ROMA STREET PARKLAND

This actually continues from the earlier posts on Roma Street Parkland. I ran out of batteries from my stolen Fujifilm camera and used the Sony ones to continue with the photos.

These were the view of trees from the towering bridge walkway. Even the prehistoric and slow-growing Grass Tree (scientific name: Xanthorrhoea species) from the Xanthorrhoeaceae Family, in the 3rd photo, are so tall and beautiful. A link on this plant is shown below. Ah, then there were the flowers of this unknown Cassia tree I saw in Cairns just days before that.

Finally, I was on my way back to the Roma Street MRT station leading me to South Bank.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xanthorrhoea

MEGASKEPASMA ERYTHROCHLAMYS

I definitely posted about the Brazilian Red Cloak or Brazilian Plume before. During the Australia trip, I took some beautiful stands of them in the Roma Street Parkland. These photos were taken from the Car Park Garden.

Like other shrubs from the Acanthaceae Family, the less conspicuous and smaller white flowers are held up by colourful red bracts, hence the common name.

I love the contrast of the plants in the top photo. A link on this amazing plant is shown below:

http://toptropicals.com/catalog/uid/MEGASKEPASMA_ERYTHROCHLAMYS.htm

ACACIA PODALYRIIFOLIA

From a distance, one would not miss this outstanding tree with silverish white leaves. I think I mentioned it before that I saw them along some of the highways but initially thought it was a species of Eucalyptus.

However, at the Roma Street Parkland, I was able to have an up close and personal encounter with this natural beauty. Upon close inspection, I identified it as Queensland Silver Wattle (Acacia podalyriifolia). I planted at least 1 of them at the Silver Garden but never in my dreams did I imagine it to be so huge. It was really wow!

Whilst the inflorescence stalks are many, none of the flowers were in bloom yet. From online images, the flowers are supposedly yellow, reminiscent of other Acacia flowers. It is interesting why such velvety and silver-leaved plants e.g. Crossostephium chinense (Chinese Wormwood), Conocarpus erectus var. sericeus (Silver Buttonwood), have yellow flowers whilst other metallic silver-leaved plants e.g. Hemigraphis colorata, have purplish flowers.