Alphitonia
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Seedlings like the one shown here germinate during the warmer months in pots, in driveways, flowerbeds and roof gutters, in fact anywhere where there is a seeding tree nearby. They grow well if they are potted at this stage, before the roots get too long.
Red ash, Alphitonia excelsa, is a pioneer rainforest tree,. This means that it is hardy enough to survive under hot sun with little shade, although frost will cut it to the ground. Its seeds are long- lived in the ground and are stimulated to germinate when a dense canopy of privet is cleared and the soil exposed to the sun. It is one of the first species to germinate outside the shade of established rainforest. Its seed leaves (cotyledons) are of a similar size and shape to those of the privets. However, those of red ash have sunken veins as in the photo on the left.
The sunken veins are even more obvious on the true leaves that appear after the cotyledons.
These seedlings were coming up in a forest track over summer. If they are excavated with a peterlever and potted up, it's easy to preserve their taproot. Older seedlings are more difficult to transplant, but it can work if you first cut the stems back to a single leaf.
More photos on the web:
Specific butterfly, Psychonotis caelius, Green-banded Blue.
Red ash are a key species in our rainforest regeneration because they grow quickly and provide shelter for more shade-loving species. The seedling on the extreme left is the exotic camphor laurel. If left, it will eventually crowd out native seedlings, so it's best to pull it out right now!
