By Beatrice Hawkins
For many years I have admired a shrub around town in various gardens.. never knew what it was or bothered to find out! However, someone asked me the name recently and I had to go track it down.
As I’ve often said I am no great gardener or horticulturist but I do love it all and know how to ask “Mr. Google” or other people things. This time it was my friendly nursery person who came up with a name and Mr. Google with further information.
The botanical name is Caesalpinia gilliesii and it is commonly known as the “Bird of Paradise” bush.
This made me think I was on the wrong track as it bore no resemblance to what I had always known as “bird of paradise” with its broad green leaves and birdlike flowers. It is a very hardy South African native that has been hybridised to flower in a variety of colours including a spectacular variety called “Mandela’s Gold” after the late prime minister of that country.
The one word I had missed in the common name was “desert” and therein lies the difference although I do wonder about that as it then goes on to tell me that it is a native of tropical areas of South America namely Argentina and Uruguay! It has, though, adapted to dry climates and has become naturalised in Texas apparently and southern parts of America.
The shrub grows in ideal conditions up to 4 metres high but most specimens I’ve seen have been not much more than half that. It has fern like leaves and 5 petalled yellow flowers with 10 long red, very conspicuous, stamens. These flowers are born on long racemes up to 20cms long.
They are very showy flowers and look delicate but are really quite drought and heat tolerant and like a position in full sun. In fact I read that they are perfect for challenging, hot positions near driveways or between building foundations.
The flowers give way to flat green pea like seed pods that turn brown when ripe and apparently explode.. sometimes quite violently.. and scatter the seeds. It is an hermaphrodite so has both male and female characteristics and is pollinated by insects.
It is a legume so useful in fixing nitrogen in soils, can grow in virtually any soil from acid to alkaline, sandy to heavy clay.
It was used by the natives of the Amazon to cure all sorts of ailments from fevers to sores and even for abortions in the first trimester. The green seed pods though, are toxic and should not be eaten.
It is listed as not being noxious or on the invasive plants list for Queensland but after reading all that I would think it certainly has the potential to become problem.
It appears to have no problems or natural predators and is said to be even resistant to deer! Not an issue here yet but who knows??.. Santa might swing by and need a feed for Rudolph.. he’d be out of luck with this shrub!!
I a have really been enjoying all the grevilleas out in gardens and on nature strips around town. These hardy natives have enjoyed the rain we had and have put on a lovely show. The variety of colours available means you can have one to suit any colour scheme or just have a mix from cream through to deep red and purple. You could almost plant a rainbow!
I have decided that the corner where I intend to plant my native garden will, until I can have a regular water supply, become a sunflower patch. To this end I have bought seeds for many varieties from giants to tiny dwarf ones that will only grow to 30 cms and are ideal for pots. I have bought as many different colours that I could find and have red, brown, bi colours, an icy white and even a mauve one with cream ends to the petals.
These will all be planted by the time you read this with any luck and will take minimal amount of rain to get them up and keep them going. There is also not a huge financial outlay so if we don’t get rain I will not be too heart broken or out of pocket as I would be if planted to more expensive natives. It will be in a corner of my yard and will be the first thing I’ll see on waking so will be a great way to start the day. They will all be facing east awaiting the sun.. couldn’t help but make a person smile!
I hope by the time you read this, more prayers will have been answered and we will have had another fall of rain after the hot weather of this week.
I guess I don’t want to see a flood and definitely not damaging wild weather, but some good useful falls to put water in dams and provide subsoil moisture would be most welcome.
*This is an old article that has been digitised so our readers have access to our full catalogue.
