0
Australian Plants
Australia has areas ranging from deserts and temperate climates to tropical rainforest, giving it an enormous variety of plant life much of which is not seen anywhere else in the world. Ask questions about plants native to Australia here.
244 Questions
What are the names of Australian flowers?
Some native Australian flowers are:
The wattle tree, or Acacia, which features masses of yellow or cream flowers; Australia's national floral emblem is the Golden Wattle
Banksia - which has stout, brush-like flowers
Callistemon, also known as the bottlebrush, which comes in a variety of colours for its bottlebrush-shaped flowers
Common heath, the floral emblem of Victoria
Grevillea, sometimes known as the spider flower, for its tiny curled stamens
Leptospermum, more commonly known as the tea-tree, which bears masses of delicate flowers
Leschenaultia, a beautiful Western Australian wildflower
Kangaroo paw, an unusual flower from the western half of the continent, and the floral emblem of WA
Native Hibiscus, different to the exotic hibiscus favoured by many gardeners
Sturt's Desert Rose and Sturt's Desert Pea, both desert flowering shrubs, and the emblems of NT and SA respectively
Waratah (NSW floral emblem)
Is a peppercorn tree an Australian native tree?
No. The peppercorn tree is native to southern America.
The Alpine Pepper tree is native to mountainous areas of Tasmania. Other pepper trees in Australia are not native, and are often considered weeds.
There are two species of plants and one species of marine "animal" that share the name :
The Australian Native Lily and Giant Elephant Taroare, respectively, a toxic plant and a slightly edible one, both of the genus Alocasia.
The sea tulip (Pyura spinifera) is a type of sea squirt, an anchored filter-feeding ascidian. It strains plankton from seawater and resembles a brightly-colored plant.
Who is the artist of the most famous watercolor of Australia's Rose-of-Sharon?
it's Casey Chalem Anderson
While Kangaroo Paw can be gron in Africa, the plant is indigenous to Australia
How do Grevilleas adapt to desert life?
Grevilleas, native Australian plants, do not live in the desert.
What are the structural adaptations of the kangaroo paw?
Structural adaptations of the Kangaroo paw, a plant best suited to dry conditions, include:
- tiny, woolly hairs on the flowers, which hold onto water droplets, and which make the flower taste unpleasant to animals that would eat it
- the plant is adapted to dry conditions, requiring less water than other plants, and can tolerate high heat
- a strong stem for would-be pollinators to perch upon
- the flowers are deep and bell-like and insects which feed on the nectar contained in the flowers unknowingly carry the pollen around on their heads to fertilise the other plants as they feed
What animal eats a kangaroo paw?
Very few creatures eat the plant known as "kangaroo paw", because the tiny hairs which cover the flowers have a particularly unpleasant taste that deters predators.
Birds in the honeyeater family like to perch on the stems and eat the nectar from the flowers. Where the kangaroo paw is grown as an ornamental plant in gardens, it is at risk from the common garden snail which can eat the foliage right to the ground.
Are darling peas and idiot fruits poisonous?
Yes, darling peas and idiot fruits are poisonous.
Specifically, darling peas (Swainsona galegifolia, S. greyana) also are known as poison bushes because of its production of the toxin swainsonine, which also is the toxin in North America's locoweed. The idiot fruit (Idiospermum australiense) also is called ribbonweed. It produces the poison chemical Idiospermuline.
Ghost gum is a type of tree, which is part of a species of trees in Australia.
How does the spinifex plant survive in the desert?
The spinifex plant survives in the desert by utilizing several adaptive strategies. It has deep, extensive root systems that enable it to access water from underground sources, while its tough, needle-like leaves minimize water loss through transpiration. Additionally, spinifex can tolerate extreme temperatures and has a unique ability to regenerate quickly after fire, ensuring its survival in harsh desert environments.
The Kangaroo Paw plant is not endangered. It has a limited natural habitat, but it is a common nursery plant, and available for gardeners to cultivate.
Absolutely. Many species of eucalyptus (gum trees) drop branches, and the ghost gum is notorious for doing this. Australians who travel the outback or go camping know better than to pitch a tent or leave a car parked beneath any gum tree, let alone a ghost gum. The branches they drop can be quite large, and are deadly for their weight.
