks, remnant bushland, undisturbed forests and reserves.
Dwarf Umbrella Tree (Schefflera arboricola)
A related species, the dwarf umbrella tree (Schefflera arboricola) is also a popular decorative plant in Australia, with at least one specimen prominently growing on the corner of Whalley Cr and Mt Spec Road. It is a native of Taiwan and eastern Asia but is considered is a minor or potential environmental weed in Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales.
Text and photos (unless indicated) by Jamie Oliver
Insects and spiders belong to the Arthropod phylum (Euarthopoda), which encompasses invertebrates with a hard exoskeleton, segmented bodies and paired jointed appendages. Crustaceans, centipedes, millipedes and many other lesser known insect-like invertebrates are also Arthropods. Paluma has a very high diversity of arthropod species, but many are either difficult to find or, once found, very hard to identify. The following species are quite common around Paluma:
1. Ulysses Butterfly (Papilio ulysses)
This is one of the most recognisable butterflies in north Queensland and an iconic resident of our tropical rainforests. The brilliant iridescent blue upper surface of its wings makes it highly visible in open sunny areas, and it is commonly seen foraging around the village. This large (~14cm) butterfly is a member of the swallowtail family (Papilionidae) and can be found in New Guinea and surrounding islands as well as in NE Australia. The underwings are not nearly as colourful with black and grey-brown patterning and orange-brown spots along the margin of the hindwing. Males and female are very similar in appearance but the female can often be recognised by the small blue crescents at the bottom of the hindwings. The favoured host plant for the Ulysses is Melicope species (Euodias or Corkwoods).
2. Australian Rhinoceros Beetle (Xylotrupes australicus)
This very distinctive and large (up to 6cm) beetle has two large horns (upper and lower) with forked ends. Horns only occur on males. The females are similar in size but without horns.
Rhinoceros beetles are harmless but can make a hissing noise when threatened and their claws are sharp enough to grip tightly to (but not injure) a finger or hand. The horns are used by males to fight each other during the breeding season. In Thailand they are kept as pets and for gambling over beetle fights.
Male
Larva – Photo by Jeff Wright, Queensland Museum, Copyright
Female -Photo by L. Shyamal, CC BY-SA
Adult beetles feed on bark. The larvae burrow into and eat leaf litter and rotting wood and are often found in mulch or old compost piles in Paluma gardens. They can take up to two years to reach full size, by which time they can fill the palm of your hand.
Despite their armoured and heavy appearance Rhinoceros Beetles have fully functional wings under their carapace and are strong flyers. Males are nocturnal and attracted to light. The Australian Rhinoceros Beetle occurs in moist forests in eastern Australia and the Northern Territory. It has previously been referred to as Xylotrupes gideon or Xylotrupes ulysses, but current thinking is that these species do not occur in Australia and that our Rhinoceros beetle (X. australicus) is a separate species.
3. Cairns Birdwing (Ornithoptera euphorion)
The Cairns Birdwing is another iconic (and endemic) butterfly of the Queensland tropics, occurring in rainforests from Cooktown to Mackay. It is the largest endemic butterfly in Australia (its almost identical cousin, the northern or New Guinea Birdwing is the largest Australian butterfly).
Male Cairns Birdwings can have wingspans up to 12.5cm, and have brilliant green, black and yellow wings. The larger females (15cm wingspan) have similar markings but in shades of grey and white. Both sexes have bright yellow abdomens with a blotch of red on the side of the thorax. In gardens, adults are attracted to Lantana, Hibiscus and Bouganvillea flowers. Around Paluma they also feed on Agapanthus and the red Pagoda plant.
The main food plants of the larvae are Aristolochia acuminata (sometimes called by its synonym A.tagala)in lcoastal areasbelow 500 m and Pararistolochia deltantha in upland forests including Paluma. Mature larvae can be as thick and long as your thumb. If disturbed, they extrude distinctive reddish horns (osmeterium) that produce a fetid terpene compound to deter predators.
4. Golden Orb Spider (Nephila pilipes)
The Golden Orb spiders (genus Nephila) are a group of large web building spiders that have grey abdomens and swollen and often yellow leg joints. The silk of the webs is distinctly yellow and surprisingly strong. In some South Pacific islands the silk is formed into a ball by local fishers and used as a sticky lure to entangle the serrated beaks of garfish.
