Australia has a unique flora. Over 90% of Australia's native plants grow naturally nowhere else in the world. Australian plants are remarkable, however, not only for their uniqueness but also for the way they have adapted to an often harsh environment.
The ubiquitous eucalypts or gum trees (so called because of their stricky secretions) conserve precious water and nutrients in hard evergreen leaves. Many varieties, and there are over 500 of them, are also resistant to fire.
Perhaps, most beautiful of all are the flowers of the desert. For year after year parts of the outback lie waterless and barren. But after one of the infrequent but heavy rainstorms, some of Australia's flora burst through the sand and transform the wilderness into a riot of color. The seeds of many of these plants are coated with a water soluble chemical, which prevents their germinating until sufficient rain has fallen to ensure that the plant will be able to complete its life cycle, an example of the sort of adaptation Australian flora has had to make to cope with its demanding environment.

ALBANY PITCHER
	In the far southwest of Australia high rainfall and humidity are enjoyed by this exotic plant called the Albany Pitcher. Because of the poor soil the plant compensates by adding flies and other unwary insects to its diet providing it with extra nutrients.

BANKSIA
This Australian plant is called the "Banksia". It is often seen as a small tree in gardens and can grow to over 15 metres in height. It flowers in autumn with beautiful lemon colored spiked flowers and the juvenile leaves are serrated with a silvery underside. This evergreen shrub was named "banksia serrata" after Joseph Banks, head of Captain James Cook's scientific party.

GHOST GUM TREE

The ghost Gum, one of the many varieties of Eucalypt/Gum trees, has a shimmering white bark which reflects the heat protecting it from the sun and bushfires. Today there are over 500 different types of eucalypt trees in Australia. Some spend winter encased in ice, so,e put down vertical roots in saltwater swamps and some put down horizontal roots in the desert. Many of them shed their bark but not their droopimg, grey-green, resinous and sweet smelling leaves.

STURTS DESERT PEA

Sturts Desert Pea is a spectacular, indigenous, flowering plant found in the desert region of South Australia. It produces dramatic flowers whose black centres look almost like eyes scanning the sands. It has a deep taproot and in response to rainfall it rapidly sends out yards of furry tentacles across the desert surface to nourish it's extravagant flowers. It was South Australia's first floral emblem, being first recorded by explorer, Edward John Eyre in 1839.

WARATAH
	The Waratah is the official floral emblem for the state of New South Wales. It grows on the Central Coast and adjoining mountains North and South of Sydney. It grows mainly in open forests on sandstone or volcanic formations. It can grow up to 4 metres in height, the head of the flower measuring 7-10 centimetres in diameter.

WATTLE
The Wattle has over 750 different species found all over Australia. They range in size, from low lying shrub plants to trees of all different shapes and sizes. The leaves vary in shape and size, from long and thin to the ones you see in this image. The flower is golden yellow in color and resembles a ball of cotton fluff. The Wattle is Australia's floral emblem.

 

DID YOU KNOW....

that waterlillies were growing in Australia more than 100 million years ago?
above text & image © Steve Parish Publishing

that Mangles' Kangaroo Paw is Western Australia's floral emblem?
above image © Steve Parish Publishing

that Sturt's Desert Rose is Northern Territory's floral emblem?
above image © Steve Parish Publishing

that the Cooktown Orchid is Queensland's floral emblem?
above image © Steve Parish Publishing

that the Eucalyptus or Gum tree first appeared in Australia about 35 million years ago?

Some links on Australian Flora
Australian Embassy Washington - information on australian flora
All Australian - information on australian flora
Kings Langley Public School - information on australian flora

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