Spring Has Sprung, Wildly Trivia Quiz

Answer: Acacia

There are almost one thousand identified species of Acacia in Australia making it the largest genus of vascular plants in the country. Due to the vast number found throughout The Grampians, and their various flowering times, fluffy balls of bright yellow can be seen virtually all year round. Acacia pycnantha, the golden wattle, begins flowering in late winter and carries on throughout spring. It is a large shrub/small tree growing from four to six metres tall by two to four metres wide. The mass of scented globular flowers contrasted against the glossy green foliage has also inspired Australia's national sporting colours of green and gold.

The Banksia, Eucalyptus (gums) and Melaleuca (myrtles) genuses are also well known icons of Australian flora and many species of each can be found in The Grampians too.

Answer: Thryptomene

Of all the flowering species within the park, the Grampians thryptomene, less commonly known as heath myrtle, could well be considered the patriarch. It is a dense bush with a spreading growth habit of two to three metres high and as much as four metres wide, about twice as large as Thryptomene saxicola. It is a widespread and common sight throughout the park and is easily identified by the abundant clusters of scented tiny white flowers that are massed along the tips of the branches from late autumn to mid-spring. The visual appeal of this species when in full flower is so striking that sprays of its flowers are commonly used by florists in their bouquets.

Located in the western corner of Victoria, and forming the southern extremity of the Great Dividing Range, the sandstone mountains of the Grampians are estimated to be four million years old. In 1836, Major Sir Thomas Mitchell was the first European to sight these mountains which reminded him of the Grampian Mountains in his Scottish homeland, hence the naming. Covering an area of 167,000 hectares, the Grampians were granted national park status in 1984.

Answer: honey-pots

The small tubular flowers of honey-pots are full of nectar and so were steeped in water by the indigenous peoples of the area providing them with sweet liquid refreshment. It is a low-growing dense bush that is often found in sheltered positions amongst other larger shrubs and trees. Flowers appear from autumn through spring and give way to small green berries in summer which were also used as bush-tucker. Many of the bird species found in the Grampians also make a meal of these berries and have contributed to the species being widespread by way of dispersing seeds in their droppings.

The Jardwadjali and the Djab Wurrung were the two major tribes of indigenous peoples inhabiting the Grampians region. Spectacular evidence of their occupation here and the spiritual significance it held for them is evidenced by the rock art that is contained within the park. Although there are only five sites that are accessible for public viewing (many are in advanced stages of erosion, others have been vandalised by mindless morons) there are around three hundred examples of this ancient art form present, which accounts for around eighty percent of all indigenous rock art in Victoria.

After much political wrangling dating back to the late 1980's, the Grampians were recently renamed to incorporate the name the indigenous peoples used, thus becoming Grampians National Park (Gariwerd).

Answer: Grampians heath

The Grampians heath is very similar in appearance to the common heath with the only marked differences being that the former has slightly larger flowers with more of a pinkish hue than red, and the foliage has fine hairs. It grows in an upright habit from one half to two metres high with a spread of around half a metre. The tubular bell shaped flowers that appear at the end of autumn and continue through to the middle of spring are generally deep pink, but on rare occasions white flowers can be seen. It is widespread throughout the Grampians but tends to prefer rocky areas.

At a meeting between departments of the State Government of Victoria in 1951, a unanimous decision was reached to proclaim the common heath the floral emblem of Victoria. The official proclamation which occured in 1958 saw Victoria become the first state to adopt a floral emblem. For the record, the other states and territories followed suit in this order:

Queensland - Cooktown orchid, 1959
Western Australia - red and green kangaroo paw, 1960
South Australia - Sturt's desert pea, 1961
Northern Territory - Sturt's desert rose, 1961
Tasmania - Tasmanian bluegum, 1962
New South Wales - waratah, 1962
Australian Capital Territory - royal bluebell, 1982.

Answer: Callistemon

Although the Callistemon genus is relatively small with just over thirty definitive species, it has proven to be a popular choice of plant for hybridising amongst the species resulting in literally scores of bottlebrush varieties readily available for domestic gardens. Colonies of scarlet bottlebrush, Callistemon rugulosus, can be found in the northern regions of the Grampians growing to heights of two to three metres. The flowers which are produced between spring and early summer are of a rose-red colour with long protruding golden tipped stamens. As their common name implies, the flowers of this genus are indeed shaped like a bottlebrush that you would use in the kitchen, and are full of bird-attracting nectar.

Although covering a very small area of Victoria, the Grampians are home to in excess of one thousand different species of native plants. This figure accounts for a staggering one third of all native species found in the state of Victoria. Of these, just under thirty species have been identified as endemic to the area and around one hundred are from various orchid genuses. It's no wonder then that the Grampians were once referred to as the 'Garden of Victoria'.