In Paluma the common species is Nephilapilipes, and it can be seen in forest clearings and in gardens around the village. Despite their daunting size the bite of this spider is not dangerous. It captures and eats a variety of insects and the occasional small lizard that gets caught in the web. Very small birds have been recorded (very rarely) in Nephila webs, but it is highly unlikely that they would be fed on.
Two other spiders can frequently be seen sharing the web of the large female Nephila. The first is a small brown spider the size of a fingernail. This is actually the male Nephila, which can be distinguished by the enlarged brown palps near the mouth and shaped a bit like boxing gloves. Males of many orb-building spiders live a precarious existence, driven by an attraction to the much larger females, who must be suitably seduced by a complex pattern of plucks to the web before they are safe to approach for mating purposes. If the seduction fails, or wears off too soon, the hapless males are likely to be devoured by the target of their attraction.
male Nephila pilipes on female
Argyrodes antipodianus (Photo by Scott W. Gavins CC by NC)
The second spider often found on Nephila webs has a tiny silver teardrop body and belongs to the genus Argyrodes (most likely Argyrodes antipodianus). These spiders act as “kleptoparasites” stealing smaller food items from the larger spider’s web, or even from its mouth. To avoid being eaten by Nephila it builds a separate web intertwining its host’s, thus avoiding attention from its movements in search of prey to steal.
5. Jungle Huntsman Spider (Heteropoda jugulans)
The jungle (or brown) huntsman spider is another large, long-legged spider that is commonly seen in and around houses and sheds in the village. Its long legs (longer in front) are often held in a crab-like pose. This spider does not build a nest, but hunts at night chasing small insects, which it kills with a bite to the neck from its curved fangs. Although capable of biting humans, the bite produces only local pain and redness for less than an hour. They tend to be timid animals and will quickly flee if approached. During the day they will hide under the flaking bark of trees or in the cracks and corners of walls or behind pictures in houses.
Photo by Michele Bird (probably Heteropoda jugulans)
For those with an interest in Botany, I find these two books by former Paluma resident, my mentor and good friend, Emeritus Professor Betsy Jackes, invaluable. Betsy has offered to have a limited print run done, primarily in support of my friends at Savannah and Wet Tropic Guides, but I thought some Paluma people may also be interested. The cost of each publication should be under $50.00 (Betsy mentioned $35), but we won’t be certain until printing is completed. This price will not include a retail mark-up, so will be very affordable.
Plants of the Tropics
Plants of the Tropics is my go-to for rainforest plants. A somewhat technical book, it covers rainforest plants of the Wet Tropics of the Kuranda and Paluma ranges, along with the dryer areas of the Herberton-Stannary Hills and Hidden Valley, and a section on Bryophytes by specialist Dr Andi Cairns. There is an excellent section with illustrations explaining botanical terms, leading onto identification keys for families. This book has a strong focus on identification using leaf characteristics, using similar features to those we used during the botanical workshop. Both my copies are well-worn, copious notes taken on pages and I find it invaluable as a starting reference for identification.
Plants of Magnetic Island
Plants of Magnetic Island is perhaps an easier book for people to use. Whilst the focus is on Maggie, many of the plants described in this book can be found throughout Northern Australia, including offshore islands. It contains many of the plants found in “dry” (monsoonal, vine thicket) rainforest, and it also includes many introduced species and weeds. This book features two guides to genera, based on flower colour and obvious fruit features, before leading onto a key to groups, based on leaf characteristics. For me, the outstanding feature is the illustrations; most plants are represented with excellent images.
To order, please contact me at swan.sarah@bigpond.com. Taking orders until end of May, to give everyone an opportunity to purchase. Payment will not be required until after the printing is completed, as an exact price will not be known until then.
The Fuzzy Lemon Aspen (Acronychia vestita) is endemic to northeast Queensland occurring in upland wet sclerophyll forests and rainforest margins or disturbed areas from Kuranda to Paluma. It is generally a shrub to small tree but can grow up to 20m. The ovoid deep green leaves are simple with obvious lateral veins running at an angle from the mid-vein and then looping up before reaching the leaf margin.
