Australian Wildflowers

Pink Fountain Triggerplant (Stylidium brunonianum)

Photo courtesy of ron_n_beths pics ( CC )

Sturt’s Desert Pea (Swainsona formosa)

Photo courtesy of Bill & Mark Bell(CC)

This unique flower made it into our 40 of the Worlds Weirdest Flowers and as the name suggests this plant is indeed a member of the Pea (Fabaceae) family.
South Australia adopted the Sturt’s Desert Pea as their floral emblem in 1961;  it is also illegal to collect or pick the plant from Crown land unless you obtain a permit. The plant is generally treated as an annual, only lives for one year but grafted Sturt desert peas have been successful are expected to live three times as long.
Sturt’s Desert Pea is native to Australia; it grows naturally in most mainland states except for Victoria. The flowers are around 90mm long and is adapted to being pollinated by birds. Flowering occurs from July to March, but this is significantly influenced by the onset of rain.

Locations where this plant may be found in the wild include:

• Flinders Ranges, SA
• Glendambo, SA
• Pilbara, WA
• Kalgoorlie, WA
• Frazer Range, WA
• Karratha, WA
• Finke, NT
• Alice Springs, NT
• Kings Canyon, NT
• Sturt National Park, NSW

Royal Bluebell (Wahlenbergia gloriosa)

Photo courtesy of natureshare/ ( CC )

The Royal Bluebell was chosen as the official floral emblem of the ACT in 1982. In the wild the Wahlenbergia gloriosa generally only grows above 1300 metres throughout the mountain ranges (Australian Alps) from the Australian Central Territories, south-east mountains of New South Whales and across the border to the Eastern mountain forests of Victoria. There are twenty-one species of Wahlenbergia in Australia with nineteen of them growing throughout NSW. Wahlenbergia gloriosa is often mistaken for the Wahlenbergia gracilis (Australian Bluebell) because of the similar appearance and it’s more commonly found throughout NSW and VIC.

The Royal Bluebell is a frost tolerant ground-covering, perennial herb with 20 to 30mm diameter flowers appearing between October and March.

Locations where this plant may be found in the wild include:

• Namadgi National Park, NSW
• Mount Hotham, Vic
• Kosciuszko National Park, NSW
• Alpine National Park, Vic

Waratah (Telopea speciosissima)

Photo courtesy of Daniel (cc)

The Floral Emblem of New South Wales, the Waratah a shrub which grows between two and four metres with beautiful crimson flowers grouped into a rounded head with matching crimson bracts. The Waratah flowers produce vast amounts of nectar, very familiar with birds and the cute little Eastern Pygmy Possum. The Waratahs are cultivated in the Dandenong Ranges of Victoria and north of Sydney and they are also grown commercially in places like New Zealand, Hawaii and Israel for the cut flower industry due to their popularity in floral arrangements. There are four species of the Telopea with two being found only in NSW, one in Tasmania and the other extending between Victoria and NSW.

Flowers are around 70 to 100mm in diameter and generally appear between August to November and possible spot flowering around March depending on conditions.

Locations where this plant may be found in the wild include:

• Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
• Brisbane Water National Park
• Dharug National Park
• Macquarie Pass National Park

Pink Common Heath (Epacris impressa)

Photo courtesy of BioR Australia(cc)

Slightly jealous of all the other states floral emblem names as ours sounds a little underwhelming “Common Heath” but don’t let the name put you off as this plant is far from common.  These small, slender shrubs flowers were officially named the floral emblem of Victoria in 1958 There are around forty species of the Epacris, most of them are found in south-eastern Australia and just like our pavlova, the Kiwis have decided to claim a few species as New Zealand natives. There are many different coloured Common Heaths, ranging from Pure white, light pink, dark pink, crimson to scarlet.

Flowering season is around May to October with 25mm tubular flowers.

Locations where this plant may be found in the wild include:

• Grampians National Park, Vic
• Mount Lofty Ranges, SA
• Around the Clyde River, NSW
• Throughout Tasmania

Sturt’s Desert Rose (Gossypium sturtianum)

Photo courtesy of Natalie Tapson(cc)

In 1961, the Northern Territory proclaimed the Desert Rose as its floral emblem however the original name was Cienfugosia gossypioides and that has since been replaced by the Gossypium sturtianum. In 1978 when the NT changed to self-government they incorporated the Desert rose into the design of NT flag.  There are four species of the Gossypium genus that produce cotton, G.hirsutim ,G. herbaceum , G. arboreum and G. barbadense. Unlike the fore mentioned cotton producing species, our Gossypium sturtianum seeds do contain hairs but they are useless as cotton fibre. The Gossypium sturtianum flower looks like a hibiscus flower which is one of the Desert Roses nearest Australian Cousins. A drought tolerant shrub which can grow to two metres the Sturt’s desert rose does not have a set flowering period but peak flowering is generally around August to September.

