Resedaceae, Rhamnaceae & Rosaceae

DICOTYLEDONS

RESEDACEAE - Mignonette Family

A family of about 70 species of Northern Hemisphere annual and perennial herbs or small shrubs. Three species are naturalised in Western Australia. Reseda(mignonettes) are annual or perennial herbs with flowers grouped in slender terminal spike-like inflorescences. The delicate flowers have a variable number of lobed petals and a mass of drooping stamens. The fruit is a capsule.
R. alba(white mignonette) is an erect perennial with branching stems and pinnately-lobed leaves with up to 10 lobes. The white flowers are produced in early winter. It prefers calcareous soil and grows in near-coastal wasteland from Geraldton to Rottnest Island. Native to the Mediterranean. R. lutea(wild mignonette) is a bushy biennial with pinnately-lobed leaves having usually no more than five lobes. The flowers are yellow and are produced in late spring. Prefers calcareous soils and is a weed of roadsides and wasteland in the south-west. Native of the Mediterranean and into Asia. R. luteola(weld, dyer's rocket) is an erect, short-lived perennial to 1.5m with entire, lanceolate leaves. The flowers are yellowish-green and are produced in early summer. Once cultivated to provide dye. A weed of roadsides and wasteland from Geraldton to Manjimup. Native from Europe through to Afghanistan.

Reseda lutea, GK

RHAMNACEAE - Buckthorn Family

A cosmopolitan family of shrubs and small trees, with simple leaves and petals often hooded over the stamens. Many cultivated for ornamental purposes. Western Australia has 62 native and two naturalised species. Rhamnus alaternus (buckthorn) is a shrub or small tree to 5m, with shiny dark green, toothed, ovate leaves. The flowers are small, pale green, in spikes in the leaf axils; male and female flowers are on separate trees. The fruits are red and succulent and dispersed by birds. Naturalised on Rottnest Island, the Swan River cliffs, in the Helena Valley and at Harvey. Potentially a serious weed of disturbed bushland. Native to the Mediterranean.

Rhamnus alaternus, GK

Ziziphus mauritiana(Chinese date, Indian jujube) DP is a small spreading tree with opposite, round, strongly-veined leaves. The stems have large thorns. The flowers are green and inconspicuous, but have a scent (described by some people as "like violets" but by others as "like pig manure"!). The fruit is brown when mature, lozenge-shaped, 3cm long and has firm white flesh with a woody stone. It is planted for the fruit, that may be eaten raw or pickled, and is naturalised at Broome and Derby. Native to Asia.

Ziziphus mauritiana, RR

ROSACEAE - Rose Family

A family of about 3000 trees, shrubs and herbs, cosmopolitan, but concentrated in northern temperate regions. Many species have been introduced as ornamental plants, or for their edible fruit and they may persist after cultivation ceases. Often a cloud of almond or pear blossom in spring, or a riot of rambling roses, is all that marks the site of an old garden. However, 19 species are truly naturalised in Western Australia, two may possibly be native, but the rest are certainly introduced. Acaena(sheep's burr) are shade-loving perennial herbs with pinnate leaves and inconspicuous flowers in a terminal head or spike. They are often difficult to tell apart. A. agnipila is a robust, erect perennial to 50cm. The leaves are covered with fine, silky hairs and each leaflet is round-toothed. The flowers are in elongated interrupted spikes and the fruits have spines of more or less equal length. Recorded in disturbed woodland in the Stirling Range and the Darling Range near Perth. A. echinata(sheep's burr) is an erect perennial very similar to A. agnipila (and may, indeed, be the same species) with flowers in elongated interrupted spikes but the upper surface of the leaves is hairless. The fruits have longitudinal ridges and unequal spines, barbed at the tip. Widespread in the south-west and the Darling Scarp and Range. Native to eastern Australia, they may both also be native to Western Australia. A. novae-zelandiae(biddy biddy, bidgee-widgee, pirri-pirri burr) is a rather different plant. It is a creeping, stoloniferous perennial with flowers in dense globular heads, each with four long soft barbed spines that develop into fruits with spines from 1-2cm long. It is a weed of creek and river banks in the wetter south-west. Native to eastern Australia.

