Flowers of Australia and New Zealand: Unique Southern Hemisphere Flora

Botanical Riches of the Antipodes

When Captain Cook reached Australia, botanists Dr. Solander and Joseph Banks were amazed by the flora's richness, naming their anchorage Botany Bay. Many plants were unlike anything seen before; even recognized families contained unknown native species.

Australian Adaptations to Drought

Many Australian plants are adapted to long droughts. Wattles (acacias) lack true leaves, having flattened leaf stalks that evaporate less moisture. Other shrubs have small or needle-shaped leaves; foliage is tough, leathery, or woolly-coated to prevent shriveling. Flowers are seldom large but numerous, producing mass pollen and nectar for bees—clustered blooms of bottle-brush shrubs, cylindrical flower heads of banksias. Unique plants: Christmas bush (white flowers turning clear red), yellow-flowered Christmas tree (mistletoe family, root parasite growing to tree size).

Grey-green eucalyptus trees (gums) are the most typical, giving landscape its character; acacias/wattles accentuate sunshine with fluffy yellow flowers in tiny balls or elongated tassels. Many legumes (pea family) appear in diverse forms: Sturt's desert pea (Swainsona formosa) in dry interior with big red flowers marked with raised black blotch; parrot-bill/red kowhai (Clianthus puniceus) and yellow kowhai (Sophora tetraptera) from New Zealand. Over 100 bush peas (yellow, orange, brownish) color Western Australian springs; blue/purple hoveas noted for beauty; trailing/climbing peas include purple Kennedy pea, black Kennedy pea, red runner; Swainsona includes dangerous darling poison pea (fatal to livestock). Mount Rosea in Victoria glows with rosy bush pea in Nov-Dec.

Dry deserts have sparse vegetation: salt bush (Atriplex) with native grasses recovering after drought. Rains transform deserts with masses of small annuals from seed. Everlasting flowers grow profusely. Kangaroo paws (Western Australia, red/green form is state emblem) belong to Haemodoraceae with hairy clustered flowers; several kinds including black kangaroo paw (yellowish-green inside). Queensland and Northern Territory have epiphytic orchids on forest trees; terrestrial orchids more numerous in dry climate, especially Caladenia in west—many blue (unusual for orchids) with large flowers on slender stalks.

Strange Xanthorrhoea (grass trees/black boys): start as coarse grass tufts; trunks rise as old leaves die, leaving bare base with tuft of greyish leaves like untidy hair. Some 2-3 feet, others 20 feet in old age. Elongated flower spike from center of leafy tuft; small flowers with creamy white stamens embedded in protective chaffy bracts.

New Zealand's Distinctive Flora

Tree ferns and manukas (Leptospermum, tea trees) are key New Zealand groups. Early settlers brewed tea substitute from manuka leaves. New Zealand flax (Phormium tenax, agave family) has long narrow leaves with strong fibers used by Maoris for weaving.

Many New Zealand plants belong to daisy family: daisy bushes (Olearia) and bush groundsels (Senecio) numerous, now grown in European/American gardens. Australia has notable blue flowers (sky-blue Leschenaultia); New Zealand strangely has no blue herbaceous flowers—mostly white (forget-me-nots, lobelias, buttercups, alpine). Raoulia eximia (vegetable sheep) forms huge mounds of woolly leaves resembling resting sheep. Acaena novae-zelandiae (New Zealand burr) has blue-green leaves, brick-red spiny seed heads nuisance to sheep farmers; grown in English gardens as ground cover but doesn't set fertile seed away from native country.

Featured Australian and New Zealand Flowers

Morrison Feather Flower (Verticordia nitens)

Endemic to Western Australia; 50 Verticordia species among most unusual and charming Australian flowers. Dainty fluffy appearance from five heavily fringed calyx lobes surrounding petals; colors white, pink, yellow, red, scarlet. Grown as garden plants in Australia; effect like massed Michaelmas daisies. Poor seed production/germination but cuttings strike easily.

Beach Lily (Crinum pedunculatum)

Crinums are tropical; half-dozen species in Australia/Pacific Islands. Lovely white flower profuse on Lord Howe Island. Wide tapering dark green leaves; grows from large bulb. Always on beaches near sea; spread by light corky seeds floating long distances in salt water.

Lobster Claw (Clianthus puniceus)

Striking shrub with curious flowers like red lobster claws; native to North Island, New Zealand. Maoris cultivated it long before Europeans, called it kowhai. Also known as parrot-bill or glory pea; cultivated worldwide. Flowers in mild SW England, especially against warm wall. Discovered by William Dampier; introduced to England 1831; now virtually extinct in wild.

Manuka (Leptospermum scoparium)

Tea trees/manukas widespread in New Zealand; vary tremendously in size/appearance. Good soil: up to 25 feet; mountain/exposed/poor soil: creep along ground. Flowers commonly white; full bloom resembles English hawthorn. Pink/rose-red forms occur but less common. Not related to true tea; name from settlers' brew.

Hebe 'Sapphire' (Hebe speciosa hybrid)

~150 Hebe species, evergreen shrubs mostly native to New Zealand; formerly classified as veronicas. Vary in size/appearance; some with tiny scale-like leaves. Small flowers in racemes: white, blue, violet, purple, pink, rosy red. Many improved hybrids raised. Only mild climates; in Britain hardy by sea.

Chatham Island Forget-Me-Not (Myosotidium hortensia)

Beautiful plant, sometimes called Chatham Island lily; wild only on this Pacific island 500 miles east of New Zealand. Once profuse on sandy beaches; grazing sheep and rooting pigs destroyed many populations; now survives in inaccessible places. Large deeply veined leaves act as funnels conducting rainwater to roots. Needs moist climate and acid soil; grown successfully in New Zealand, Ireland, western Scotland.

Wattle/Mimosa (Acacia cyanophylla)

Nearly 600 Australian wattle species—low shrubs (kangaroo thorn) to fair-sized trees (blackwood). Tiny yellow flowers in fluffy balls/tassels; full bloom looks completely yellow. Many lack true leaves, having flattened leaf stalks/stems (sometimes beautiful silvery color).

Albany Banksia (Banksia coccinea)

Named for Sir Joseph Banks (accompanied Captain Cook). Found throughout Australia, mostly western regions. Called honeysuckles for abundant nectar in large cone-shaped flower heads (sometimes a foot tall). Beauty from long styles protruding from closely packed tiny flowers. Evergreen serrated leaves often grey/brownish underneath.

Borya septentrionalis

Entirely endemic to Australia. Habitat: Lamb's Head Mountain, Queensland, 4000 feet altitude, shallow soil on rock. Lily family; low and shrubby. Red coloring from tufts of young leaves, not flowers. Small white flowers with dark bracts in heads above foliage.

Beaufort Myrtle (Beaufortia)

Beautiful evergreen shrub discovered in Western Australia; arrived England 1803, named after Mary Duchess of Beaufort. Needs warm climate; not hardy where winter frost occurs. Botanically close to Callistemon; small close-set leaves reminiscent of heather. Also called swamp bottle-brush; grows in open sandy soil wet in winter.

Red-Flowered Gum (Eucalyptus ficifolia)

Most colorful eucalyptus but small compared to giants like E. regnans (350 feet). ~500 eucalyptus kinds, mostly Australian natives. Juvenile foliage attractive, different from mature. Flowers: mass of stamens, usually white, occasionally yellow (yate, noted for tough wood). Many provide valuable timber; 19th century blocks used for paving London streets.