 | Common name | Mountain Hickory |
Scientific name | Acacia falciformis |
Family | Fabaceae (subfamily Mimosoideae) |
Relatives | Other wattles, Mimosa, Leucaena, Mesquite |
Habitat | Forest |
Local example | Burragate |
Notes | Widespread mid-storey tree with large curved grey 'leaves'. |
 | Common name | Bitter Bush |
Scientific name | Adriana tomentosa |
Family | Euphorbiaceae |
Relatives | Spurges, Castor Oil Plant, Wallaby Bush, Cheese Tree, Bertya, Breynia etc |
Habitat | Forest, especially beside rivers |
Local example | Towamba River, Towamba-Rocky Hall |
Notes | Widespread but uncommon shrub, dioecious, with separate male and female plants. Also recorded along Brogo and Bega rivers. |
 | Common name | Austral Bugle |
Scientific name | Ajuga australis |
Family | Lamiaceae |
Relatives | Mints, lavender, oregano, Prostanthera |
Habitat | Forest |
Local example | Burragate |
Notes | Widespread herb, a more prostrate form is common locally. |
 | Common name | Rock Lily |
Scientific name | Bulbine glauca |
Family | Asphodelaceae |
Relatives | Asphodels, Native Leek |
Habitat | Forest, especially rock faces |
Local example | Burragate: roadside and beside river |
Notes | Similar in appearance to B. bulbosa, which is more prevalent on the Tablelands. |
| Common name | Milkmaids |
Scientific name | Burchardia umbellata |
Family | Colchicaceae |
Relatives | Early Nancy, Gloriosa |
Habitat | Range of habitats, forest, grassland, swamps |
Local example | Towamba Cemetery |
Notes | An attractive lily with multiple flowers grouped in umbels. |
| Common name | Dwarf Bottlebrush |
Scientific name | Callistemon subulatus |
Family | Myrtaceae |
Relatives | Eucalypts, Melaleucas, Guava etc |
Habitat | Stream banks and river rock scrubs |
Local example | Burragate, Myrtle Creek |
Notes | Widespread along local watercourses. Can grow to 2-3 metres, despite the common name. May hydridise with other local Callistemons. |
 | Common name | Australian Bindweed |
Scientific name | Convolvulus erubescens |
Family | Convolvulaceae |
Relatives | Kidney Weed, Dodder, Morning Glories |
Habitat | Grasslands and grassy forests |
Local example | Towamba Cemetery |
Notes | Survives in grassy remnants which have not been heavily grazed or cultivated. More attractive than the common name suggests. |
 | Common name | White Iris |
Scientific name | Diplarrena moraea |
Family | Iridaceae |
Relatives | Patersonia, Libertia, Freesia, Iris, Ixia, Tritonia, Sparaxis, Gladiolus |
Habitat | Forest and heath, especially higher elevations |
Local example | Mount Imlay, Coolangubra |
Notes | An uncommon and spectacular native iris, with long grass-like tufted leaves. Photo credit: John Blay. |
 | Common name | Tiger Orchid, Hornet Orchid |
Scientific name | Diuris sulphurea |
Family | Orchidaceae |
Relatives | other orchids |
Habitat | Forest and grasslands |
Local example | Burragate, Pericoe, Towamba Cemetery |
Notes | The most widespread and common of the Diuris group locally, which includes Double-tail, Moth and Donkey Orchids. These orchids appear to be pollinated by native bees. Instead of offering nectar or pollen, many species attract pollinators by mimicking other plants growing nearby (such as yellow lilies or peas). |
| Common name | Golden-tip |
Scientific name | Goodia lotifolia |
Family | Fabaceae (subfamily Faboideae) |
Relatives | all the peas |
Habitat | Moister forests |
Local example | Letts Mountain |
Notes | 'Egg and bacon' type flower with leaves of three broad leaflets. |
 | Common name | Wallagaraugh Grevillea |
Scientific name | Grevillea parvula |
Family | Proteaceae |
Relatives | Banksias, Hakeas, Waratah, Proteas etc |
Habitat | Forest |
Local example | Letts Mountain |
Notes | One of the species to come out of the revision of the G. victoriae (Royal Grevillea) group. Pictured is an actual G. victoriae from the Snowy Mountains; G. parvula looks similar, but with smaller leaves. |
 | Common name | Many-flowered Mat Rush |
Scientific name | Lomandra multiflora |
Family | Lomandraceae |
Relatives | Other mat rushes |
Habitat | Forest |
Local example | Burragate |
Notes | Common understorey plant in drier forests. |
 | Common name | Onion Orchid |
Scientific name | Microtis unifolia |
Family | Orchidaceae |
Relatives | Other orchids |
Habitat | Wide range of habitats |
Local example | Burragate, Towamba |
Notes | Easily over-looked terrestrial orchid, with a single cylindrical leaf. Locally frequent in grassy understorey. The flowers are pollinated by worker ants seeking nectar, which is highly unusual because ant secretions generally destroy pollen. |
| Common name | Curved Rice Flower |
Scientific name | Pimelea curviflora |
Family | Thymeleaceae |
Relatives | Daphne, other Rice Flowers |
Habitat | Grassy forest and grassland |
Local example | Towamba Cemetery |
Notes | Associated with intact grassy communities, so not too common in the region. A red-flowering form occurs in local cemeteries. |
 | Common name | Nodding Blue Lily |
Scientific name | Stypandra glauca |
Family | Phormiaceae |
Relatives | Flax Lilies (Dianella spp) |
Habitat | Forest, especially rocky sites |
Local example | Myrtle Creek, Burragate |
Notes | The flowers are similar to those of Dianella, although Stypandra has stem leaves, a branching habit, and splitting capsule fruit rather than a soft berry. |
| Common name | Gippsland Waratah |
Scientific name | Telopea oreades |
Family | Proteaceae |
Relatives | Banksias, Hakeas, Waratah, Proteas etc |
Habitat | Wetter forests and stream banks |
Local example | Letts Mountain, Coolangubra |
Notes | Distinguished from the Sydney waratah (T. speciosissima) by the smaller, more open flower head and lack of teeth on the leaves. |
| Common name | Slender Sun Orchid |
Scientific name | Thelymitra ?pauciflora |
Family | Orchidaceae |
Relatives | other orchids |
Habitat | Grassy forest and grasslands, other habitats in other regions |
Local example | Towamba Cemetery |
Notes | The flower of this self-fertile species opens reluctantly in full sun only, or sometimes not at all! The Towamba example was seen when closed, so pauciflora is a slightly reckless guess. |
| Common name | Yellow Autumn-lily |
Scientific name | Tricoryne elatior |
Family | Anthericeae |
Relatives | Other lilies (Grass Lily, Fringe Lily, Vanilla Lily, Chocolate Lily, Sky Lily) |
Habitat | Range of habitats, especially grassy forest and swamps |
Local example | Towamba Cemetery |
Notes | Flowers most of the year (despite the common name). |
| Common name | Austral Sunray |
Scientific name | Triptilodiscus pygmaeus |
Family | Asteraceae |
Relatives | Daisies etc |
Habitat | Grassy forest and native grassland |
Local example | Towamba |
Notes | A small, regionally uncommon annual persisting in Kangaroo Grass understorey near the Towamba River. Triptilodiscus is endemic to Australia, and this is its only species. |
 | Common name | Tall Bluebell |
Scientific name | Wahlenbergia stricta |
Family | Campanulaceae |
Relatives | Campanulas |
Habitat | Wide range of habitats |
Local example | Towamba Cemetery |
Notes | Distinguished from other local Bluebells by their hairy opposite lower leaves. |
