Gordonvale, Rhododenrons, Daffodils and Weeds in General

[frenchy_84]

This topic has been split from: Gordonvale: Some Old Photos

there was a rhododendron with a small purple flower and some of our party took cuttings to try to nstrike..

its still there and massive

[stepbystep]

there was a rhododendron with a small purple flower and some of our party took cuttings to try to nstrike..

its still there and massive

....as in bigger than the hut, probably should be removed..???

[whynotwalk]

....as in bigger than the hut, probably should be removed..???

Cheeky Dan

Actually Gordonvale is still excised from the World Heritage Area, and (I think) the national park. So rhodies suddenly become okay

There's also a big old walnut tree there ... and the odd post with a bit of rail nearby,

cheers

Peter

[doogs]

there was a rhododendron with a small purple flower and some of our party took cuttings to try to nstrike..

its still there and massive

....as in bigger than the hut, probably should be removed..???

I have to agree as they are an invasive and toxic species. They are the number one pest species in Scotland (well kinda the English are number 1). Listen to the voice of doom, get rid of them now before it's too late..........

[frenchy_84]

i think it should go, but i dont think (unqualified view... im not a botanist) its an evasive issue becuase there is only the 1 and it needs another plant to cross polinate with and produce little rhododendron babies

[stepbystep]

....as in bigger than the hut, probably should be removed..???

Cheeky Dan

Actually Gordonvale is still excised from the World Heritage Area, and (I think) the national park. So rhodies suddenly become okay

There's also a big old walnut tree there ... and the odd post with a bit of rail nearby,

cheers

Peter

Tongue was in cheek Peter.

I thought it was a feature, on one of my visits there were plenty of Ernie's daffodils blooming also, the relics are also a feature and should remain until they are swallowed by the rainforest. Probably a lot of souvenir's have been removed over time.

I guess if it started to become invasive then something may need to be done, as it is, it's a tangible link to a time past, should we dig up Deny King's garden while we are at it?

It would be nice to have a section in the gallery for these sorts of images, to collect them as an archive, one for Pedder, Gordonale, Adamsfield etc..??

[Son of a Beach]

rhodos actually poison the soil to outcompete other nearby plants. Do they need another plant to reproduce? Many plants do not. They are a dangerously invasive plant.

I'm not saying that it must be removed, but just that it should be at least monitored and removal should be considered.

[ILUVSWTAS]

Yeh i'd agree. David Attenborough rates them as one of the most harmful species on the planet.

[Son of a Beach]

Very pretty flowers though. I noticed that they were all removed from the Cataract Gorge Reserve recently, where there had been extensive beds of them.

[doogs]

Very pretty flowers though. I noticed that they were all removed from the Cataract Gorge Reserve recently, where there had been extensive beds of them.

And deadly nightshade is a pretty plant too. A friend worked for the forestry in scotland and I knew never to bring the subject of rhodies up with him unless I wanted to listen to a hour long rant. Get rid of it all (my personal opinion).

[frenchy_84]

A friend worked for the forestry in scotland .

There is such a thing?

[doogs]

Pine plantations! But my friend when not planting trees was eradicating rhodedendrons.

[frenchy_84]

arent pines, weeds and bad for the soil as well?

[Son of a Beach]

Very pretty flowers though. I noticed that they were all removed from the Cataract Gorge Reserve recently, where there had been extensive beds of them.

And deadly nightshade is a pretty plant too. A friend worked for the forestry in scotland and I knew never to bring the subject of rhodies up with him unless I wanted to listen to a hour long rant. Get rid of it all (my personal opinion).

Yes, I would very much prefer to get rid of all the rhodo from the state (country!) completely. They should be treated as a noxious weed, in my opinion.

We get deadly nightshade in our garden. Hard to eliminate when living in a semi-rural area, so I have to try to educate the kids that those nice-looking berries should never be touched.

A friend worked for the forestry in scotland .

There is such a thing?

Yes, forestry in Scotland (from what I remember) is more about re-establishing forests than harvesting them. I'm sure Doogs will correct me, if I'm wrong. Certainly the only forests I saw over there were plantations, and none of them looked very old.

[doogs]

Fair call. I just don't want the hillsides covered with rhodies. But then again it might make a few scrubby peaks easier!

[gayet]

Quick note - you can't rip out every rhodo in Aus 'cause some of them are natives - vireya species are native to the northern ranges of QLD and elsewhere I think.

[taswegian]

where does one start with weeds? I was of understanding any bit of plant life outside its native place of origin is a weed.

One of the problems we often face is 'heritage value'. (not referring to 'World Heritage' adjacent)
Hawthorns etc!! In this case one could probably cite similar for Rhodo's in that environ.
Personally I'd prefer they were removed and thus prevented from inroads into the wider area. But the walnut tree? Food for the hungry?
Look at what gorse is doing if any examples are needed.

[Son of a Beach]

where does one start with weeds? I was of understanding any bit of plant life outside its native place of origin is a weed.

I think it refers more to a non-native species which is out of control - ie, not contained, or not able to be contained, in its distribution.

[north-north-west]

There are bigger weed issues in Tassie than one rhododendron (however large) in one isolated and less than pristine location.
Launcestonians, for instance.

OOOOOpps. Sorry Nik, I forgot myself for a moment.

[walkinTas]

rhodos actually poison the soil to out compete other nearby plants.

A lot of plants do this Nik, even species of Eucalyptus. Its called allelopathy and its surprisingly common.

Do they need another plant to reproduce? Many plants do not.

Rhododendron are capable of selfing so one plant will do. In the British Isles the problem is not sexual reproduction (at least not for rhododendrons). There the plants sucker and rapidly form dense thickets.