Flowering occurs from February-March and the fruit develop as globular fruit with a lumpy wrinked surface that turns from green to white or yellow when ripe.
photo (c) kerrycoleman, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
This is not a particularly common tree around Paluma but there is a good example on the edge of Potters Park off Lennox Crescent that is currently bearing numerous developing fruit that should turn yellow in the next month or so.
Fuzzy Lemon Aspen at Potters Park on Lennox Crescent
The fruit are eaten by Cassowaries, Wompoo Fruit Doves and the Musky Rat-kangaroo. The leaves are one of several species eaten by the larvae of the Ulysses Butterfly.
Several other species of Acronychia including the Lemon Aspen (Acronychia acidula) are edible and used as a garnish or flavouring in drinks and chutney. A. vestita is noted as being edible in the original Rainforest Fruits book by Cooper & Cooper (1994) but I could not find any other references to edibility.
Text and photos (unless indicated) by Jamie Oliver
Gmelina dalyrympleana is a rainforest tree found in northeast Qld and Cape York as well as New Guinea. There are several species in this genus and most of them can be found in the wet tropics and share the common names White Beech, or Grey Teak). With its lovely pink flowers bright red fruit this species ranks as one of the more attractive in the genus.
Photo by “Paluma” CC on I-Naturalist (L) Photo copyright CSIRO (R)
This tree is currently in fruit around Paluma and the bright red, oblong cherry-sized fruit are unmistakeable at several spots along the H-Track. The fruit might be mistaken for a Satin Ash at first glance but its seed capsule, which is bound tightly to the flesh of the fruit, is small and woody. The small pink flowers are occasional seen scattered on the ground on or next to the H-Track.
The fruit is eaten by fruit pigeons. The tree can grow to 40m yields a course, but durable timber used for planks and floors. It is cultivated as an ornamental tree in Queensland and NSW.
Text and photos (unless indicated) by Jamie Oliver
Came out on the verandah in downtown Paluma this morning to find a giant of the jungle sitting quietly on the deck furniture.
Male (we think) Hercules moth (Coscinocera hercules) 240mm wingtip to wingtip, 180mm overall length. … that’s very big for a male as Wildlife of Tropical Northern Queensland lists maximum size for the larger female as 225mm.
Wildlife of Tropical Northern Queensland and Guide to Australian Moths say range is Cape York south to Ingham — so the southerly extent of the range is a bit understated in both books.
The females have the largest wing area of any moth in the world.
The leaves of the medium sized rainforest tree Bleeding Heart (Homalanthus novoguineensis) is said to be the favorite food of the Hercules caterpillars.
We have a Bleeding Heart which is trying to climb onto our deck.
The leaves are being well munched and we did find a caterpillar there after we spotted the moth. However, it didn’t look like the Hercules caterpillars from the books.
Jamie Oliver has come across this caterpillar before and was able to provide an ID — Iscadiainexacta (Walker). Iscadia and Hercules share a preference for Bleeding Heart.
According to the Butterfly House websiteIscadia has a great party trick — “The caterpillar pupates in a papery cocoon covered in bits of chewed leaf. The pupa is famous for being able to produce sounds when disturbed, by rubbing projections on the abdominal skin against the hind surface of the cocoon.”
Hercules also has a surprising twist of biology — the adult moths don’t eat, they survive on food stores from when they were caterpillars, says the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary website. The adults live for only 10-14 days which they devote to finding a mate. The mating game is initiated by the female which emits a pheromone that can attract male suitors from over 2km away.
The caterpillars grow up to 12cm in length and are dotted with yellow spikes. Such a huge caterpillar makes sense when we consider how large the moth itself is.
The largest ever Hercules Moth had a wingspan of 36cm, says the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary website.
Just lately a very persistent prowler has been making a nuisance of itself in homes and gardens at the eastern end of Paluma Village. The perpetrator is a rather lengthy Night Tiger Snake, otherwise known as a Brown Tree Snake or Doll’s-Eye Snake (Boiga irregularis).
