Just north of Thornton Beach is Madja Boardwalk. Madja means rainforest or jungle in the Eastern Kuku Yalanji language. It showcases the evolution of plants and is known as the Botanical Walk. The Boardwalk is a level 1.2km walk and the vegetation changes abruptly from mangrove forest to rainforest.
 |
| The Iconic Madja Strangler Fig |
 |
| Views of the Strangler Fig |
As green plants evolved from water plants such as algae to land plants, mosses appeared. And then the ferns which reproduce by spores. Basket ferns abound along Madja Boardwalk but most occur high up in the trees.
 |
| Basket Ferns |
And with the evolution of the gymnosperms came the wonderful cycads which produce cones but no fruit. Two notable cycads occur here: Hope’s cycad (
Lepidozamia hopei) is one of the tallest cycads and the beautiful
Bowenia spectabilis is one of the smallest cycads.
 |
| Hope’s Cycad and Bowenia |
And finally the angiosperms, the flowering plants evolved. The angiosperms along the Boardwalk range from orchids in season to syzygiums with pink new-growth leaves to gingers, mangrove lilies, cordylines, palms, and mangroves.
 |
| Flowering Plants |
The palms along the boardwalk are spectacular, especially the unique fan palms which are endemic to the Wet Tropics. There are also alexandra, black palms and the notorious wait-a-while which has long canes with barbs that ensnare unwary walkers.
 |
| Wait-a-while, Alexandra and Fan Palms |
Many root systems have evolved to adapt to this environment: buttress roots, ribbon roots, stilt/prop roots, pneumatophores.
 |
| Different Root Adaptations. |
And a rare sighting of Bennett’s tree-kangaroo (
Dentrolagus bennettianus). They have a small distribution north of the Daintree River. These solitary, tree-dwelling, nocturnal marsupials are herbivores.
 |
| Bennett’s tree-kangaroo |
Comments
Post a Comment