They are a dangerously invasive plant.

Rhododendron ponticum is the major invasive species in Britain - and incidentally it has purple flowers. It was introduced into the British Isles in the Victorian era. R. ponticum has been cultivated in this State for probably close too 100 years. Rhododendrons have not shown themselves to be invasive in Tasmania. I believe that there are a couple of species that have "naturalised" in small populations in the Dandenongs (VIC) and in the Blue Mountains (NSW), but I don't think these are considered as dangerous infestations. If they were spreading by suckering that would be a worry. Recent research (Dr Andrew Hingston, University of Tasmania, May 2006) has reported larger numbers of seedlings at locations in western Tasmania (I don't have specifics). It has been suggested that this can be attributed to the introduction of the bumblebee into Tasmania. So, it would appear that the jury is still out on this question.

[doogs]

I have to agree with NNW, that's pretty self incriminating on Niks behalf:)

[walkinTas]

Yes, I would very much prefer to get rid of all the rhodo from the state (country!) completely. They should be treated as a noxious weed, in my opinion.

Very sweeping statement. Rhododendron is a very diverse genus of plants ranging from tiny alpine ground covers to massive forest trees. It includes tropic epiphytes (vireyas) and the azaleas. There are two Australian native species, Rhododendron lochiae and Rhododendron viriosum (so hardly noxious weeds).

It is unfair to lump all Rhododendrons as a problem because of one or two species. That's probably true a lot of weeds - just because one species is a weed, doesn't mean the whole genus is a problem.

[corvus]

Amidst the paranoia about Rhodos just how many are there at Gordonvale ? and have they spread ?
corvus

[billshep]

As has been pointed out,there are of course many species of rhododendron world wide, not all of them invasive.Ranging from dwarf alpine species to forest giants. The rhodo which is causing problems in Scotland is Rhododendron Ponticum, from Pontus on the southern shore of the Black sea. If Ernie's rhodo was a ponticum it would probably have spread far and wide by now over the Vale. The exotics at Gordonvale are part of our heritage , planted before the cult of eco fascism!
I was last at Gordonvale around 1965, when it was still habitable.
Bill Shepherd

[north-north-west]

The exotics at Gordonvale are part of our heritage , planted before the cult of eco fascism!

It's called 'bio-diversity'. Trying to preserve the different species in their natural habitat. We could eliminate every single cat, sheep, cow, pig, goat, camel, rabbit etc in this country and there would still be plenty of them elsewhere in the world, in environments where they evolved. Ditto introduced plants. But remember why we no longer have Thylacines?

For the record, slavery is also part of our 'heritage'.

[Son of a Beach]

There was a time when there were only a small number of scotch thistles, gorse bushes, blackberries in Tasmania too. The were planted long before the times of "eco facism".

Like I said earlier, I don't think the rhododendron at Gordonvale must be removed (although that would be my preference), however, I would think it would be prudent to keep an eye on the area. Removing it would of course mean that there would be no need to be concerned further about it.

[Son of a Beach]

There are bigger weed issues in Tassie than one rhododendron (however large)

Being the lesser of two evils is no reason to ignore a problem, surely? In fact, in this particular case, if it was decided that it actually was a problem, at least this would be a problem that could actually be tackled in a practical sense. The more significant of Tasmania's weed problems are probably beyond any possible control. (especially the Launcestonians)

in one isolated and less than pristine location.

The location within a few metres may not be pristine, but it's rather close to some of the most pristine areas in Tasmania.

Again, I'm not saying that this is a problem. Just that I'm not entirely convinced that it's not a problem.

Launcestonians, for instance.

OOOOOpps. Sorry Nik, I forgot myself for a moment.

No problem. I'm a banana bender.

[robl]

I agree also with NNW re single rhodie.
People should be worrying about the arum lilies and vinca on Maria Island.
I mentioned the matter to staff and they said "contact the volunteers". On the S Coast of NSW these weeds are everywhere.
A few daffs, jonquils, rhodies, etc are a pleasure and will not spread uncontrollably, if at all.
We should think about the real weeds.

[walkinTas]

If Ernie's rhodo was a ponticum it would probably have spread far and wide by now over the Vale

Sorry Bill, but I don't think this is true. I don't know of any examples of rhododendrons spreading or behaving like weeds anywhere in Tasmania. Other than the above mentioned study on bumblebees I can't find any references or suggestion that there might even be a possible problem in Tassie (and he was much more concerned with the bumblebees). If you know some where that rhododendrons have become a weed please let us know. As far as I know, R. ponticum has been cultivated in this State for a long time. I'm not aware of any evidence that R. ponticum or any other rhododendron behaves like a weed here. They don't get a mention on any official weed lists that I've seen. Without evidence it is a non issue - rhododendrons are not currently considered a weed in Tasmania.

Take a look at the real environmental weeds, and the weed index. If you see any of these at Ernie's place, then you really should be concerned.

[ILUVSWTAS]

Im with WT.
Bumblebees are a huge pest and causing havoc to our native flowers which in turns effects our native bees AND the swift parrot!! They are SO big they fly inyo a flower and bummble around collecting their nectar because of their size they often destroy the flower so the above mentioned species cannot have their fill!!!

I kill them on sight.

Also anyone who has been to the Gordon Dam may have seen large patches of blackberry starting to spread!!! right on the doorstep to places like the Prince of Wales Range, Frankland Range etc etc.. the most wildest remote areas in Tasmania!! Can you imagine if Blackberrys spread into these areas?? Baeura and Scorparia would seem nice to push through...