Pepperina (Schinus molle) A small tree to 8m tall with a drooping habit and soft feathery leaves. Previously popular as a garden ornamental in inland areas, it is now naturalised in some areas of southern Queensland. The tree is quite resinous and aromatic, especially noticeable when the leaves are crushed. The flowers [...]
Rhubarb (Rheum) A large-leaved perennial herb to 1m and up to 1m across, often cultivated in home vegetable gardens. The stems are edible once cooked, often sweetened to make them more palatable. Small flowers are green to white clustered on erect stems. The large, dull green leaves are three-veined from the [...]
Plumbago (Plumbago auriculata) A scrambling semi-climber or shrub popular as a garden ornamental to 2m tall often used as a hedge specimen. The blue or white flowers are tubular with 5 petals or lobes, have glandular sticky hairs and are held in short spikes or racemes at the ends [...]
Pineapple zamia (Lepidozamia) Palm-like plants generally larger than the Macrozamia species with broader, more lethery leaflets. The leaflets are 10-35cm long and 40-60cm wide. The leaflets are attached to the upper side of the stalk or rachis, near the midline. The leaflets have parallel veins and no midrib. Toxicity category: 2, 4 [...]
Petty spurge (Euphorbia peplus) A small annual herb up to 40cm high, comprising a main central stem with branching towards the base. A common weed around buildings, gardens and disturbed areas. The flowers (cyathia) are small and insignificant; yellowish-green in colour, held in leafy bunches. The thin, soft leaves are [...]
Peruvian lily (Alstroemeria) A clumping, perennial herbaceous plant to 1m high with underground tubers. Commonly grown as a garden ornamental. The funnel shaped flowers have six petals with the inner three usually darker or with streaks. The flowers are 4-5cm in diameter and held in loose clusters at the end [...]
Periwinkle (pink or white) (Catharanthus roseus) Small garden perennial growing up to 100cm. The flowers are about 3cm across with a slender tube that expands into 5 broad rounded petals. The most common form is bright pink with a slightly darker centre. There is also a white variety. The leaves [...]
Yellow staining mushroom (Agaricus xanthodermus) The slender stem is white or yellowish, swollen and often hollow at the base, and usually with a membranous white or yellowish ring at the top. When attempting to identify this agaric, it is best to pick the whole fruiting body, stem intact, of mature, but not over-mature, [...]
Pink oleander (Nerium oleander) An ornamental shrub to 4m, often with many slender stems from the ground. Dwarf, double-flowered and variegated varieties are now popular. The perfumed flowers are pink, red, white or apricot, 4–5cm across with five spreading petals, and are usually clustered at the end of the branches. The [...]
Stinkhorn fungi These fungi produce a dark brown to black slime containing spores on their surface, which has an intense smell of rotting meat or sewage. They are very common on wood or bark-chip mulch in gardens, and on deep litter on the rainforest floor. There are a number of differently shaped [...]
