Wednesday, January 09, 2013
Mark and Gaz
One of the benefits of visiting botanical glasshouses is that you get a glimpse of far flung places via their flora.
As the third and final feature on our recent visit to the glasshouses of Jardin des Plantes in Paris,we now take a look at the Glasshouse of the flora of New Caledonia.
New Caledonia is a group of several islands east of Australia in the southwest Pacific Ocean, and is a special collectivity of France. Reading more about this exotic and seldom heard of French territory (well by us at least), when it was first sighted by British Captain James Cook, he gave the name New Caledonia as the northeast island reminded him of Scotland (really?). Despite being first sighted and missionaries sent by the British, the administration of the islands were eventually taken over by the French and it has remained their territory ever since.
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| A small glasshouse but impressive nevertheless! |
The climate of the islands are generally tropical but according to the information stand within the glasshouse, the plants were collected and represent its five sub-climactic regions: rainforest, dry forest, mining scrub, savanna, and a mangrove region. Sounds like this group of islands is a plant hunter's dream: remote, different climactic regions, diverse flora, and perhaps there are plenty more plants out there that are still waiting to be discovered.
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| Meryta denhamii - with Gaz for scale |
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Meryta denhamii - we are more familiar with its cousin Meryta sinclairii where
a large one can be found thriving in Tresco Abbey Gardens |
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| Schefflera polydactylis |
And this little glasshouse has given us a taster of what sort of plants can be found there, many of which we have never seen in any other glasshouse and botanic gardens we've visited before and so are new to us.
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| Another shot of Schefflera polydactylis |
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| The conifer in the middle especially caught my eye - Araucaria scopulorum |
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| Retrophyllum minor |
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| Cyathea intermedia |
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| Attractocarpus heterophyllus |
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| And a close-up of its flower - Attractocarpus heterophyllus |
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| My favourite conifer in the glasshouse - Araucaria rulei |
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| Araucaria rulei |
A little glasshouse but full of plant treasures! Who knows, maybe one day we'll actually get to visit these group of islands and see some of these flora in the flesh growing in their natural habitat. So many wonderful places out there and so little time, but one can daydream!
Mark :-)
This gardening blog follows our journey as we create our Tropical and Exotic themed garden. We hope you'll enjoy the journey as much as we do. We started our Exotic Garden in 2005 and this site will show its development, as well as our travels, both abroad and within the UK to gardens, nurseries and friends.
I LOVE that Araucaria rulei Lovely plant, the foliage is gorgeous. The last couple shots I really like the look of everything together.
ReplyDeleteCher Sunray Gardens
That conifer is lovely isn't it? :)
DeleteEven though it's a lot closer to me than you, I've never been to New Caledonia either, though I would love to one day.
ReplyDeleteI thought of you when I was writing this post! :)
DeleteIt seems like the flora of that region is right up your alley! I love the tree ferns, which I adore pretty much wherever I encounter them. The Araucarias are really cool, too, though.
ReplyDeleteIt is! Very temperate looking plants rather than tropical :)
DeleteWow, such interesting plants! It would be fabulous if you visited New Caledonia as your posts about the plants would keep us all entertained for quite some time! Happy Thursday!
ReplyDeleteApparently the beaches there are superb, so if we do go we may find that just relaxing by the sea will take priority....nah! :)
DeleteHope that you get the opportunity to island hop one of these days :)
ReplyDeleteHope so too! Not in the near future but maybe someday, who knows? :)
DeleteOh dear I am so ignorant I thought New Caledonia was somewhere over Canada way!! I also found it strange seeing conifers in a glasshouse. Thanks for sharing very educational
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! Most people wouldn't know where these islands are, or even have heard of it before too. I can imagine the French will be much more familiar with this place :)
DeleteI'm with you - I had no idea where I would place New Caledonia on a map. I have really enjoyed meeting these plants through your photos and I must confess that after a very chilly morning outside, just looking at these plants has warmed me up.
ReplyDeleteYou absolutely HAVE to visit these islands - your readers demand it!
We would love to go....Maybe one day we will get the chance
DeleteAh, that explains the Caledonian connection. Not Scottish plants after all! Bowled over by the roof. Glass houses like this are puzzling. They are so beautiful one feels as if the building should be enough in its own right - . . . but, on the contrary, they are not complete without palms and ferns. Architecture and flora very much hand in hand.
ReplyDeleteIndeed Lucy! Some glasshouses are architectural and worth looking at in its own right. One of these gorgeous glasshouses that springs to mind is the Crystal Palace in Madrid, which is now an exhibition centre rather than housing tender plants. Another stunning one is at the Glasgow Botanic Gardens which we have yet to visit :)
DeleteI think you would like http://whathokew.blogspot.co.uk/ a blog by a very entertaining chap who is on placement at Kew. You may already know of his blog but I couldn't see it in your list!
ReplyDeleteThanks Martin, I'll have a look :)
DeleteI always thought New Caledonia was under British rule; didn't know it was under French. How do you guys remember all these scientific names of plants?Yes, so many places but no money or time :-(.
ReplyDeleteHi KL, I'm good at remembering some but not all. The islands does sound British but it is very much a French territory indeed :)
DeleteI can actually visualize you and Gaz's eyes opening widely with awe at those plants, because they seem to be included in those you are collecting! Am I right! The big leaves, big flowers, etc,etc, oh i am sure in a little while there is that Attractocarpus in your garden. Is it really that or Artocarpus?
ReplyDeleteHi Andrea, some of the ones we collect look similar but not the same. Most of the ones we saw there we haven't seen anywhere else. It's a lovely glasshouse, small but very nice :)
DeleteConifers in a glasshouse. Like Helen this puzzles me, but that Araucaria rulei is lovely. Add that I too had no idea the French had a colony there so misnamed, and consider me educated! Hope you get to visit in person so that we can armchair travel with you.
ReplyDeleteIt does look strange at first Janet, seeing conifers under glass but I presume they are will be as tender as Norfolk Island Pine. The plants in there look more temperate than tropical which made the glasshouse more fascinating :)
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