Identifying Rainforest Plants of the Blackall Range: the Rainforest Rubiaceae

Whilst sipping on your quinine flavoured tonic water, or gulping down your coffee, you are enjoying products from the world’s fourth largest flowering plant family: Rubiaceae. Many of you will be familiar with exotic gardenias and pentas.  But in our local rainforests we have native gardenias, and Rubiaceae shrubs and vines, which are all vital food sources for our local birds, and can also be decorative features in our gardens and regeneration areas. 

Come and learn the identifying features of this family; become familiar with botanical terms such as “interpetiolar stipules”, “opposite and decussate leaves”, and “drupes”. Join Hilary Pearl and Rowena Thomas at the Barung Nursery for a two-hour workshop learning eight species of Rubiaceae from our local Blackall Range forests.    

We recommend you bring a pen, a torch (or a phone with a torch), and your own eye lens if you have one. Magnifying lenses and eye lenses will be available to use, and  worksheets will be supplied as we delve deep into this group of plants, with some fascinating relationships with ants, endophytes, and pollinators! We will finish with a walk in the Barung Seed Forest.  

Participation is limited to 15 places so please book in to attend!

Date: Saturday 05th July, 2025

Time: 9am start to 11am

Location: Barung Landcare Native Plant Nursery, Parkland Drive, Maleny 4552