Flower news
Shows and festivalsNow's The Time To Grab That Bag Of Winterizer - WJBO Lawn & Garden ShowDiscoveriesUW-River Falls professor discovers new orchid species in PalauIn bloomSeeds for spring blooms are available for freeFloristryThis Family-Owned Florida Florist Is Celebrating 50 Years—Here’s The Secret To Their Blooming SuccessGardensFalling glass and ‘decapitated’ plants: the race to protect Edinburgh botanic garden’s plantsGardensHow to create a vibrant cutting gardenIn bloomColorful wildflowers bloom across Chile's Atacama DesertIn bloomColorful wildflowers bloom across Chile's Atacama Desert in wake of 'super' El NiñoFloristryHoltschlag Florist and Frericks Gardens mergeGardensNew York Botanical Garden event explores how crop diversity could shape the future of foodShows and festivalsNow's The Time To Grab That Bag Of Winterizer - WJBO Lawn & Garden ShowDiscoveriesUW-River Falls professor discovers new orchid species in PalauIn bloomSeeds for spring blooms are available for freeFloristryThis Family-Owned Florida Florist Is Celebrating 50 Years—Here’s The Secret To Their Blooming SuccessGardensFalling glass and ‘decapitated’ plants: the race to protect Edinburgh botanic garden’s plantsGardensHow to create a vibrant cutting gardenIn bloomColorful wildflowers bloom across Chile's Atacama DesertIn bloomColorful wildflowers bloom across Chile's Atacama Desert in wake of 'super' El NiñoFloristryHoltschlag Florist and Frericks Gardens mergeGardensNew York Botanical Garden event explores how crop diversity could shape the future of food
Phool

🇦🇺 The flowers of Australia

216 pages from Australia: its flowers, the things made with them and the places to see them, across 60 cities and regions.

Australia is home to over 21,000 native flowering plants, shaped by ancient Gondwanan roots and a long history of isolation. Its flora is famous for unique adaptations to drought and fire, with many species found nowhere else. Iconic flowers include the golden wattle, waratah, banksia, and Sturt's desert pea.

  • Over 85% of Australia's vascular plants are found nowhere else.
  • Golden wattle is the national floral emblem.
  • Banksias and grevilleas evolved unique fire adaptations.
  • More than 800 native orchid species grow in Australia.
  • Sturt's desert pea is famous for its red and black flowers.

The plant life of Australia

Australia's plant life is shaped by its dry climate, old soils, and long separation from other continents. Most flowering plants here are found only in Australia. The land supports a wide range of habitats, from arid grasslands to rainforests, but many plants have tough leaves and special ways to survive drought and fire. Eucalyptus, acacia, banksia, and grevillea are among the most common and recognizable groups. Orchids, kangaroo paws, and grass trees also add to the variety. The country’s flora stands out for its high number of unique species and families.

From region to region in Australia

Plant life changes greatly across Australia. The arid interior is dominated by spinifex grasses and acacia shrubs. Eucalypt woodlands and forests are common in areas with more rain, especially in the east and southeast. Rainforests and vine thickets are found in wetter coastal regions and the far north, while chenopod and samphire shrubs grow in salty or near-estuarine areas. Palms and screw pines are mostly in the tropics. Each region has its own mix of flowering plants adapted to local conditions.

Flowers to know in Australia

Australia’s floral emblem is the golden wattle (Acacia), known for its bright yellow flower clusters. The waratah, with its large red blooms, is another well-known native. Banksias and grevilleas are famous for their unusual flower spikes and are important for wildlife. Sturt’s desert pea stands out in arid areas with its striking red and black flowers. Many orchids, kangaroo paws, and everlasting daisies are also unique to Australia. Some plant families, like the Proteaceae and Myrtaceae, have radiated into hundreds of species found only here.

Threats and protection in Australia

Australia’s flora faces threats from land clearing, agriculture, and urban development. Over 1,000 plant species are endangered, and at least 61 have gone extinct since European settlement. About 18% of forests are protected, but no primary forest remains untouched by humans. Fire, both natural and human-made, shapes many plant communities, but changes in fire patterns and invasive species add new pressures.

Where this page comes from

The facts in this overview come from the Wikipedia article "Flora of Australia", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Phool rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.

