Xanthorrhoea Grass trees epitomise the Australian bush: they’re beautiful, ancient, hardy, thrive in nutrient-poor soils and respond to wildfire by flowering profusely. Grasstrees are iconic plants, recognisable even to budding botanists. All 66 species are only found in Australia.

Distinguished Professor Emeritus Byron Lamont, will be sharing his expert knowledge of these plants as we walk in the Star Swamp, a 96 hectare Class-A reserve It is located 15 km north of Perth and comprises four hectares of semi-permanent freshwater lake with paperbark trees and 92 hectares of Banksia, Tuart, Jarrah and Marri woodlands, and areas of low heath. The Reserve is a declared Bush Forever site [no. 204] that has been set aside for the purposes of conservation, passive recreation and education.  It is a remnant of the once extensive chain of wetland lakes and swamps which filled low-lying areas between ancient sand dunes.

Meet at the Henderson Environment Centre,  at 9:45am for 10 am start.

Bring along camera, wear clothing and footwear suitable for the environment.

Adult and Seniors Guests : gold coin,  members of WA Naturalists Club . Young Naturalists members, or their guests are free.

Byron B Lamont is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus in Plant Ecology. He has published over 350 papers and reviews on plant ecology, biogeography, evolutionary ecology, population dynamics and genetics, and ecophysiology, focusing on the unique flora of southwestern Australia. Main interests are fire ecology, plant responses to poor soils and drought, plant evolution in response to fire and drought, patterns and processes in species-rich shrublands, herbivory, pollination, species migration, and conservation of rare flora.
He was listed in the top 0.03% for publication impacts among 7 million researchers in 2019. Sixth most highly cited researcher among the two million authors who have published papers about fire in the period 2011 to 2021.

For more information  please contact Arlene Quinn 0447466238