"0tterbot" wrote in message
...
"FlowerGirl" wrote in message
...

Post pics as others have said .... and also note a few things if they
are
not clear in the pics
.... are the leaves alternately or oppositely placed along the stem?.
Are the leaves single leaves or pinnate (disected leaves) - you can
check
by
tking note if there is a leaf bud above the attachment to the stem.
Note the overall leaf shape.
Note the bark type .
Note the form (tree, shrub etc).
and the real thing will be the flowers ... note how many sepals, petals
and
their attachment above or below the ovary (fruit).
Note if they are in clusters, single, amd whether they are at the ends
of
the branches or not.
Number of stamens (pollen carrying bits).
If the stigma (girly bit - not carrying pollen) is disected.
if there is fruit, slice horizontally and count the number of chambers.

This info should help anyone with an appropriate key to find out for
you.
...
I've got a good rainforest sp key which I've used for years, and *may*
be
able to help even if its not an Aust native (given that I'm a botanist
who's
taught taxonomy at uni ... going back a few years though so I'm very
rusty).


Failing all this, you could try taking a shoot (with flowers if
possible)
to
the local Landcare gp, Greening Australia gp, garden club, garden
centre,
DPI service etc.
Amanda

thanks very much to everyone for the tips! (esp. amanda for all the
detail,
which i've taken on board) - when i can, i think i'll go with finding a
free
site & posting pics to ask you here to start with since you're all so keen
g!. it truly is literally a couple of things. one i only care what it is
in order to find out how to kill it. :-|

I also imagine you've looked at the ASGAP website ....
http://farrer.csu.edu.au/ASGAP/index.html
and lots of pics of native plants with descriptions:
http://farrer.csu.edu.au/ASGAP/gallery.html

it's a really nice site! alas, for a ninny like me, it's only helpful
where
i know plant family already. tbh i was looking for casuarinas on there (as
one thing i want to know about is, apparently, called 'casuarina' by the
locals, but i've never seen anything like it on any other site where there
are pics & descriptions of the various casuarinas - but couldn't see
casuarinas there at all..? so you can understand my problem, i'm sure -
i'm
starting from a point of near-total ignorance of plant species. :-)
hopeless, i am!!! thanks v. much for the help, i'll see how i go.
kylie



mmm I looked and came up with this
http://www.anbg.gov.au/images/photo_cd/casuarinaceae

Cheers

Richard