Flower experiences in Australia

All 8
🇦🇺 Perth · Jul to OctWildflower country north of PerthA spring road trip through the wheatbelt and coast of Western Australia, among carpets of everlastings. 🇦🇺 Perth · Aug to NovKings Park and the Western Australian Botanic GardenA bushland park above Perth with a botanic garden devoted to the flora of Western Australia. 🇦🇺 Grafton · Oct to NovGrafton Jacaranda FestivalA river town in New South Wales whose avenues of jacarandas flower for a long-running festival. 🇦🇺 Canberra · Sep to OctFloriade in CanberraAustralia's big spring bulb show, a month of tulips and annuals in a lakeside park. 🇦🇺 Sydney · All yearSydney Flower Market at dawnThe wholesale flower hall at Sydney Markets in Flemington, open to the public in the early hours. 🇦🇺 Sydney · All yearRoyal Botanic Garden SydneyA harbourside garden founded in 1816, beside the Opera House, with native and exotic collections.

Cities and regions of Australia

Western Australia 13Queensland 8Sydney 8Victoria 6New South Wales 5Perth 5Tasmania 4Blue Mountains 3Canberra 3Northern Territory 3South Australia 3Toowoomba 3Adelaide 2Botany Bay 2Brisbane 2Cairns 2Cooktown 2Dandenong Ranges 2Geelong 2Geraldton Sandplains 2Kalbarri 2Melbourne 2Swan Coastal Plain 2Wollongong 2Acton 1Armidale 1Arrowsmith 1Avon Wheatbelt 1Ballarat 1Beeac 1Bellarine Peninsula 1Bendigo 1Boolardy Station 1Bowral 1Brisbane Ranges 1Bruny Island 1Bundaberg 1Caloundra 1Cape Leeuwin 1Cape Riche 1Cape York Peninsula 1Carnarvon Gorge 1Catherine Hill Bay 1Coorow 1Cranbourne 1Dandaragan plateau 1Darling Range 1Darwin 1East Gippsland 1East Melbourne 1Eden 1Edge Hill 1Eneabba 1Esperance 1Eyre Peninsula 1Flemington 1Flinders Island 1Georges River National Park 1Gibraltar Range National Park 1Gingin scarp 1
ShowFlowersDecorationsPlaces
ColourRedPinkOrangeYellowWhiteCreamBluePurpleGreenMaroonMany-coloured
In flowerSpringSummerMonsoonAutumnWinter
Grevillea 'Robyn Gordon'Grevillea ‘Robyn Gordon’ A red-flowered Australian shrub named for a gardener’s daughter 🇦🇺 Australia · Flowering shrub African lilyAgapanthus praecox A long-lived perennial with blue, purple, or white umbels from South Africa 🇿🇦 South Africa and 2 more · Garden flower March LilyAmaryllis belladonna A pink-flowered bulb from South Africa that blooms on bare stems in late summer 🇿🇦 South Africa and 5 more · Garden flower Lion's earLeonotis leonurus An orange-flowered shrub from southern Africa with tiered whorls of tubular blooms 🇿🇦 South Africa and 5 more · Flowering shrub Combretum A large group of tropical trees and shrubs called bushwillows 🇿🇦 South Africa and 5 more · Flowering tree Spring starflowerIpheion uniflorum A small blue spring bulb with star-shaped, honey-scented flowers 🇦🇷 Argentina and 5 more · Bulb flower Coast banksiaBanksia integrifolia A hardy Australian tree with pale yellow flower spikes and two-toned leaves 🇦🇺 Australia · Flowering tree Common red bottlebrushMelaleuca citrina A hardy Australian shrub with bright red brush-like flowers 🇦🇺 Australia · Flowering shrub Gippsland waratahTelopea oreades A tall Australian shrub with crimson flower heads in late spring 🇦🇺 Australia · Flowering tree SmokebushConospermum Australian shrubs with misty blue or grey flower heads that look like smoke 🇦🇺 Australia · Flowering shrub Philotheca A group of Australian shrubs with delicate five-petalled flowers 🇦🇺 Australia · Flowering shrub Wallum banksiaBanksia aemula Australian coastal shrub with green-yellow flower spikes that open from the base up 🇦🇺 Australia · Flowering shrub Smithia A genus of legume herbs with pink or purple pea-like flowers 🇮🇳 India and 4 more · Herb or useful flower Beach BarringtoniaBarringtonia asiatica A coastal tree with fragrant night-blooming flowers and buoyant toxic fruit 🇹🇿 Tanzania and 7 more · Flowering tree PaperwhiteNarcissus tazetta A tall, white-and-yellow narcissus grown for scent and indoor blooms 🇫🇷 France and 7 more · Bulb flower Place Sydney Markets Sydney’s main centre for wholesale and retail flowers, produce and food Sydney, 🇦🇺 Australia · Flower market Black-eyed Susan vineThunbergia alata A fast-growing climbing plant with bright flowers and a dark centre 🇨🇳 China and 7 more · Garden flower Leucojum White-flowered bulbs of damp meadows and shady gardens 🇪🇸 Spain and 6 more · Wildflower Place Ballarat Botanical Gardens Victorian-era botanical gardens beside Lake Wendouree in Ballarat, Australia Ballarat, 🇦🇺 Australia · Botanical garden Flame lilyGloriosa superba A striking red and yellow climbing flower, national emblem of Zimbabwe and Tamil Nadu 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe and 9 more · Wildflower BottlebrushCallistemon Shrubs with brush-shaped flowers native to Australia 🇦🇺 Australia · Flowering shrub Place Geelong Botanic Gardens Historic botanical gardens in Geelong, Victoria, with diverse plant collections Geelong, 🇦🇺 Australia · Botanical garden Place Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria Two landmark gardens in Melbourne and Cranbourne for plant collections and Australian flora Cranbourne, 🇦🇺 Australia · Botanical garden Decoration Shellcraft Decorative art made by arranging and using seashells 🇦🇺 Australia and 1 more · Flower craft Place Royal Botanic Garden SydneyRoyal Botanic Gardens Sydney’s historic 30-hectare botanical garden on the edge of the harbour Sydney, 🇦🇺 Australia · Botanical garden Indian coral treeErythrina variegata A thorny tree with scarlet flowers, grown across Asia and the Pacific 🇧🇷 Brazil and 7 more · Flowering tree Place Wollongong Botanic Garden A public garden with themed plant collections in Wollongong, Australia Wollongong, 🇦🇺 Australia · Botanical garden Bull banksiaBanksia grandis A tall, fire-resistant tree with large lobed leaves and pale yellow flower spikes 🇦🇺 Australia · Flowering tree Wild daffodilNarcissus pseudonarcissus A pale yellow spring flower and the national emblem of Wales 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 9 more · Wildflower Place Kings Park A vast park and botanic garden overlooking Perth, famous for wildflowers and memorials Perth, 🇦🇺 Australia · Botanical garden, September Place City Botanic Gardens Brisbane’s riverside botanic gardens with rare trees and historic plantings Brisbane, 🇦🇺 Australia · Botanical garden Place Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens Historic botanical gardens in Hobart with rare Tasmanian and subantarctic plants Hobart, 🇦🇺 Australia · Botanical garden Place Hunter Valley Gardens A vast themed garden and event venue in Pokolbin, New South Wales Pokolbin, 🇦🇺 Australia · Botanical garden Place Flecker Botanical Gardens A historic botanical garden in Cairns, Queensland, known for tropical plant collections Cairns, 🇦🇺 Australia · Botanical garden Place Araluen Botanic Park A 59-hectare botanical park in the hills south of Perth, Western Australia Perth, 🇦🇺 Australia · Botanical garden Weeping bottlebrushMelaleuca viminalis A red-flowered Australian tree with weeping branches and bottlebrush blooms 🇦🇺 Australia and 5 more · Flowering tree Datura innoxia A white-flowered night-blooming plant with spiny fruit and toxic parts 🇨🇺 Cuba and 4 more · Wildflower Golden everlastingXerochrysum bracteatum Papery yellow or white daisy flowers native to Australia, lasting long after picking 🇦🇺 Australia and 6 more · Wildflower Place Queens Park, Toowoomba A historic public park and botanic garden in Toowoomba, Queensland Toowoomba, 🇦🇺 Australia · Botanical garden Silver sennaSenna artemisioides A yellow-flowered shrub native to dry regions of Australia 🇦🇺 Australia and 5 more · Wildflower Clerodendrum A genus of shrubs and climbers with showy tubular flowers 🇮🇳 India and 3 more · Flowering shrub Cooktown orchidDendrobium bigibbum A lilac-purple orchid from Queensland, the floral emblem of the state 🇦🇺 Australia and 1 more · Wildflower Hypoxis A genus of yellow-flowered perennial herbs with corms or rhizomes 🇿🇦 South Africa and 1 more · Herb or useful flower Gladiolus tristis A tall, fragrant gladiolus with cream flowers from southern Africa 🇿🇦 South Africa and 2 more · Wildflower Formosa lilyLilium formosanum A tall, white, fragrant lily native to Taiwan with trumpet-shaped blooms 🇹🇼 Taiwan and 3 more · Wildflower Cherokee roseRosa laevigata A white, fragrant climbing rose from southern China with bristly red hips 🇨🇳 China and 5 more · Wildflower Butterfly peaClitoria ternatea A climbing herb with vivid blue flowers used for dye, tea and soil improvement 🇮🇩 Indonesia and 8 more · Climber Decoration Floral clock A working outdoor clock with a face made of living flowers 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 2 more · Carpet or floor pattern
PreviousMore

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly bunch

Every Monday: what is in bloom, the flower festivals of the week, seven flowers you may not know and one tradition explained.