"Teaching people about the world in which we live."

Shawn Steele, Brisbane, Australia (20:42, April 22):
Please note that all times displayed on this message board are Eastern Time (Canada/US).

Steve, On the 'Net (20:59, April 22):
Guess how many species of vascular plants there are in Australia/New Zealand.

merelee, On the 'Net (21:01, April 22):
A thousand? Ten thousand?

Steve, On the 'Net (21:02, April 22):
Close -- 12,000 !!

Shawn Steele, Brisbane, Australia (21:00, April 22):
Hi, we're here with Barbara Wintringham, a volunteer guide from the Brisbane Botanical Gardens, Mt. Coot-tha. Jump in with any questions you may have. Our first question is: "What type of eco-systems are in Australia?" Please note that I am also typing her answers and will do so with American spelling.

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Brisbane Botanical Gardens, Mt. Coot-tha (21:01, April 22):
Shawn, we have many eco systems from desert to the savannah to the tropical and sub-tropical.

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Brisbane Botanical Gardens, Mt. Coot-tha (21:02, April 22):
In Brisbane we have the tropical and sub-tropical. We're in the cusp of the area where one starts and the other ends. So we can grow both tropical and sub-tropical in the Gardens.

merelee, On the 'Net (21:02, April 22):
Wow. I forgot about the variety of eco-systems.

Michelle/Kevin, On the 'Net (21:02, April 22):
how does the variation effect seasonal issues in the region?

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Brisbane Botanical Gardens, Mt. Coot-tha (21:04, April 22):
Good question Michelle. We're on the East Coast of Australia and its the climate and rainfall that effect the ecosystem that we have. Temperature also has an effect.

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Brisbane Botanical Gardens, Mt. Coot-tha (21:06, April 22):
With the desert, its the dry center of Australia and there's very little variation in season, just like the desert anywhere. With us (Brisbane), seasonal variation is small. We don't have a cold winter, although we have a hot summer. We have a fairly reasonable rainfall along the coast.

Michelle/Kevin, On the 'Net (21:05, April 22):
does that mean your growing season will extend through the autumn?

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Brisbane Botanical Gardens, Mt. Coot-tha (21:10, April 22):
Yes, our growing season is year round, so plants grow in all of the seasons. That's what makes it hard to grow roses here because roses like to have a rest in the cold months. Here they do not get that rest, so they are hard to grow.

Laurel Lee and Pam, On the 'Net (21:02, April 22):
Do you have any plants that Koala bears like to eat in your gardens?

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Brisbane Botanical Gardens, Mt. Coot-tha (21:08, April 22):
Koalas are not bears (she says laughingly) They are marsupials. They live exclusively on eucalypt leaves. (From the eucalyptus trees). But there are many different types of eucalyptus leaves, so they are very picky. In different seasons, different eucalyptus leaves are poisonous to Koalas.

Michelle/Kevin, On the 'Net (21:14, April 22):
we are curious about the varieties of the eucalyptus--is that species variation that effects digestion... or seasonal changes that influence the oils of the various Euc. species?

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Brisbane Botanical Gardens, Mt. Coot-tha (21:17, April 22):
The eucalyptus leaves change their toxicity depending on the season. There are hundreds of varieties of eucalyptus. Only some of them are poisonous. Some are safe all of the time, and some are poisonous only some of the time.

Steve, On the 'Net (21:17, April 22):
In eucalypts, the levels of toxic alkaloid chemicals varies seasonally.

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Brisbane Botanical Gardens, Mt. Coot-tha (21:18, April 22):
Thank you Steve for letting me know that I was on the right track. (laughing)

Shawn Steele, Brisbane, Australia (21:11, April 22):
By the way, Laurel Lee and Pam, the curator told us that Koalas do live in the Gardens, but we didn't see any while we were there.

Lara Steele, Brisbane, Australia (21:13, April 22):
What makes a rain forest a rain forest?

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Brisbane Botanical Gardens, Mt. Coot-tha (21:15, April 22):
The diversity of the closeness of plants growing in an ecosystem that they make. The plants in the rainforest make their own ecosystem. They have very tall trees, a midstory, and low growing plants, all competing for the sun.

Lara Steele, Brisbane, Australia (21:18, April 22):
What is in the different layers of the rainforest.

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Bribane Botanical Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha (21:28, April 22):
Many of the tallest trees in the rainforest are the Strangler Figs. Their seeds are deposited by birds in the top of other trees and they drop their roots down the trunks of their host tree, eventually strangling it and causing a hollow space.

Lara Steele, Brisbane, Australia (21:37, April 22):
What about the middle tier of the rainforest

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Bribane Botanical Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha (21:39, April 22):
There are tall shrubs in the middle of the rainforest, such as lillypilly, which have fruits which are edible. Tree ferns, near the watercourses. Mostly its tall shrubs and tree ferns, with a few smaller trees.