Acaena echinata, GK

Aphanes arvensis(parsley-piert) is a smaller, more delicate plant than the Acaena species. It is a slender, spreading, slightly hairy annual growing to 10cm tall in favourable conditions. The leaves are grey-green and deeply lobed into threes. The stipules form a cup around the stem, in which the tiny green flowers are produced during spring. A weed of lawns and disturbed sites near Perth and also recently recorded at Pemberton. Native to Europe. Cotoneasterare evergreen shrubs or small trees from the temperate Northern Hemisphere with simple untoothed leaves. The flowers grow in clusters on short lateral shoots, followed by berries. They are planted for the ornamental quality of both the flowers and the fruits and the seed is spread by birds. C. glaucophyllus forms a many-stemmed shrub to 3m, the stems often arching. It produces sprays of white flowers in early summer followed by red berries. The rounded leaves are up to 8cm long. A garden escape, it occurs on road verges from Busselton to Albany. C. pannosus is a very similar plant best distinguished by its much smaller leaves, that seldom exceed 3cm in length. It is common in the Darling Range near Perth and spreading along roadsides between Perth and Albany. Many fruit trees persist around settlements, but the loquat, Eriobotrya japonica,has naturalised in the Darling Range near Perth. It is a small sturdy tree with large, stiff, elliptic, leathery leaves and new growth covered with rusty hairs. It produces sprays of white flowers in autumn, followed by yellow fruit in winter. Native to China.

Cotoneaster pannosus, PH

Prunus(plums)are trees or shrubs with simple, toothed leaves and clusters of white flowers in early spring followed by a fleshy fruit with a hard stone. Almonds, apricots, cherries, peaches, plums and nectarines have all been planted and may persist in old gardens, as may flowering cherries. Only one species seems to be truly naturalised, P. cerasifera, the cherry-plum. This is the stock used for grafting other plums and is the most likely to persist around old settlements. It is a slender tree to 8m, naturalised in karri forest.

Rosa(rose, briar) are prickly deciduous shrubs, often sprawling in habit. They have pinnate leaves with three to seven leaflets. Wild roses have five petals, cultivated varieties may have many more. The fruit - the rose hip - becomes scarlet when ripe. Roses have been cultivated in China, the Middle East and Europe for at least 5000 years, and many different cultivars have been brought into Western Australia. Many persist at old settlement sites, but only those nearest in character to the original wild species appear to have naturalised. All are scrambling shrubs that can form dense thorny thickets. Two of the naturalised roses have five-petalled pink flowers produced in early summer. R. canina (dog rose) has pink or white flowers to 4cm in size, with smooth flower stalks. It usually has five leaflets, each with a pointed tip. It is found in the wetter south-west and the Porongorups. R. rubiginosa (sweet briar) also has pink or white flowers but the flower stalk is spiny. It has five to seven leaflets, each with a more rounded tip. Found along roadsides and river valleys from Harvey to Dardanup and also at other settlement sites in the wetter south-west. Both are originally native to Europe.

R. canina , RR

Two garden hybrids between Asian species are also naturalised. R. chinensis x moschata (manetti rose, noisette rose) has deep pink or red flowers, each with many petals, produced in terminal sprays. It normally has three to five leaflets, and the leaf stalk has a few sticky hairs. The rambler rose, R. chinensis x multiflora, has similar but slightly smaller pink or red flowers, leaves with five to seven leaflets and hairier leaf stalks. Both are found occasionally along roadsides and old settlements in the south-west and flower from spring into early summer. A rampant scrambler along creeklines around the Nannup region is R. laevigata (Cherokee rose). It has white flowers in spring, followed by a bristly fruit, and is originally from America.

