How many species of plants are in Australia?

Answer 1

Australia has a variety of native flora well suited to its dry climate, and which also adapt to the flooding of its vast plains.

• Eucalyptus - the well-known 'gum trees' with over 600 species in Australia, including Tasmania's emblem, the Tasmanian Blue Gum
• Acacia, known more commonly as the wattle tree - many species exist throughout Australia, in all conditions, as it is a highly adaptable plant; Australia's national floral emblem is the Golden Wattle
• Banksia - named by botanist Sir Joseph Banks who was with Captain Cook when he charted Australia's eastern coast
• Blackboy, or grass trees
• Bunya Pine, Wollemi Pine, Hoop Pine
• Callistemon, also known as the bottlebrush
• Casuarina
• Common heath, floral emblem of Victoria
• Correa, a small to medium sized shrub
• Epacris, also known as Common Heath
• Eremophila, also known as the Emu-Bush
• Dryandra, closely related to the banksia
• Eremophila, also known as the Emu bush
• Ferns - many varieties, particularly common in rainforests
• Fabaceae, also common to rainforests, tropical and temperate zones - includes a variety of herbs, vines, shrubs, trees, and lianas
• Hakea
• Grevillea (spider flower) - related to Hakeas. One example is the Silky Oak (Grevillea robusta).
• Hardenbergias - vines with beautiful pea flowers
• Leptospermum, more commonly known as the tea-tree
• Leschenaultia, a beautiful Western Australian wildflower
• Kangaroo paw, an unusual flower from the western half of the continent, and the floral emblem of WA
• Kurrajong
• Mallee
• Melaleuca
• Mulga
• Native Hibiscus, different to the exotic hibiscus favoured by many gardeners
• Isopogon and petrophile - low growing shrubs
• Melaleuca, another very adaptable and versatile species
• Moreton Bay Fig
• Palm trees, such as the Pandanus Palm, Alexandra (King) Palm, Cabbage Tree Palm and Foxtail
• Sturt's Desert Rose and Sturt's Desert Pea, both desert flowering shrubs, and the emblems of NT and SA respectively
• Vines such as the Strangler Fig
• Waratah (NSW floral emblem)
• Triodia, also known as spinifex grass, which grows in the desert
• Zygochloa, another desert grass

One could also add the Norfolk Island Pine (Auracaria heterophylla) which is in the same genus as Bunya Pine. However, it is not found naturally on the Australian mainland, but is native to the Australian offshore territory of Norfolk Island.

Answer 2

There are 416 different species of butterfly in Australia

Answer 3

According to the website at the related link below, there are an estimated 245 species of marsupials in Australia.

Over 60 of these are members of the kangaroo family.

Answer 4

There are more than 800 described species of orchid in Australia