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Bribane Botanical Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha (21:42, April 22):
The lower part of the rainforest have streams and creeks with rushes growing beside them. They get very little light in the lower part of the rainforest. The rushes have narrow leaves and don't need much light. Most of the lower plants are small leaved. There's violets near the water courses that have larger round leaves.

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Bribane Botanical Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha (21:43, April 22):
Native ginger also grows on the lower storey

Wind-dancer, Plano, Texas (21:23, April 22):
Do orchids grow in the Gardens?

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Bribane Botanical Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha (21:31, April 22):
Orchids do grow in the gardens, but in a special orchid house. They could survive wild, and there are hundreds of native orchids. They need a specially closed ecosystem and our Australian garden section is too new to support the orchids at this time.

Steve, On the 'Net (21:24, April 22):
Do you have grass-trees in the gardens?

merelee, On the 'Net (21:33, April 22):
Steve, what's a grass-tree? Bamboo?

Leslie, On the 'Net (21:36, April 22):
Are grass trees at all related to yucca? Do they look likea yucca? (that is a US desert plant)

Steve, On the 'Net (21:34, April 22):
Its actually in the lily familiy, I think.

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Bribane Botanical Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha (21:37, April 22):
Yes Steve, I do believe that the grass tree is in the lily family

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Bribane Botanical Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha (21:34, April 22):
Yes Steve, we have grass-trees in the Garden, but they are very slow growing. They grow better further inland. They are tall and have a stick that comes out of the middle of the leaves with a rounded cream coloured flower at the top of the stick.

Wendy & Kayla, On the 'Net (21:14, April 22):
With all that Australian desert, is xeriscaping common?

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Bribane Botanical Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha (21:29, April 22):
Sorry Wendy & Kayla, I don't know what xeriscaping is. We have a difficult time growing desert plants in the Gardens because its so humid here.

merelee, On the 'Net (21:38, April 22):
In Colorado, we really don't have enough water for everyone to grow an English-style lawn and garden. They're trying to encourage people to xeriscape their yards--use plant which require less water. The idea is we'll run out of water for the booming population here, if people keep pouring water on bluegrass lawns and thirsty flower gardens.

Michelle/Kevin, On the 'Net (21:33, April 22):
Barbra-- it hink you ended up answering the question xeriscaping is attemting to provide the opportuinity for growth of plants requiring more arid conditions--it seems your gardens focus more on a true representation of local habitat?

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Bribane Botanical Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha (21:37, April 22):
Yes Michelle, we do focus on local Northeastern Queensland type of ecosystems.

Heather, On the 'Net (21:41, April 22):
Was wondering what steps you are taking to ensure that the rainforest survives

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Bribane Botanical Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha (21:45, April 22):
Heather, that's a good question. The gardens show the schools the rain forests to educate the younger generation. The more people who understand the importance of rain forests, the better the chance for their survival.

Hank, On the 'Net (21:43, April 22):
Barbara,Can you give some statistics on size and species etc. I have spent many hours over rainforests of Brasil and they look endless from 30,000. Know that is not true but the perception of endless is there.

Michael Prestwood, Dallas Texas (21:44, April 22):
I rember the Rain forest Of Brazil, I could see them from Panama, I wondered, how big they were as well.could you give us the Dimensions?

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Bribane Botanical Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha (21:47, April 22):
Hank, statistics such as those aren't my specialty.

Editors noteThe most current numbers I could obtain on the rainforest questions were as follows: There are 4 billion hectares (1 hectare = 2.47 aches = about two U.S. football fields) of forest in the world. Close to 25% of this is rainforest (or tropical forests). In Australia there are 2.3 million hectare of rainforest. This only accounts for about 5.6% of Australia's total forest. The rainforests of the world are being destroyed at a rate of about 1 hectare per second. If you multiply this out you see that it is equivilant an area about the size of New York City EVERY DAY! To carry it even further, every year 31 million hectares are destroyed; an area larger then the country of Poland.

Michael Prestwood, Dallas Texas (21:49, April 22):
Oh.... something else, I believe that The Rainforest, Provide about 15% of our oxygen, in the Renewel of Carbon Dixoide, the rest being asorted Forest, trees, and plants, and Ocean Dwelling plants. Have we reached the point, at where, we are lossing oxygen, faster than we can replace it and if not, When do statistics say that we will begin losing more than is replentished?

Michael Prestwood, Dallas Texas (21:57, April 22):
Yes it is Fortunate, but I was wonfdering, orther than Destroying the Eco System, would it also endanger, us thru the lack, of Oxygen? Or simply through the Destruction of the Natural, habitats of the Fauna, for that Area?

