Memorial for Forgotten Plants is a long-term project by Louise Flaherty that reflects on the loss of native plants from our suburban landscape. The research for this project began in 2018 where she repeatedly drew all 86 species in the Grey Box & SA Blue Gum Woodland community as a reconstruction of the original vegetation communities in the Adelaide CBD. This physical act of remembrance was seen as an attempt to commit their details to memory. 

For this iteration of the project, Louise has worked with Belinda Gehlert - Musician/Composer and Tanya Voges - Dance Artist, to create a multimedia, participatory version of Memorial for Forgotten Plants. Memorial for Forgotten Plants aims to open-up an intimate space for the public to acknowledge the loss of these plants and gives hope that with the right amount of care we can see some of these plants reappear again. 

This work was originally commissioned by OSCA for the Park Lands Project and further development of this project has been funded by Arts South Australia / Department of the Premier and Cabinet. 

Forgotten Plants - Adelaide CBD was created during an exhibition residency at the Mill, Adelaide.  The original focus of the work was to investigate the remnant native vegetation of the Adelaide CBD, which I discovered includes four unique ecosystems.  I narrowed my research by just looking at one of these ecosystems, which is where the Mill is situated: the Grey Box & SA Blue Gum Woodland, which consists of 86 plant species.

Resurface was created in response to visiting the Bush for Life site at Tuttangga Park 17 in the Adelaide Parklands. I was inspired by the group of Trees for Life volunteers who painstakingly hand weed the area, allowing native plants to grow back. The site is a testament to the resilience of native plants and proof that with the right amount of care, seemingly disappeared plants can re-appear.

“Destruction was so complete in the Park Lands that hardly any remnants of native plants remain.” (Kraehenbuehl 1996)

Grey Box (Eucalyptus microcarpa), South Australian Blue Gum (Euca- lyptus leucoxylon) Woodland

• Acacia acinacea (Gold Dust Wattle) • Acacia dodonaeifolia (Hop-bush Wattle) • Acacia paradoxa (Kangaroo Thorn) • Acacia pycnantha (Golden Wattle) • Acaena novae-zelandiae (Bidgee-widgee) • Acaena sp. (Sheeps Burr) • Allocasuarina verticillata (Drooping Sheo- ak) • Anthosachne scabra (Common Wheat-grass) • Arthropodium strictum (Chocolate Lily) • Asperula conferta (Common Woodruff) • Austrostipa curticoma (Short-Crest Spear Grass) • Austrostipa flavescens [Os-tro-sty-pa flav-ES-enz] (Coast Spear-Grass) • Austrostipa multispiculis (Small-Seed Spear Grass) • Austrostipa nodosa (Tall Spear-Grass) •

• Austrostipa setacea [Os-tro-sty-pa se-TAY-see-uh] (Corkscrew Spear-Grass) • Boerhavia dominii [Ber-ha-via domin-e-i] (Tar-Vine) • Bursaria spinosa [bur-SAY-ree-uh spy-NO-suh] (Christmas Bush) • Caladenia leptochila [kal-uh-DEEN-ee-uh lep-toh-KIEL-uh] (Narrow-lip Spider-orchid) • Caladenia tentaculata [kal-uh-DEE-nee-uh ten-TAK-ue-lah-tuh] (Large Green-comb Spider-orchid) • Callitris gracilis [kal-LIT-tris GRASS-il-is] (Slender Cypress-pine) • Calostemma purpureum [kal-oh-STEM-uh pur-PUR-ee-um] (Garland Lily) • Carex bichenoviana [Ka-recks bish-en-o-vi-ana] (Notched Sedge) • Carex gunniana [KAR-eks gun-ee-AH-na] (Mountain Sedge) • Centrolepis polygyna [Cen-troh-lep-is poly-guy-na] (Wiry Centrolepis) • Chrysocephalum semipapposum [kry-soh-SEF-uh-lum sem-ee-pa-POH-sum] (Clustered Everlasting) •

Cotula australis [KOH-tew-luh aw-STRAL-iss] (Australian Waterbuttons) • Crassula decumbens var. decumbens [KRASS-oo-la de-KUM-benz] (Spreading Stonecrop) • Crassula sieberiana ssp. tetramera [KRASS-oo-la sy-ber-ee-AY-nuh te-trah-ME-ruh] (Australian Stonecrop) • Cullen australasicum [KUL-len aw-stra-LAY-see-kum] (Native Scurf-pea) • Cullen parva [KUL-len  PAR-vuh] (Small Scurf-pea) • Cynoglossum suaveolens [SIGH-no-gloss-um swah-vee-OH-lens] (Sweet Hound's Tongue) • Cyperus exaltatus [sy-PEER-us eks-all-TAY-tus](Tall Flat-sedge) • Cyperus vaginatus [sy-PEER-us vaj-in-AH-tus] (Puta-puta) • Dianella revoluta var. revoluta [dy-an-NEL-uh rev-ol-uet-uh] (Spreading Flax-lily) • Dichanthium sericeum [dy-KAN-thee-um ser-IK-ee-um] (Silky Blue-grass) • Dichondra repens [dy-KON-druh REE-penz] (Kidney Weed) • Dillwynia hispida [dil-WIN-ee-uh HISS-pih-duh] (Downy Parrot-pea) • Diuris behrii [Di-u-ris bay-ree-i (Golden Cowslips) • Diuris pardina [dy-YOOR-is pard-in-AH-lus] (Common Donkey-orchid) • Drosera glanduligera [dro-SER-uh gland-yoo-LEE-ger-a] (Scarlet Sundew) •

