The Plants The Bicentennial
Conservatory displays plants
from the tropical rainforests
of northern Australia, Papua
New Guinea, Indonesia and the
nearby Pacific Islands. Some
of these plants are threatened
in their natural habitats. As
you walk through the
Conservatory, you will notice
large blue labels which
highlight the unusual and
interesting plants listed in this
brochure.
The Environment
An integrated computer system
controls the warm humid conditions
required to grow tropical rainforest
plants. Eleven sensors within the
building, and a weather station on
the roof, work with the computer
control system to continually collect
information and make the
appropriate adjustments to heating,
misting and ventilation. Nearly a
thousand misting nozzles in the
roof create a ‘cloud’ effect. This
acts as an efficient cooling, shading
and humidifying system depending
on the outside weather conditions.
Night time temperature is
maintained at 12˚C, with a
minimum day time temperature of
23˚C rising to a maximum of 35˚C.
The relative humidity is maintained
between 65% and 75%.
Biological control using predatory
and parasitic insects, mites and birds
is the main system of pest
management.
1. Molineria capitulata
(Weevil Lily)
Dense clusters of yellow flowers or
their dried remains can often be
found at the base of the long palmlike leaves. This unusual position
for flowers attracts a pollinator that
lives on the forest floor.
2. Angiopteris evecta
(King Fern)
This fern is especially notable
because it is related to the ancient
Gondwanan flora that grew on the
Australian continent millions of
years ago. The giant fronds can
reach over 5 metres in length and
are among the largest in the world.
Look for the brown spore cases on
the underside of the fronds.
7. Cocos nucifera
(Coconut Palm)
This is one of the most important
plants to come from tropical
regions, with all parts useful to
people. The roots are used to make
toothbrushes, the trunks provide
building materials, the leaves
provide shelter and coconut oil
extracted from the flesh of the
coconut is used for cooking and
in cosmetics.
3. Phaleria clerodendron
When in season, flowers or fruit
can be found growing directly on
the trunk and branches in an
arrangement known as cauliflory.
This type of display is common in
many tropical plants. Although birds
such as Cassowaries can safely eat
the fruit, it is reputedly poisonous
to humans.
4. Linospadix monostachya
(Walking-Stick Palm)
Thousands of these palms were
harvested for use as walking sticks
for wounded Australian World War
1 soldiers. The root mass at the
base formed a decorative handgrip.
The ripe peppery fruits that grow
from the top of this plant are known
to be traditional Aboriginal bush
tucker.
5. Caryota species
(Fishtail Palms)
The shape of the leaves and height
of the trunk give this graceful palm
its common name. When the palm
matures, its starch rich trunk
provides the energy required for
a profusion of flowers, fruits and
seeds.
6. Scindapsus altissimus
Hugging the palm with its roots,
this plant climbs quickly to the top
of the rainforest canopy in search
of light. Different methods used by
climbing plants include twisting
stems, spiralling tendrils or spines.
8. Pandanus lauterbachii
(Screw Pine)
This unusual plant has leaves armed
with tiny spines that spiral out from
a base high up in the air on ‘stilt’
roots. In wet muddy areas prone to
flooding the ‘stilts’ lift the plant
above rushing water and enable
the roots to breathe.
9. Barringtonia racemosa
(Fish Poison Tree)
Nectar feeding birds are attracted
to the distinctive pendulous flower
spikes that mature into lantern
shaped fruits. Aboriginal people
used various parts of the tree as
a fish poison.
10. Acalypha hispida
(Red Hot Cat Tails)
The shape, touch and colour of
the attractive flowers give this
plant its common name. In
Indonesia, a drink made from
the roots was used as a traditional
medicine to treat lung disease.
11. Licuala grandis (Fan Palm)
The distinctive pleating of the
fan-shaped leaves of this palm
increases the surface area to
catch precious sunlight in the
dark understorey of the tropical
rainforest. The pleats also
strengthen the leaf in much the
same way corrugations do in sheets
of roofing iron.
12. Archontophoenix alexandrae
(Alexandra Palm)
These graceful palms are often in
flower or fruit. They have become
domesticated in many parts of the
world as either garden specimens
or indoor plants.
13. Cerbera floribunda
(Cassowary Plum)
In season this tree has large,
fragrant white flowers with
distinctive red centres. Cassowaries
eat and distribute the plum sized
blue fruits although they are
inedible to humans. As in natural
rainforest the leaves under this tree
are decayed and recycled rapidly in
the warmth and moisture of the
forest floor.
14. Musa banksi
(Wild Bananas)
Bunches of bananas can sometimes
be seen near the top of the stem
among the very large leaves. These
small wild bananas are full of seed
and lack the flavour of commercially
grown varieties. One of the reasons
naturally occurring wild species are
important is because they increase
the genetic diversity needed for
future plant breeding research.
15. Dillenia philippinensis
This small attractive tree is only
found in the Philippines and is
considered to be threatened in
the wild. The tree will grow to
a height between 6 to 15 metres,
and the white ornamental flowers
develop acidic fruits with a flavour
similar to a sour apple. The fruits
make an excellent sauce or jam and
are also used for flavouring fish.
16. Amomum queenslandicum
This member of the ginger family
grows in dense clumps in lowland
Queensland rainforest. The fine
hairs that produce the soft velvet
feel of the underside of the leaves
help to reduce water loss and may
also act as an insect deterrent.
We hope your walk provides
a glimpse of the rich diversity
of life to be found in tropical
rainforests. A better
understanding of rainforest
ecology will help to conserve
what little remains of these
fast disappearing and complex
living systems.
The plant displays housed within
the building enable visitors to
experience the unique and visually
stunning rainforest environment,
while learning about the importance
of tropical rainforests, and the need
for their conservation.
Bicentennial Conservatory
Adelaide Botanic Garden
North Terrace
Adelaide
South Australia
Plants, people, culture
Adelaide Botanic Garden
Opening hours
Daily from
10am - 4pm
10am - 5pm during
daylight saving
A small admission fee applies.
Group Tours
For schools’ education programs
please contact the Education
Officer on 8222 9311. Trained
Garden Guides conduct group
tours; for bookings please contact
8226 8803.
For further information
please contact:
The Botanic Gardens
of Adelaide
North Terrace Adelaide
South Australia 5000
Telephone (08) 8222 9311
Facsimile (08) 8222 9399
www.botanicgardens.sa.gov.au
[email protected]
Printed December 2005 on recycled paper BGA0011 Cover image based on artists impression of Etlingera elatior (Torch
The Building
Designed by South Australian
architect Guy Maron, the
Conservatory has won many awards
for architecture, innovative
technology, tourism and landscape
design. The building is 100 metres
long, 47 metres wide and 27 metres
high.
The Bicentennial
Conservatory is
the largest single
span conservatory
in the southern
hemisphere and
one of the largest
in the world.
It was opened in
November 1989
and was built to
celebrate
Australia’s
Bicentenary in
1988.
A Rainforest Walk in the
Bicentennial Conservatory