Steve, On the 'Net (21:53, April 22):
Fortunately for us, it's the algae and other photosynthetic phytoplankton in the oceans that produce most of the planet's oxygen.

Wendy & Kayla, On the 'Net (21:25, April 22):
In Colorado, much of our open space, agricultural lands, and wetlands are being destroyed by urbanization. Worldwide, deforestation is a major concern. How are these forces affecting Australia, and what are local agencies, including the Gardens, doing to preserve wild lands, animals and plants?

Leslie, On the 'Net (21:27, April 22):
Wendy that is a great point. We are celebrating Earth Day today. Seems like a global perspective is really important.

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Bribane Botanical Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha (21:46, April 22):
There are many conservation groups in Australia. Greenpeace is very active, as is the Rainforest Society. They lobby the government on topics such as a new proposal to build a dam in North Queensland, which would destroy a lot of rainforest.

Steve, On the 'Net (21:43, April 22):
Is the unintentional importation of non-indigenous plants a problem in Australia?

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Bribane Botanical Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha (21:50, April 22):
Steve, there is a problem with imported plants. Customs rules are very strict. All non-indiginous plants must be declared and very little are allowed in. They are very worried about diseases for plants and people. Some people have brought in fruit with fruit flies.

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Bribane Botanical Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha (21:51, April 22):
Some plants brought in as garden plants (around the turn on the century, 1900 or so) have become weeds because they have grown so fast and spread so far. These plans have overwhelmed the native species. Such as prickly pear, lantana, and rubber vine.

Michelle/Kevin, On the 'Net (21:45, April 22):
we are also interested on growth at the gardens intended for export (both industrial and personal consumption)

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Bribane Botanical Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha (21:53, April 22):
Michelle, we maintain a seed bank, and send seeds on request to other Botanical Gardens and the nursery trade, but the Gardens do not export seeds.

merelee, On the 'Net (21:06, April 22):
How many species of plants at the Gardens?

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Bribane Botanical Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha (21:56, April 22):
In our gardens at the moment we have probably 20 species of orchids. The gardens have a total of 30,000 species of plants. In the domes where our fragile plants are, there are about 30 fragile species.

Heather, On the 'Net (21:51, April 22):
i was wondering if your group was looking at any plant unique to the Australian rain forest in terms of any medicinal purposes.

Michelle/Kevin, On the 'Net (21:52, April 22):
Heather we are interested in that aspect too!!

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Bribane Botanical Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha (21:58, April 22):
The North Queensland rainforest has many undiscovered medicinal plants.

Michelle/Kevin, On the 'Net (21:56, April 22):
Barbara-- about Heather's question-- is there some group aiding in the studies of the flora for medicinal purposes?

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Bribane Botanical Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha (21:57, April 22):
The gardens don't specifically study medicinal plants, but the nearby Queensland Herbarium have just moved into a new building in the Gardens, and they send out research teams to discover medicinal plants.

Leslie W., On the 'Net (21:59, April 22):
Do you have time to tell us anything about the Aboriginal use of medicinal plants?

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Bribane Botanical Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha (22:06, April 22):
Leslie, when aboriginies went on walkabout, to keep them going they would chew wild ginger. Both the seeds or the roots. And now you can find many of the walking routes because they spat out the seeds and the ginger grew.

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Bribane Botanical Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha (22:06, April 22):
Women would chew sand from an anthill, when they were giving birth, it is supposed to have medicinal value. Yuck!

Steve, On the 'Net (21:56, April 22):
Does Queensland have a state flower and/or tree?

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Bribane Botanical Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha (22:00, April 22):
Yes Steve. Cooktown Orchid is the state flower. It grows on a tree if that counts, but there is not a state tree. It actually doesn't grow on the tree, but it attaches itself to the tree and grows on air and water.

merelee, On the 'Net (21:59, April 22):
If there are 12,000 species of plants in (native to?) Australia, and there are 30,000 species of plante in the Gardens, I assume that you cultivate many which do not come from Australia? Do all those species now grow there too?

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Bribane Botanical Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha (22:04, April 22):
Merelee, I don't know that your figure of 12,000 species in Australia is correct, but we do grow a large number of exotic plants. Your common pine trees count as exotic here!

unitedfive, out there.... (22:00, April 22):
what's the most common use for plant species found in northern rainforests...? ie, is it viewing purposes, medicinal??

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Bribane Botanical Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha (22:08, April 22):
At the present time, the northern rainforests are mostly used for tourism and education.

Steve, On the 'Net (22:08, April 22):
It's all that formic acid from the ants. Has some weak anesthetic effect.