Regions where this plant grows in the wild include:

• Burt Plain
• Central Ranges
• Davenport Murchison Ranges
• Finke, Flinders Lofty Block
• Great Sandy Desert
• MacDonnell Ranges
• Pilbara
• Tanami

Cooktown Orchid (Dendrobium phalaenopsis or Vappodes phalaenopsis)

Photo courtesy of ANBG, M. Fagg photographer(cc)

The Cooktown Orchid was chosen as Queensland floral emblem in 1959, runner up was the Grevillea banksii. There is a little bit of debate and speculation over the correct species name because in 1959 the Cooktown Orchid was known as the Dendrobium bigibbum. However it is now also known as Dendrobium phalaenopsis or the latest name, Vappodes phalaenopsis. The Cooktown Orchid tends to form on rocks and trees with stems growing to 1200mm and the arching flower stems grow to around 400mm. The flowers vary from 30 to 70mm, which are larger than the original Dendrobium bigibbum. The Orchid is considered endangered and confined to the east side of Cape York Peninsula to as far north as the Iron Range.

Flowers appear from February to October with the peak flowering period being March to August.

• Cooktown
• Rinyirru National Park
• Endeavour River Valley

Red and Green Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthos manglesii)

Photo courtesy of Bill & Mark Bell(CC)

The green and red Kangaroo Paw is also known as the Mangles Kangaroo Paw. This species of Kangaroo Paw can only be found naturally in Western Australia. On the 9th of November, 1960 Western Australia adopted the Red and Green Kangaroo Paw as its floral emblem and like the Sturt Desert Pea in South Australia, you need a licence to collect this plant from the wild.
Between August and November, you can see these magnificent Paws standing tall all around Perth.

WA Shires where this plant may grow in the wild include:

• Armadale, Augusta-Margaret River
• Boyup Brook, Busselton
• Capel, Chittering, Cockburn, Coorow
• Dandaragan
• Gingin, Gosnells
• Kalamunda, Kojonup
• Manjimup, Melville, Mundaring, Murray
• Northampton
• Perth, Plantagenet
• Serpentine-Jarrahdale, Shark Bay, Stirling, Subiaco, Swan,
• Wanneroo, Waroona, West Arthur, Williams
• York.

Tasmanian Blue Gum (Eucalyptus globulus)

Photo courtesy of Natalie Tapson(cc)

Tasmania’s magnificent Blue Gum is a monster of a tree that can grow up to seventy metres with two metres of trunk diameter. It was in 1962 that the Tasmania Blue Gum was selected to be the State’s floral emblem. The flowers produce lots of nectar are an important source of food for our Native critters but also bees foraging on these flowers make a distinctive tasting honey. The Eucalyptus globulus is cultivated throughout Australia and places all around the world like Brazil, France, India and Spain. In California, it is so well established that many Californians assume that it is native to their area and is listed as an invasive plant by the California Invasive Plant Council.

Locations where this plant may be found in the wild include:

• East Coast of Tasmania
• Bruny, King, Flinders and Cape Barren Islands
• Strzelecki Ranges-Wilsons Promontory, Vic
• Otway Ranges
• California, US

Golden Wattle(Acacia pycnantha)

Photo courtesy of Tatters (CC)

The Golden Wattle is our national floral Emblem, green and gold! The Golden Wattle withstands our droughts and bushfires and its resilience represents The Australian people. The Golden Wattle is also a symbol of Unity and is now being embraced as a symbol of remembrance. 1901 the Golden Wattle was unofficially the National floral emblem but there was strong opposition to having the Waratah instead. On September the 1st, 1988 the Acacia pycnantha was finally proclaimed as the National Floral Emblem and four years later, the 1st of September was officially National Wattle day.

Springtime sees the Golden Wattle blooming with its fluffy flower heads and up to eighty tiny sweet smelling flowers proudly displaying the national colours.

locations where this plant may be found in the wild include:

• Eyre Peninsula, SA
• Flinders Ranges, WA
• Western Victoria
• Southern inland NSW
• Around Canberra of course.

Are you feeling inspired yet? Good!

Most of the native plants featured in this piece can be grown in our very own gardens and yards! So if you’ve got a green thumb or are just curious, give it a go and plant some native wildflowers.

Remember that by growing native plants we are helping our native wildlife, especially our native bees! Give nature a hand and plant some native flowers already.

 Further information on WA Wildflowers:

• https://www.wa.gov.au/ for advice, links, and what’s happening in Western Australia
• Click  here for an excellent downloadable wildflower guide to Western Australia
• Check out Australia’s Coral Coast for wonderful self-drive tours, maps and a run down on what’s flowering.

References:

• Atlas Of Living Australia
• FloraBase WA
• Australian Native Plants Society
• Department of the Environment