12 Australian native plants with beautiful bell-shaped flowers
The bell shape is one of the most precisely engineered forms in the Australian flora. A bell flower controls which pollinators can access its nectar, how they must approach and exactly where pollen is deposited on and collected from their body.
Bell-shaped flowers appear across dozens of unrelated Australian plant families — each one a different solution to the same problem of directing a specific pollinator to a specific target.
What is remarkable is how many unrelated plant families arrived at the same solution independently. Correas, boronias, epacris, darwinias, blandfordias and pimeleas share almost no botanical ancestry — yet all evolved the pendant or tubular bell as their answer to the same ecological challenge.
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1. Chef's cap correa (Correa baeuerlenii)
Chef's cap correa has one of the most architecturally unusual flowers. Where most correas produce a simple bell, this species produces a squared, angular tube topped by a flat lid that projects outward. The overall effect is genuinely strange: green flowers with a geometric precision. It grows naturally in the shaded gullies of the NSW coastal ranges and suits a cool, sheltered garden position with reliable moisture.
Chef's cap correa (Correa baeuerlenii) — the squared tube and projecting calyx are unique among Australian bell flowers, creating a form that looks almost architectural.
Why the bell shape
The flat calyx above the tube opening functions as a landing platform directing honeyeaters into contact with the reproductive structures at the tube entrance. The square cross-section may further control the angle at which a bird can insert its bill, ensuring pollen contact at a consistent point. It is a rare example of a flower where the calyx, usually a purely protective structure, has been recruited into the pollination mechanism itself. Prune lightly after flowering with sharp secateurs.
2. Lemon-scented darwinia (Darwinia citriodora)
What appears to be the flower is actually a bell-shaped structure formed by coloured bracts surrounding a cluster of tiny true flowers inside. Long, curved styles protrude from the bell opening. The foliage releases a strong citrus scent when crushed. A specialist plant for Perth gardens and Mediterranean-climate zones in SA, where excellent drainage can be guaranteed.
Lemon-scented darwinia (Darwinia citriodora) — the protruding styles extending from the bell are the pollen-collecting structures, positioned to contact a visiting honeyeater's head.
Why the bell shape
In darwinias the bell of coloured bracts functions as the visual attractant while the true flowers inside are small and inconspicuous. The long, protruding styles are the actual pollen transfer mechanism: as a honeyeater pushes into the bell, the style tips contact the bird's head. The bell is essentially a decoy that positions the bird correctly for the real transaction happening at the style tips. Plant in full sun in very free-draining sandy or gravelly soil — waterlogging is fatal.
3. Qualup bell (Pimelea physodes)
Qualup bell flowers are pendant bells formed by large, overlapping, waxy bracts in shades of green, yellow and red. The overall effect is lantern-like — soft, translucent and architectural in a way that is quite unlike any other Australian plant. It is a WA endemic restricted to a small area of coastal heath in the southwest, which explains why it is virtually unknown in gardens outside the state.
Qualup bell (Pimelea physodes) — pendant, lantern-like bells formed by overlapping waxy bracts, one of the most visually distinctive flowering plants in the WA flora.
Why the bell shape
As in darwinia, the bell structure is formed primarily by bracts rather than petals — the true flowers are located inside the bract cup. The pendant orientation and waxy texture protect the inner flowers from rain and the translucent bracts may allow light to filter through to make the bell visible from multiple angles. Honeyeaters insert their bills into the bract cup to reach the inner flowers. Plant in full sun in very free-draining sandy soil. Best suited to Perth and Mediterranean-climate gardens.
4. Brown boronia (Boronia megastigma)
Brown boronia produces small, pendant, four-petalled bells in deep brown-red on the outside and vivid yellow-green on the inside. But the most remarkable thing about this plant is its fragrance. The scent of brown boronia is among the most complex and intense produced by any Australian plant. It is a short-lived shrub but worth growing for the scent alone. See the full list of fragrant Australian native plants.
Brown boronia (Boronia megastigma) — deep brown-red bells with vivid yellow-green interiors, and one of the most remarkable fragrances produced by any Australian plant.
