November 23, 2006
Muehlenbeckia axillaris
How does one take a good photograph of a plant that is a large creeping mat? In thirty years, this sprawling wirevine (or creeping pohuehue) has covered an area of more than 9 m2 (over 97 sq. ft.!) in the Australasian section of the Alpine Garden. I will need to consider how to take a photograph that captures the full extent and habit of the plant to share later, but in the meantime, I have these closeups. At the least, you'll have an idea of its rich autumn colour in scattered shade.
Since there is little to judge scale with in the photographs, I need to mention that the upright stems reach only 5cm (2in.) or so high. These stems are densely packed together (hence the term mat). In the first photograph, I estimate three to four thousand stems are present in the frame.
The Plants for a Future database notes the edibility of the fruit of this Australian and New Zealand native, while a description of the plant is available from the New South Wales Flora Online: Muehlenbeckia axillaris.
Lastly, if I were to title the first photograph, I'd call it “Lightfall�? since it reminds me of a waterfall of light