ANNIE, On the 'Net (22:07, April 22):
Sand from an ant hiil? Yuck

Michelle/Kevin, On the 'Net (22:08, April 22):
not all pregnancy advice sounds good<g>

Shawn Steele, Brisbane, Australia (22:11, April 22):
Are there any carniverous plants in Australia?

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Bribane Botanical Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha (22:11, April 22):
Yes, there are a number of sundew plants that live on insects such as flies. Other carniverous plants we have in the Gardens from Asian tropical countries.

Leslie W., On the 'Net (22:12, April 22):
I don't know the label "sundew"??

Michelle/Kevin, On the 'Net (22:13, April 22):
"sundew"???

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Bribane Botanical Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha (22:16, April 22):
Sundew is the common name for the carniverous plants in this area.

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Bribane Botanical Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha (22:13, April 22):
Sundew are quite small. It has a flower with small fingerlike petals with spots of sticky substance on the end. When the fly lands on the spots, the plant closes and dissolves the insect in its digestive juices. Its quite pretty actually.

Fey, On the 'Net (22:14, April 22):
are all Carnivorous Plants, in the same family? Like pitcher plants, Sundew, and Venus flytraps?

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Bribane Botanical Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha (22:22, April 22):
Fey, I don't think that all carniverous plants are in the same family, but I'm not an expert on carniverous plants.

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Bribane Botanical Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha (22:18, April 22):
Drosera peltata is the name for the Pale Sundew, which is one that grows near Brisbane. They like swamps and its a family of its own (Droseraceae)

Wendy, On the 'Net (22:15, April 22):
Does the Garden have a Web site?

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Bribane Botanical Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha (22:17, April 22):
The Gardens are working on a web site. I think they want to have it up in the next month. (ed note: TerraX.org will link to it when it becomes available.)

Wendy, On the 'Net (22:18, April 22):
Barbara, I love your fascinating facts. I bet you do cool tour in person! What are some other fun tidbits about "your" plants?

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Bribane Botanical Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha (22:21, April 22):
Wendy, each month we prepare a list of the flowering plants in the Gardens so that visitors can see the plants and find out their names and features. (ed note: there's a sample of the list on our the web site.)

Steve, On the 'Net (22:19, April 22):
Does the BBG have any cooperative research programs with the Missouri Botanical Garden, in St. Louis, Missouri?

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Bribane Botanical Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha (22:23, April 22):
Steve, we have seed exchange links with all the other Gardens, but not a research link.

Barbara Wintringham (typed by Shawn Steele), Bribane Botanical Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha (22:26, April 22):
Should any of you be visiting the Gardens, I would be happy to give you a personalized tour of the Gardens. Thank you all for coming to visit our place in Brisbane. I enjoyed the chat very much.

Shawn Steele, Brisbane, Australia (22:29, April 22):
That is all for this chat. Please join us again for our chat on the 28th in Tasmania. (That will be on the 27th for you Americans) It will be at 10:00 AM Tasmanian time. We'll post the American Times as soon as we can figure out what they are.

Editor's note: The following are comments that were made during the chat, not on the particular topic. Leslie W., On the 'Net (22:29, April 22):

Michelle, On the 'Net (20:41, April 22):
sorry we couldn't connect to meet Mr. Abraham we were disappointed, but loved returning to read the message boards!Keep up the great work!!

Leslie Petrs, On the 'Net (21:38, April 22):
Sorry I'm Late.. looks like a winner!!

Heather, On the 'Net (21:59, April 22):
That's great!!!! Thanks for the info.

Ana, someplace... (21:57, April 22):
Just thought I'd drop in to say hello, this is a neat site, and I'm finding it a fascinating place to learn from... :o) Keep it up!

Fey, On the 'Net (22:06, April 22):
Hello I Just wanted to say I love your site, and I Think what you all are doing is wonderful...

Michelle/Kevin, On the 'Net (21:51, April 22):
Barbara-- we are impressed you can keep up with this influx of questions!!

Steve, On the 'Net (22:23, April 22):
Barbara. Thank you very much for the delightful chat :o)

ANNIE, On the 'Net (22:10, April 22):
I have to run now.....enjoyed it!!!! This was great!!!!!

ty, On the 'Net (22:15, April 22):
just wanted to say I enjoy the group. thanks for being here.

Wendy, On the 'Net (22:18, April 22):
Barbara, I love your fascinating facts. I bet you do cool tour in person!

Michelle/Kevin, On the 'Net (22:18, April 22):
Barbara-- thanks for your patience in fielding all these varied questions!! we are greatful to meet you here...can't wait to walk through the gardens on our feet! =}

Leslie W., On the 'Net (22:21, April 22):
Barbara, Thanks for handling all our many questions. I'll hope for a tour through Mt. Coot-tha in the near future.