An intrepid colonial botanist, plant collector and explorer who dedicated his life to the aspiration that the “Royal collection at Kew may exceed all other collections in the riches of new, beautiful and desirable plants” is remembered in the names of two of the Australian plants in the Dubbo Regional Botanic Garden.
Araucaria cunninghamii (Hoop Pine) and Casuarina cunninghamiana (She-oak) are both named after Allan Cunningham (1791 – 1839).
Cunningham collected the first specimens of Araucaria cunninghamii in the 1820s. This beautiful dry rainforest tree can live up to 450 years and grow to 60 metres in its natural environment. It bears cones which yield nut-like edible seeds.
Araucaria cunninghamii have been planted by Dubbo City Council to create a majestic avenue connecting the Macquarie River to Victoria Park and the showground.
The name of the genus Casuarina is derived from the Malay word for the cassowary, ‘kasuari’, alluding to the similarities between the bird's feathers and the plant's foliage.
According to some explanations, the evergreen Casuarina cunninghamiana earned the name “Shee Oak” “on account of the peculiar sound produced by the wind when passing through the branches” and that it was later shortened to She-oak. The reference to “oak” comes from the internal patterning of the wood which reminded the early settlers of European oaks.
The range of the Casuarina cunninghamiana includes parts of the Northern Territory, Queensland and eastern New South Wales including Dubbo where it prefers to grow along waterways.
Its usefulness as a timber and fuel for ovens, led to many of the local natural stands being felled by early settlers. The attractive avenues which now grow along the Macquarie River in Dubbo were planted by Dubbo City Council working in partnership with the community.
The dedication shown by Cunningham to share knowledge of Australia’s unique and wonderful flora lives on in the Dubbo Regional Botanic Garden.
By Ian McAlister & Karen Hagan