An A-Z of extraordinary Australian native plants and trees
Australian plants are designed by place. Their structure, form and growth habits are shaped by fire, poor soils and long periods without reliable water. Nothing about them is arbitrary.
When we look closely, patterns emerge. Leaves turn edge-on to manage heat, flowers open only when conditions allow or growth slows in response to what the landscape can support. This logic gives Australian plants their remarkable character and explains why so many adapt naturally to our gardens.
This A–Z explores some extraordinary Australian plants and trees, chosen for what their forms reveal as much as how they appear.
A — Apple berry
Billardiera scandens
Apple berry grows in forests along Australia’s east coast, threading itself through shrubs and trees. By climbing rather than supporting its own weight, it reaches light and fruiting height with minimal energy; a strategy suited to crowded forest understories.
B — Boab
Adansonia gregorii
Boabs occur naturally in the Kimberley region of northern Western Australia. Their swollen trunks store water from the wet season, allowing them to survive long dry periods in monsoonal landscapes where rainfall arrives all at once and then disappears.
C — Cyanostegia
Cyanostegia angustifolia
Leif Stridvall via Anita Stridvall, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Native to arid and semi-arid inland Australia, cyanostegia is a plant most people have never noticed. It grows low to the ground with limited flowering, reducing water loss and resource use in landscapes where conditions rarely remain favourable for long.
D — Desert pea
Swainsona formosa
Desert pea grows across central Australia, appearing after wet conditions in open, often bare ground. After heavy rainfall, desert pea germinates, flowers and sets seed in rapid succession, disappearing again as the landscape dries.
E — Emu bush
Eremophila glabra
Emu bush occurs across vast areas of inland and arid Australia, from sand plains to rocky ranges. Its resin-coated leaves reduce water loss and deter browsing, while its compact growth limits exposure in environments where moisture and shade are scarce.
F — Fringe lily
Thysanotus tuberosus
Fringe lilies grow in open woodland and grassland across southern Australia, often disappearing entirely between seasons. They survive dry or cold periods as underground tubers, sending up flowers only when rain and warmth briefly make growth viable.
G — Gymea lily
Doryanthes excelsa
Native to sandstone country along the east coast of New South Wales, the gymea lily forms large rosettes that store energy in nutrient-poor soils for many years. When sufficient reserves are built, it produces a single towering flower spike.
Tools for Australian Gardeners
H — Holly-leaf hakea
Hakea ilicifolia
Geoff Derrin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Holly-leaf hakea grows in woodland and forest margins across south-west Western Australia. Its rigid, spined leaves deter browsing in exposed environments, while its small flowers limit energy investment.
I — Isopogon
Isopogon anemonifolius
Isopogon grows in sandy soils and open forest along Australia’s east coast. Its rounded flower heads cluster many small flowers together, protecting them from wind and dehydration while presenting a concentrated target for pollinators.
J — Jam Wattle
Acacia acuminata
Hughesdarren, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Jam wattle grows in woodlands and open forest across south-west Western Australia. Its name comes from the deep red, resin-rich timber, so dense it resists insects and decay, a product of slow growth in some of the poorest soils on earth.
K — Kangaroo paw
Anigozanthos
Kangaroo paws occur naturally in south-west Western Australia, often in open woodland and heath. Their upright, tubular flowers are adapted to honeyeater pollination, positioning nectar for birds while hairy surfaces reduce heat and moisture loss.
L — Lemon-scented tea tree
Leptospermum petersonii
The Fun Chronicles, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
This tree grows in subtropical forests of eastern Australia, particularly in Queensland. The strong scent released from its leaves is not decorative but defensive, deterring browsing while reducing moisture loss in warm conditions.
M — Mallee
Eucalyptus socialis
Mark Marathon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Mallee eucalypts occur across semi-arid southern Australia, growing as multi-stemmed shrubs rather than single-trunk trees. Their form reflects repeated disturbance, allowing them to reshoot quickly from underground lignotubers after fire or drought.
N — Nardoo
Marsilea drummondii
Nardoo grows in floodplains and temporary wetlands across inland Australia. Its spores remain dormant through long dry periods, responding only when water returns. It's a plant shaped entirely around waiting.
O — Old man saltbush
Atriplex nummularia
Native to arid and semi-arid regions across much of Australia, old man saltbush thrives in saline and degraded soils. Its silvery leaves reflect heat and conserve moisture, making survival possible where few other plants persist.
P — Pigface
Carpobrotus glaucescens
Pigface grows naturally along coastal dunes and headlands in eastern Australia. Its succulent leaves store water and tolerate salt spray, anchoring loose sand, while flowering is concentrated into short periods when moisture and pollinators are available.
Q — Quandong
Santalum acuminatum
John Jennings from Australia, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Quandongs occur across arid and semi-arid inland Australia. As partial parasites, they draw nutrients from neighbouring plants, an approach that allows survival in landscapes where soil alone offers very little.
R — Rock fern
Cheilanthes sieberi
Greg Tasney, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Rock ferns grow in crevices and rocky outcrops across much of Australia. They survive extended dry periods by shutting down completely, unfurling again only when moisture returns.
S — Silver banksia
Banksia marginata
Silver banksia occurs across southern Australia in heath, woodland and coastal environments. It tolerates low nutrients and variable conditions through slow, conservative growth and specialised roots, allowing it to persist without changing form.
T — Triggerplant
Stylidium graminifolium
Triggerplants are found across southern and eastern Australia, often in open grassland and heath. Their flowers snap forward when touched, placing pollen onto a specific part of an insect’s body and reducing waste in environments where pollinator visits are limited.
U — Utricularia
Utricularia dichotoma
Utricularia dichotoma is a native, carnivorous bladderwort found in wet soils and ephemeral wetlands across Australia. In nutrient-poor conditions, it supplements growth by trapping microscopic prey underground, using suction-powered bladders to obtain nutrients the soil cannot provide.
V — Verticordia
Verticordia grandis
Verticordias are native to south-west Western Australia, where soils are ancient and extremely low in nutrients. Their finely structured flowers maximise pollination efficiency during brief flowering windows, a precise response to scarcity.
W — Woolly bush
Adenanthos sericeus
Woolly bush grows along the southern coast of Western Australia in sandy, wind-exposed conditions. Its fine, hairy foliage traps still air and reduces moisture loss, limiting damage from salt and wind where soils hold little water.
X — Xanthorrhoea
Xanthorrhoea australis
Xanthorrhoea occurs in open woodland and heath across southern and eastern Australia. Fire removes competition and briefly increases nutrient availability, triggering flowering at a time when open conditions favour pollination and seedling survival.
Y — Yam daisy
Microseris walteri
Yam daisies grow in grasslands and open woodland across south-eastern Australia. Their underground tubers store energy and allow rapid regrowth after grazing, fire or dry periods, a form shaped by repeated disturbance.
Z — Zebra Orchid
Caladenia cairnsiana
Native to south-west Western Australia, this orchid grows in sandy soils and open woodland. Its striped labellum mimics the appearance of a female wasp, a precise deception that makes pollination possible in a crowded landscape.
Looking a bit closer
Seen closely, these plants are anything but static. Features that read as decorative often serve practical roles. Apparent slowness or restraint is usually a response to limited resources.
In gardens, this becomes clear when plants are well matched to conditions. They require fewer inputs and remain stable over time. The gardener’s role shifts toward support, using tools that allow for precise planting, controlled pruning and minimal disturbance, rather than constant correction.
These species show that Australian plants are remarkable not because they tolerate harsh conditions, but because of how specifically they respond to them.
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