Why the bell shape
Brown boronia's bell targets native bees rather than birds. The intense fragrance is the primary attractant, drawing bees from a distance through dense understorey vegetation. Once a bee enters the small bell to investigate the scent, contact with the reproductive structures is unavoidable. Plant in part shade in free-draining, slightly acidic soil. Prune lightly after flowering with sharp secateurs.
5. Orange marianthus (Marianthus ringens)
Orange marianthus is a slender, scrambling WA climber producing pendant, tubular bells in vivid orange-red from late winter through spring. It climbs through surrounding shrubs using twining stems, positioning its flowers in the mid-canopy. The flowers are followed by small berries that attract fruit-eating birds, giving the plant a two-stage ecological contribution.
Orange marianthus (Marianthus ringens) — vivid orange-red pendant bells on a scrambling WA climber, little known outside the southwest despite being among the most rewarding natives for Mediterranean-climate garden structures.
Murray Fagg, CC BY 3.0 AU, via Wikimedia Commons
Why the bell shape
The orange-red pendant bell places marianthus firmly in the honeyeater pollination guild. The tube length excludes most insects, the pendant orientation protects nectar from rain and the scrambling habit positions flowers where honeyeaters move freely. Allow to scramble through an open shrub or train along a trellis or fence. Prune lightly after flowering with sharp secateurs.
The bell as a pollination mechanism
A bell flower does three things simultaneously: it protects nectar from rain and dilution, excludes pollinators that are too small to transfer pollen effectively and it controls the precise position of every visitor that does gain access. The tube length, diameter, orientation and curvature are all variables tuned by natural selection to match a specific pollinator.
6. Purple apple berry (Billardiera longiflora)
Purple apple berry is a slender, twining climber producing pendant, tubular bells in pale yellow-green through spring and early summer, followed by one of the most remarkable fruits of any Australian plant. It grows naturally in the cool temperate forest understorey of southeastern Australia, climbing through shrubs causing no damage to supporting plants.
Purple apple berry (Billardiera longiflora) — pale pendant bells in spring followed by deep purple edible berries, one of the most rewarding cool-temperate native climbers for a shaded position.
Murray Fagg, CC BY 3.0 AU, via Wikimedia Commons
Why the bell shape
The pale, pendant bell sits at the intersection of two pollination strategies. The tube structure suggests adaptation for small native bees that cling to the flower and vibrate their flight muscles to release pollen. The pale colouring is more visible to bees than to birds, placing this plant in a different ecological guild to the red-flowered correas nearby. The berries that follow are eaten by birds, completing a two-stage ecological contribution from a single plant. Plant in part to full shade in moist, well-drained soil with organic matter.
7. Christmas bells (Blandfordia grandiflora)
Christmas bells produce some of the most visually striking bell flowers in the Australian flora: large, waxy, red-to-orange tubes with yellow tips, hanging in clusters from slender stems around the summer solstice. Their coastal heathland habitat brings them into direct contact with the eastern spinebill and New Holland honeyeater through the summer months.
Christmas bells (Blandfordia grandiflora) — large, waxy pendant bells in the red-and-yellow colour combination that is an unmistakable honeyeater signal in the Australian flora.
Why the bell shape
The large, downward-hanging tube is scaled precisely for a medium-sized honeyeater — too large for most insects to enter effectively. The red-and-yellow colouring reinforces the bird signal: red is largely invisible to insects but highly conspicuous to honeyeaters, while the yellow tips direct the eye to the tube opening. Plant in free-draining, acidic, sandy soil kept consistently moist.
8. Common correa (Correa reflexa)
Common correa is the species that most clearly illustrates what the bell form is doing and why. The tubular, pendant flowers hang downward in shades of red, green or cream depending on the form, with the petal tips reflexing outward at the base. They are produced through autumn, winter and into spring, providing nectar when honeyeaters are under the most energy pressure.
Common correa (Correa reflexa) — the pendant bell hangs downward to keep nectar dry and positioned precisely for a hovering honeyeater.
