Contributed by Ethan Mimnaugh, Mooloolah Landcare Nursery
WE are familiar with hybrids in our cars these days. The blend of the old and the new is a result of purposeful engineering and manufacturing. Nature does hybridisation in a different way. From the naturally occurring hybrids of the past and today, to the new arrivals and their hybridised offspring, it is a fascinating phenomena when two different species create a new type of organism together.
When a lion and a tiger create offspring together, the resulting children are infertile. These means that they cannot pass on their own genes, and create new populations of ligers or tions. Many plants do not have this same issue. Plants from the same genus will often create viable offspring, that can themselves establish their own hybrid populations.
On the Sunshine Coast, there have been naturally occurring hybrids found in areas where different ecosystems meet, or where geological and climactic activity is blending once more distinct ecosystems. The Bastard Mahogany (Eucalyptus tereticornis x robusta) is a good example of this. This tree occurs where the two species overlap, and can have a variety of barks as one parent tree has smooth bark, while the other, a stringy-bark.
Another naturally occurring hybrid is the Hibiscus splendens x heterophyllus. These plants can have a variety of flowers, reflecting the differences between one parent’s white flowers with purple centres, and the other’s pastel pink.
Not all hybrids are a boost to natural variety. Some hybrids can outcompete their parents, and when those populations are already in danger, it can become dangerous. Mt Coochin Grevillea (Grevillea hodgei) is a critically endangered grevillea with an extremely tiny range left. It has lost most of its habitat to development, and is threatened by garden variety Grevilleas that are planted in and around Mt Coochin.
Most garden varieties of grevilleas are able to hybridise with the Mt Coochin Grevillea and then the subsequent offspring can outcompete their critically endangered parents.
Another hybrid is the Piccabeen and Alexandra palm (Archontophoenix cunninghamiana x alexandrae). This hybrid is commonly sold as either one or the other, but purebred, adult Piccabeen Palms have leaves with a green underside and orange ‘stitching’, while Alexandra Palms have silver undersides and no stitching.
Hybrids, of course, will have a combination of the two features.
I hope you have learned something new today. Nature can really get crazy sometimes!
While we don’t currently have any hybrids in stock, Mooloolah River Landcare has grown seed from naturally occurring hybrids before, and will do so again.
If you want to learn more about native plants, and see which ones you could take home for your own garden, come down to Mooloolah River Landcare and speak to us.