R. chinensis x moschata , PH

Rubus (blackberry, bramble), all DP and PP,are prickly perennial shrubs, introduced to Western Australia from Europe for their fruit, that have become serious creekline weeds. Their stems sprawl and root where they touch the ground, forming dense, impenetrable thickets. New plants are spread from seeds carried by birds and foxes. All species have white flowers in late spring followed by red fruits ripening black in summer. The genus is very variable and the taxonomy is very confused, so it is often difficult to allocate plants to a particular species. (Most blackberries are often simply called R. fruticosus and for most purposes that is probably sufficient identification.) R. hilliihas simple palmately lobed leaves. It is found in creeks in the Perth area. R. discolorhas pinnate leaves with a white-hairy undersurface. The stems are light brown or purple. It grows in creeks and disturbed forestry areas from Perth to Albany, and is the dominant weedy blackberry in Western Australia. R. selmeri also has pinnate leaves but with a green undersurface. It is found growing in creeks and swamps from Perth to Albany. Like R. discolor, R. ulmifolius has pinnate leaves with a white-hairy undersurface, but in this species the stems have a white scaly covering. It grows along creeks, in swamps and on granite rocks from Perth to Albany. R. ursinus (loganberry, boysenberry) is easily distinguished as it has narrow, straight spines on its stems, unlike the curved prickles found on brambles. It grows near old settlements from Pinjarra to Albany and flowers in early summer.