It all started with the onset of the warm weather and the wet season. Lynda at the Manali House started noticing that the Night Tiger was making regular visits to her front verandah. It wasn’t long before Lynda noticed that her closely guarded nest of Shrike-Thrush chicks had been raided. The chicks disappeared overnight and Lynda found the slithery culprit curled up in a nearby shrub with some distinctive lumps in its belly. Put that down to nature I suppose, but then the Night Tiger started to take some liberties around the place……
Several times Lynda was woken to things that go bump in the night, only to find the Night Tiger in her back room, actively rifling through the contents of boxes and other things in the search for food – geckoes, cockroaches and frogs.
The guilty reptile being relocated to the rainforest.
The next time Lynda encountered the snake it was in her lounge room, having a snooze under her favourite recliner. It was promptly relocated to the garden. Just last week, the Night Tiger was back in the lounge room, this time comfortably resting on the bookshelf. A late night call was made to the neighbours for some assistance in relocating the Night Tiger to the outdoors again. It was relocated to the forest at the eastern end of the village, but we are convinced it will be back, when it wants an easy feed of geckoes and tasty frogs or birds.
A spot of reading? The Night Tiger Snake resting on the bookshelf in Lynda’s lounge room.
My own encounter with the Night Tiger was one evening upon returning from an outing. I walked up my drive-way only to find the ‘stalker’ outside my garage door. With some skilful wrangling via my gumboot, my umbrella and a cake tray, the snake was re-diverted back up the driveway. It took off, heading again for Lynda’s place. No doubt it was missing the cosy lounge-room and its recliner!
Re-diversion of the Night Tiger Snake away from my garage.
The Night Tiger or Brown Tree Snake is a nocturnal snake (as we have obviously discovered!). They are arboreal and can often be found in buildings and in tree hollows. They feed mainly on birds, eggs, frogs, geckoes, small mammals and other reptiles. These snakes have a large head with distinctive and protruding large eyes with vertical pupils (I am not getting close enough to look into its eyes!). The head is distinct from the narrow neck. They are usually brown in colour with darker cross bands on the back and sides (hence the common name of ‘Night Tiger’). Specimens in northern Australia tend to have bold reddish bands with a creamy to orange belly. This snake can grow up to 2m in length. They are not usually considered dangerous, but they are venomous.
Text by Michele Bird with Photos by Paul Venn, Lynda Radbone and Michele Bird. Noting that the quality of our photos is not great, given the night time conditions and in my own case, the shaking hands and rapidly beating heart!
This attractive rainforest tree, a member of the Myrtaceae family, has many common names, including, brush cherry, scrub cherry, creek lilly-pilly, creek satin-ash and watergum. It grows mostly along water courses in rainforests and gallery forests at altitudes up to 1300 metres.
Worldwide, there are more than 1000 species of Syzygium ranging across PNG, the Pacific islands, Malaysia, SE Asia, India, Africa and Australia. Australia has 57 species, with 47 of them in tropical Queensland. Some species, easily recognisable are Paperbark satin-ash (Syzygiumpaparaceum with its purple fruit; Powder-puff lilly-pilly, (Syzygium wilsonii), with small purple fruit and a sub-species noted for its large magenta powder-puff flowers and lush creamy white fruit.
It is easy to understand how various Syzygium species, along with many other native Australian flowers, inspired May Gibbs to create her delightful bush babies. Who could forget the movie magnate’s daughter, Lilly Pilly with her skirt, beret and muff made of lilly-pilly berries.
Although Syzygium australe can grow to 35 metres with a trunk diameter of 60 cm, it is a popular plant in ornamental gardens as it can be shaped and pruned into hedges. It is a fast-growing tree and can grow 2 metres in a year.
The ovate leaves are simple, opposite and approximately 30×100 x 10-40 mm. Young leaves are bronze, turning to a deep, glossy green as they mature. They form dense foliage on this shapely tree.
photo by J. Oliver
Flowering can occur at any time of year. Flowers are clustered in axillary or terminal racemes. They are tiny, with white petals and numerous white stamens which give the flowers the appearance of delicate powder-puffs. Flowering can be sparse, hiding amongst the leaves, or abundant, giving a dense cover of white. Flowers are followed by a profusion of red fruit – berries. These are 14-23 mm long with one or two seeds surrounded by crisp flesh similar to apple in texture. The fruit is edible, although can be tart. It makes excellent jam and can be used as a base and flavouring for jellies, cakes and wine.