Drosera whittakeri [dro-SER-uh WHIT-AK-er-eye] (Whittaker’s Sundew) • Dysphania pumilio [dis-FAY-nee-a poo-MIL-ee-oh] (Small Crumbweed)  • Eucalyptus camaldulensis var. camaldulensis [yoo-kuh-LIP-tus cam-ALD-uel-ENS-is] (River Red Gum) • Eucalyptus leucoxylon [yoo-kuh-LIP-tus loo-koh-ZY-lon] (South Australian Blue Gum) • Eucalyptus microcarpa [yoo-kuh-LIP-tus my-kro-KAR-puh] (Grey Box) • Haloragis aspera [hal-or-AH-gis AS-per-uh] (Rough Raspwort) • Hardenbergia violacea [hard-en-BERG-ee-uh vy-oh-LAH-see-uh] (Purple Coral-pea) • Hibbertia exutiacies [hib-BERT-ee-uh ex-uet-ee-AY-sees] (Spiky Guinea-flower) • Isolepis cernua [eye-soh-LEP-is SER-new-a] (Nodding Club-sedge) •

Juncus bufonius [JUN-kus buf-OH-nee-us] (Toad Rush) • Kennedia prostrata [ken-NEE-dee-uh prost-RAY-tuh] (Running Postman) • Leptorhynchos squamatus [lep-toh-RIN-kos SKWA-ma-tus] (Scaly Buttons) • Leptorhynchos tetrachaetus [Lep-to-rink-us tetra-kay-tus] (Beauty Buttons) • Linum marginale [LIN-um mar-gin-AH-lee] (Native Flax) • Lomandra densiflora [loh-MAN-druh den-see-FLOR-uh] (Pointed Mat-rush) • Lomandra multiflora ssp. dura [loh-MAN-druh mul-tih-FLOR-uh DUR-a] (Iron-grass) • Lomandra nana [loh-MAN-druh NAN-uh] (Soft Mat-rush) • Lysiana exocarpi ssp. exocarpi [lie-see-AHN-uh eks-oh-KARP-ee] (Harlequin Mistletoe) • Lythrum hyssopifolia [LY-thrum hiss-sop-ih-FOH-lee-uh] (Lesser Loosestrife) • Maireana enchylaenoides [Mary-ah-na en-kilo-noy-deez] (Wingless Bluebush) • Olearia ramulosa oh-lee-AY-ree-uh ram-yoo-LOH-suh (Twiggy Daisy-bush) • Oxalis perennans [oks-AL-issv per-EN-anz] (Native Oxalis) •

Panicum decompositum var. decompositum [PAN-ih-kum de-kom-POZ-ee-tum] (Australian Millet) • Persicaria lapathifolia [per-sih-KAR-ee-uh la-path-ih-FOH-lee-a] (Pink Knotweed) • Pittosporum angustifolium [pit-oh-SPOR-um an-gus-tee-FOH-lee-um] (Native apricot) • Poa clelandii [Po-uh cle-landee-i] (Cleland’s Poa) • Poa crassicaudex [POH-ah. Crass-ee-cord-ex] (Thick-stem Poa) • Poa drummondiana [POH-ah drum-mond-ee-AH-nuh] (Shaking Grass) • Poa labillardieri var. labillardieri [POH-ah lay-bee-yar-dee-ER-ee] (Tussock Poa) • Poa poiformis [POH-ah poy-form-as] (Blue Tussock-grass) • Pseudognaphalium luteoalbum [Soo-do-na-fali-um loo-teo-album] (Cudweed) • Ptilotus spathulatus forma spathulatus [ty-LOH-tus spath-yoo-LAY-tus] (Pussy-tail) •

Ranunculus lappaceus [ra-NUN-ku-lus lap-uh-SEE-us] (Australian Buttercup) • Rumex brownii [ROO-mex brown-i-eye] (Hooked Dock) • Rumex dumosus var. dumosus [ROO-meks doo-MO-sus var. doo-MO-sus] (Wiry Dock) • Rytidosperma sp. [Rit-id-oh-SPERM-uh] (Wallaby-grass) • Scaevola albida var. albida [skee-VO-luh AL-bi-da] (Small-fruit Fanflower) • Senecio glossanthus [sen-NEESH-shee-oh gloss-an-thus] (Slender Groundsel) • Senecio quadridentatus [sen-NEESH-shee-oh kwad-ree-den-TAY-tus] (Cotton Fireweed) • Stackhousia monogyna [stak-HOUS-ee-a mon-NO-gy-nuh] (Creamy Candles) • Themeda triandra [TEM-e-da TRY-an-dra] (Kangaroo Grass) • Vittadinia blackii [vit-uh-DIN-ee-uh BLAK-ee] (Western New Holland Daisy) • Vittadinia cuneata var. cuneata [vit-uh-DIN-ee-uh kuen-ee-AHT-tuh] (Fuzzweed) • Vittadinia sp. [vit-uh-DIN-ee-uh] (Fuzzy New Holland Daisy) • Wahlenbergia sp. [wall-en-BERG-ee-uh] (Bluebell) • Xanthorrhoea semiplana ssp. semiplana [zan-thor-ROH-ee-uh se-mee-PLAY-nuh] (Yacca) •