Rubusdiscolor, PH

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A family of about 3000 trees, shrubs and herbs, cosmopolitan, but concentrated in northern temperate regions. Many species have been introduced as ornamental plants, or for their edible fruit and they may persist after cultivation ceases. Often a cloud of almond or pear blossom in spring, or a riot of rambling roses, is all that marks the site of an old garden. However, 19 species are truly naturalised in Western Australia, two may possibly be native, but the rest are certainly introduced. *Acaena(sheep's burr) are shade-loving perennial herbs with pinnate leaves and inconspicuous flowers in a terminal head or spike. They are often difficult to tell apart. A. agnipila* is a robust, erect perennial to 50cm. The leaves are covered with fine, silky hairs and each leaflet is round-toothed. The flowers are in elongated interrupted spikes and the fruits have spines of more or less equal length. Recorded in disturbed woodland in the Stirling Range and the Darling Range near Perth. *A. echinata(sheep's burr) is an erect perennial very similar to A. agnipila* (and may, indeed, be the same species) with flowers in elongated interrupted spikes but the upper surface of the leaves is hairless. The fruits have longitudinal ridges and unequal spines, barbed at the tip. Widespread in the south-west and the Darling Scarp and Range. Native to eastern Australia, they may both also be native to Western Australia. *A. novae-zelandiae*(biddy biddy, bidgee-widgee, pirri-pirri burr) is a rather different plant. It is a creeping, stoloniferous perennial with flowers in dense globular heads, each with four long soft barbed spines that develop into fruits with spines from 1-2cm long. It is a weed of creek and river banks in the wetter south-west. Native to eastern Australia.	*Acaena* *echinata*, GK
*Aphanes arvensis(parsley-piert) is a smaller, more delicate plant than the Acaena* species. It is a slender, spreading, slightly hairy annual growing to 10cm tall in favourable conditions. The leaves are grey-green and deeply lobed into threes. The stipules form a cup around the stem, in which the tiny green flowers are produced during spring. A weed of lawns and disturbed sites near Perth and also recently recorded at Pemberton. Native to Europe. *Cotoneasterare evergreen shrubs or small trees from the temperate Northern Hemisphere with simple untoothed leaves. The flowers grow in clusters on short lateral shoots, followed by berries. They are planted for the ornamental quality of both the flowers and the fruits and the seed is spread by birds. C. glaucophyllus* forms a many-stemmed shrub to 3m, the stems often arching. It produces sprays of white flowers in early summer followed by red berries. The rounded leaves are up to 8cm long. A garden escape, it occurs on road verges from Busselton to Albany. *C. pannosus* is a very similar plant best distinguished by its much smaller leaves, that seldom exceed 3cm in length. It is common in the Darling Range near Perth and spreading along roadsides between Perth and Albany. Many fruit trees persist around settlements, but the loquat, *Eriobotrya japonica*,has naturalised in the Darling Range near Perth. It is a small sturdy tree with large, stiff, elliptic, leathery leaves and new growth covered with rusty hairs. It produces sprays of white flowers in autumn, followed by yellow fruit in winter. Native to China.	*Cotoneaster pannosus*, PH
*Prunus(plums)are trees or shrubs with simple, toothed leaves and clusters of white flowers in early spring followed by a fleshy fruit with a hard stone. Almonds, apricots, cherries, peaches, plums and nectarines have all been planted and may persist in old gardens, as may flowering cherries. Only one species seems to be truly naturalised, P. cerasifera, the cherry-plum. This is the stock used for grafting other plums and is the most likely to persist around old settlements. It is a slender tree to 8m, naturalised in karri forest. Rosa(rose, briar) are prickly deciduous shrubs, often sprawling in habit. They have pinnate leaves with three to seven leaflets. Wild roses have five petals, cultivated varieties may have many more. The fruit - the rose hip - becomes scarlet when ripe. Roses have been cultivated in China, the Middle East and Europe for at least 5000 years, and many different cultivars have been brought into Western Australia. Many persist at old settlement sites, but only those nearest in character to the original wild species appear to have naturalised. All are scrambling shrubs that can form dense thorny thickets. Two of the naturalised roses have five-petalled pink flowers produced in early summer. R. canina* (dog rose) has pink or white flowers to 4cm in size, with smooth flower stalks. It usually has five leaflets, each with a pointed tip. It is found in the wetter south-west and the Porongorups. *R. rubiginosa* (sweet briar) also has pink or white flowers but the flower stalk is spiny. It has five to seven leaflets, each with a more rounded tip. Found along roadsides and river valleys from Harvey to Dardanup and also at other settlement sites in the wetter south-west. Both are originally native to Europe.	*R. canina* , RR
Two garden hybrids between Asian species are also naturalised. *R. chinensis* x moschata (manetti rose, noisette rose) has deep pink or red flowers, each with many petals, produced in terminal sprays. It normally has three to five leaflets, and the leaf stalk has a few sticky hairs. The rambler rose, *R. chinensis* x multiflora, has similar but slightly smaller pink or red flowers, leaves with five to seven leaflets and hairier leaf stalks. Both are found occasionally along roadsides and old settlements in the south-west and flower from spring into early summer. A rampant scrambler along creeklines around the Nannup region is *R. laevigata* (Cherokee rose). It has white flowers in spring, followed by a bristly fruit, and is originally from America.	*R. chinensis* x moschata , PH
*Rubus (blackberry, bramble), all DP and PP,are prickly perennial shrubs, introduced to Western Australia from Europe for their fruit, that have become serious creekline weeds. Their stems sprawl and root where they touch the ground, forming dense, impenetrable thickets. New plants are spread from seeds carried by birds and foxes. All species have white flowers in late spring followed by red fruits ripening black in summer. The genus is very variable and the taxonomy is very confused, so it is often difficult to allocate plants to a particular species. (Most blackberries are often simply called R. fruticosus* and for most purposes that is probably sufficient identification.) *R. hilliihas simple palmately lobed leaves. It is found in creeks in the Perth area. R. discolorhas pinnate leaves with a white-hairy undersurface. The stems are light brown or purple. It grows in creeks and disturbed forestry areas from Perth to Albany, and is the dominant weedy blackberry in Western Australia. R. selmeri* also has pinnate leaves but with a green undersurface. It is found growing in creeks and swamps from Perth to Albany. Like R. discolor, *R. ulmifolius* has pinnate leaves with a white-hairy undersurface, but in this species the stems have a white scaly covering. It grows along creeks, in swamps and on granite rocks from Perth to Albany. *R. ursinus* (loganberry, boysenberry) is easily distinguished as it has narrow, straight spines on its stems, unlike the curved prickles found on brambles. It grows near old settlements from Pinjarra to Albany and flowers in early summer.	*Rubu*sdiscolor, PH