Why the bell shape
The downward-hanging tube keeps nectar concentrated and protected from rain. A honeyeater hovering below makes contact with the pollen-bearing structures in a fixed, repeatable geometry. The tube length also excludes most insects, reserving the nectar for the bird pollinators the plant has evolved to target. Plant in part shade in well-drained soil with some organic matter.
9. Common heath (Epacris impressa)
Common heath' s small, cylindrical bells are produced in profusion along the stems from autumn through spring. The narrow, sharply pointed leaves cover the stems densely, creating a fine-textured backdrop that suits both naturalistic heath plantings and more structured garden designs.
Common heath (Epacris impressa), the floral emblem of Victoria — small cylindrical bells produced along the stem in white, pink or deep red through the cooler months. Note: image shows the related fuchsia heath (Epacris longiflora).
Why the bell shape
The narrow cylindrical tube is sized for the eastern spinebill — a small honeyeater with a distinctively curved bill that fits the tube precisely. This match is not coincidental: it is the outcome of co-evolution across thousands of generations, producing a tube that functions as a key for a specific lock. Plant in full sun to part shade in free-draining, acid, low-nutrient soil. Prune lightly after flowering with sharp secateurs.
10. Flame heath (Astroloma conostephioides)
Flame heath is a prostrate, ground-hugging plant that spreads slowly across rocky or sandy soil, producing small, vivid red tubular bells from winter through spring. It is one of the lowest-growing of Australia's bell-flowered plants and one of the most broadly distributed across the southern states. It suits rockery and groundcover planting in free-draining, low-nutrient, acid soil and is one of the most cold-hardy of the bell-flowered natives.
Flame heath (Astroloma conostephioides) — vivid red tubular bells produced at ground level, visited by honeyeaters that hover or descend to feed through winter and spring.
Why the bell shape
The red tubular bell is an unambiguous honeyeater signal despite the plant's ground-level habit. The prickly foliage surrounding the flowers serves a secondary function, deterring ground-based insects and small mammals from accessing the nectar while remaining passable for birds approaching from above.
11. Rock thryptomene (Thryptomene saxicola)
Rock thryptomene is one of the most floriferous small native shrubs for Mediterranean-climate gardens, producing tiny five-petalled bells in white or pale pink. The small, aromatic leaves provide year-round interest and the plant tolerates moderate drought and coastal exposure once established.
Rock thryptomene (Thryptomene saxicola) — tiny bell flowers produced in such density that the stems disappear entirely at the peak of the winter and spring flowering season.
Why the bell shape
Rock thryptomene's small, open bell targets native bees and small insects rather than birds. The sheer number of flowers produced simultaneously is itself a strategy: flooding the environment with accessible nectar rewards that keep native bees returning repeatedly and maximising cross-pollination events. Prune by one third after flowering with sharp secateurs.
12. Snow wreath (Woollsia pungens)
Snow wreath is a prickly, upright eastern heath shrub producing small, tubular white bells with slightly spreading petal lobes through spring. It is closely related to epacris and occupies similar ecological niches in eastern heathland. Plant in full sun to part shade in free-draining, acid soil.
Snow wreath (Woollsia pungens) — small white bells produced densely along prickly stems in spring, a lesser-known eastern heath shrub closely related to epacris.
Why the bell shape
The tubular bell of snow wreath is sized for small honeyeaters and the eastern spinebill. The spreading petal lobes at the tube opening direct pollinators to the entrance and provide a brief landing surface. The prickly foliage surrounding the flowers creates a deterrent barrier for larger, less useful visitors. Prune lightly after flowering with sharp secateurs. The prickly foliage makes thorn-proof gloves worthwhile.
The bell in the Australian garden
What these twelve plants share is not just a flower shape but an approach to one of the fundamental challenges of plant reproduction: how to move pollen from one individual to another reliably, efficiently and repeatedly. The bell solved that problem in a dozen different ways across a dozen different plant families, each one tuned to a specific pollinator in a specific habitat.
A blue-banded bee visits an eremophila — plant and pollinator shaped by millions of years of co-evolution.
For the gardener, that history translates into something practical. A garden with bell-flowered natives across a range of flowering seasons supports honeyeaters and native bees through the year rather than just in peak season.
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