Some species of Syzygium were previously classified in the genus Acmena and others in the genus Eugenia. The species known formerly as Eugenia Australis is now regarded as two separate species: Syzygium australe and Syzygium paniculatum.
There are many examples of Syzygium australe in Paluma. A very old tree which usually bears fruit in profusion is outside No 75 Mount Spec Road, another, is outside the High Ropes course. Two more may be seen outside No 17 Mount Spec Road.
Text and photos (unless indicated) by Colwyn Campbell
On the way up the range road yesterday, Peter and Jan Cooke saw several examples of one of our truly spectacular native flowers, the Native Rosella or Marsh Mallow, Abelmoschatus moschatus tuberosus. The flowers look very much like a Hibiscus (they share the same plant family) and only last for a day or so. They favour drier coastal areas so you will probably not see them around the village. But they are certainly worth looking out for as you drive to Paluma.
Photo by Peter Cooke
The plant grows along the ground or can be partially upright. It dies back to an underground tuber in the dry season. The tubers, as well as the leaves and seeds are edible and were eaten by local aborigines.
Mistletoes are a group of parasitic plants belonging to the Order Santalales. Australia has a high diversity of mistletoes (over 85 species) with the majority in the family Loranthaceae.
Mistletoe (Amylotheca dictyophleba) in the cutting on Mt Spec Road
When we think of parasites we often envisage small or microscopic animals that can make you sick, or even kill you, but this way of living (where one organism harms another by using it for nourishment or other vital need) is widespread in all branches of life. In vascular plants parasitism has evolved at least 12 times, with the mistletoe form having evolved 5 separate times within the Order Santalales.
Mistletoes are considered to be obligate hemiparasites because they cannot grow independently of their host plant (the relationship is obligatory) and because they still have their own leaves that can provide a significant proportion of their energy needs through photosynthesis (hemi=half). A spectacular mistletoe in Western Australia looks more like a tree (it parasitises roots rather than tree branches) and is said to be the largest parasite in the world.
Mistletoe (Amylotheca subumbellata) Top left photo taken opposite the high ropes course (sth side of the road). Other photos taken on the cutting looking towards Whaley Cr.
Paluma hosts several mistletoe species and one, with beautifully shaped and gaudily coloured flowers is currently in bloom along the roadsides of the village. Its scientific name is a bit of a tongue-twister: Amylotheca subumbellata and it, unfortunately, doesn’t have a common name other than the generic “Mistletoe”. A. subumbellata has a restricted distribution (northeast Qld) with the majority of records from the Paluma region. Its clusters of small torpedo-shaped flowers with orange/red bases and yellow-green tips are very distinctive. Its leaves are also very distinctive, being narrow, strap-shaped and grey-green. One related and more widespread species that is also common around the village is the Bush Mistletoe (Amylotheca dictyophleba) has almost identical flowers, but its leaves are glossy green and ovate. It has very similar flowers (around the village they are more uniformly red), but they differ markedly from A. subumbellata in the shape and colour of their leaves, which are oval glossy green.
The Bush Mistletoe (Amylotheca dictyophleba) has very different leaves and more uniformly red flowers. Fallen mistletoe flowers (probably A. dictyophleba) are a common site in Dec-Feb on the ground along village walking tracks.
The name mistletoe is thought to be derived from two Anglo-Saxon words: “mist or mistel” meaning dung; and “tan” meaning twig. This “dung on a twig” name is quite apt. Mistletoe fruit is a favourite food for the mistletoe bird (a common Paluma resident) but the seed in the fruit is surrounded by a very sticky substance that resists digestion. When a mistletoe bird sits on a branch and tries to defecate, the sticky mass containing the seed just hangs off the birds rear end forcing the bird to wipe its bottom on the branch or twig. The seed is now exactly where it needs to be in order to germinate and infest a new host tree. David Attenborough came to Australia years ago to film this process and the result is a delightful sequence, well worth watching here.
The best places to see both of the mistletoe species discussed here are in the trees on the north side of the road cutting from 27-21 Mt Spec Road, and on either side of the road opposite the High Ropes Course.
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