Answer: milkmaids

'On the eighth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me eight maids a milking'

Burchardia is a small genus containing just six identified species. With the exception of Burchardia umbellata, they are all endemic to Western Australia. Milkmaids are fairly inconspicuous for much of the year, growing to no more than twenty centimetres, and really only noticed when in flower. These honey scented flowers are an attractive star shape, generally white in colour, but sometimes with a pinkish tinge. Anywhere from two to ten flowers can be seen on one plant with the stem of each flower originating from the same point on the stalk giving the plant a semblance to an upturned umbrella, hence the species name; loosely translated as umbrella like.

Milkmaids were another important food source for the indigenous peoples of the Grampians. The tuberous roots were dug up all year round and were boiled, roasted and also eaten raw.

Answer: Leptospermum

For what it's worth, their massed displays of flowers that often resemble the blossoms of flowering fruit trees when in full bloom, make Leptospermum species some of my favourite flowering Australian natives. There are just over eighty species within the genus with all of them being indigenous to Australia with the exception of a few that are also found in New Zealand. One of these that is found in both countries, Leptospermum scoparium, is famed for the manuka honey that is produced by bees who feed upon the nectar of its flowers. Their common name of tea-tree is derived from the practice of early settlers who steeped cuttings of the plant in boiling water to make a brew of bush tea.

I must confess to being a bit devious with my answer options here. Blechnum, Dicksonia and Gleichenia are not flowering plants at all but are genuses of ferns that can be found in the Grampians; it's famed for more than just the wildflowers. There are many walking tracks of varying lengths and difficulty in the park that mostly lead to places of interest such as waterfalls and natural rock formations like the ominously named 'Jaws of Death'. Native fauna are abundant too with species such as kangaroos, wallabies, emus, koalas, sugar gliders and the normally shy echidna all regularly sighted. Add to this the more than two hundred identified bird species and a day in the Grampians is a veritable eyeful of beauty.

Answer: running postman

As its species name suggests, Kennedia prostrata is a low growing and spreading ground cover. It is most commonly found in the heathland areas of the Grampians where there are very few, if any, trees. The landscape is more typically dominated by smaller shrub species and other ground covers. Running postman is a true spring flowering species producing pea shaped scarlet-red flowers with yellow tinged centres that give way to flat hairy brown seed pods in summer. They can be seen spreading along rocky outcrops, embankments and roadsides to a diameter of up to two and a half metres. Those of you familiar with 'Cheers' would recognise Cliff Clavin as the resident know-all postman which hopefully led you to the correct response.

Kennedia is a small genus of Australian natives containing just sixteen species. They belong to the Fabaceae family of plants which are typically characterised by their five petalled flowers and leguminous seed pods. Two other small genuses of natives from the Fabaceae family are also well represented in the Grampians. These are Pultenaea, commonly known as bush-peas, and Dillwynia, which are called parrot-peas because such birds feast on the swollen seed pods.

Answer: Bushfire

Grevillea williamsonii was discovered by an H.B. Williamson in the extreme southern region of the Grampians at a location known as Mount Abrupt. After bushfires had ravaged the area in December 1897, the specimen could not be found. Subsequent searches for other specimens of the same plant proved fruitless and it was presumed that Grevillea williamsonii had become extinct. In 1992 however, twelve plants bearing a similar appearance to Grevillea williamsonii were discovered in bushland not far from the site of the original specimen. Cuttings were taken from these plants and compared to cuttings taken from the original and it was confirmed that Grevillea williamsonii had been rediscovered.

Grevillea williamsonii is something of an enigma for botanists. In December 2000, an Elizabeth James, working for the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, released her findings of a study into the species. James found that the flowers of this species were void of stamens, the pollen-producing male part of flowers, thus making self-pollination of the species impossible. This led to her proposing two possible explanations for Grevillea williamsonii. Firstly, that it is a mutant variety of Grevillea aquifolium, a species found growing in close proximity to Grevillea williamsonii during both discoveries and secondly, that it is a hybrid species with Grevillea aquifolium being one of the parent plants.

Answer: Calectasia cyanea

Some knowledge of how plants receive their botanical/scientific name is useful in answering this question, particularly the species name. While some plants are given a Latinised version of a place name or a person's surname, others are named for a certain characteristic of the plant such as foliage, seeds, flowers, or even their growth habit. The four options listed relate to colourings; aurea being used for yellows, alba for whites and nigra being applied to blacks. In the case of Calectasia cyanea, this is a Latinised form of cyan and is indicative of blues, hence blue tinsel-lily.

Calectasia intermedia was formerly known as Calectasia cyanea as it was thought to be the very same species as the latter. Calectasia cyanea however was discovered to be a separate species endemic to the Albany region of Western Australia and was added to the critically endangered list when only fifty specimens could be found. Calectasia intermedia on the other hand is widespread throughout Victoria and South Australia. It is a spring flowering perennial with six-petalled flowers of a papery texture. They are most commonly dark blue in colour but deep purples are not uncommon either.

Getting on my soap-box now I have to say, that I sometimes feel too much emphasis is put on the beaches and the 'surf, sand and sun' aspect of Australia when trying to attract the tourist market. For me, the true natural beauty of this diverse country lies inside of her.