| From Flinders Street Station on the edge of Melbourne’s CBD, it is only a short walk south-east along the southern bank of the Yarra River to reach these beautiful gardens. While mature treeferns are scattered throughout the Botanic Gardens (as well as surrounding parklands), the greatest diversity is to be found amongst the rainforest plantings along the southern Birdwood Avenue boundary (Mel. 2L A1-C2) and in the fernery itself, a hundred metres or so directly in from Gate E in Birdwood Ave. The fernery had been closed for some time as a result of the destruction caused by the flying fox colony which has set up residence here, but has now re-opened. Visit <www.rbg.vic.gov.au> for more information about these gardens. |
| ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS - MELBOURNE |
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| Cyathea brownii growing in one of the Rhodedendron beds. |
| Cyathea cunninghamii (centre top) growing amongst other ferns in the fernery. |
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| Treefern species found in the gardens include: Cyathea australis C. brownii C. cooperi C. cunninghamii C. dealbata C. leichhardtiana C. X marcescens, C. medullaris C. robertsiana C. robusta Dicksonia antarctica D. baudouini D. fibrosa D. squarrosa D. thyrsopteroides D. youngiae (plus two other Dicksonia sp. ... one closely resembling my own D. sp.A) |
| I was quite amazed to recently discover Cyathea robertsiana growing in the gardens. The single plant has a trunk about a metre and a half high and is looking extremely healthy. This species comes from tropical far north Queensland and all my attempts to grow it in cold old Melbourne in the past have been a complete disaster. I obviously gave up too soon! |