Spring D-G

Looking at the photographs To view the photographs, click on the species image to enlarge it, then use the side arrows to page through images of the flowers, buds, fruit, leaves, foliage and plant(s) in the wild etc.
Viewing the meaning of botanical words To view the meaning of botanical words, hold the cursor on the blue word and the meaning will appear in a text box.
Based on Debenham C’s, The Language of Botany, A Publication of The Society for Growing Australian Plants, Chipping Norton NSW, c.1962.

Daviesia latifolia

Botanical Name: Daviesia latifolia
Commonly Called: Hop bitterpea
Botanical Family: Fabaceae
Grows: This interesting shrub with large flat leaves and large simple racemes of flowers grows 1 to 2m high by 1 to 1.5m wide.
Foliage: The lanceolate leaves are undulating and leathery. They grow 2.5cm to 8cm long and 2 to 3cm wide and have a pronounced network of veins.
Flowers: The spikes of numerous gold and brown pea flowers grow from the leaf axils.
Flowering Season: The flowers appear throughout spring.
Fruit: The fruit is a triangular green pod, maturing to brown, containing seeds, each surrounded by an aril.
Habitat/distribution: An understorey plant of dry forests and roadsides. Also Vic, NSW and Q.
Where found: Knocklofty, Peter Murrell, Cheltenham Park, Tom Gibson and many other Reserves; kunanyi/Wellington Park lower areas; Meehan Range; Tasman, Douglas River, Narawntapu, Rocky Cape and other National Parks; Central Coast, Central Highlands, Derwent and Meander Valleys, Northern Midlands, St Marys Pass and West Coast.
Other notes: Distinguishing features are the broad leaves with prominent net veins, and the triangular pods. A hardy plant for a dry area with plentiful shade. Mass plantings could provide a colourful display.

Diplarrena moraea

Botanical Name: Diplarrena moraea
Commonly Called: White flag-iris
Botanical Family: Iridaceae
Grows: This lovely plant grows 50 to 100cm high by 10 to 30cm wide.
Foliage: The stiff, erect, smooth leaves are ~1cm wide by 75cm long.
Flowers: The flower heads grow on stalks 20 to 105cm long. The 3 outer perianth segments, tepals, are large white oblanceolate to obovate shaped with a slight central ridge and each half is slightly concave. Each large tepal has a shallow notch on its tip. The two inner tepals each side of the centre are mainly yellow on top with purple vein-like markings. The central rear white tepal, tinged purple beneath, is concave hood-like over the stamens and style. Individual flowers only last a few days, but new ones emerge from the bud at the top of the stem. Thus the plant flowers over a long time.
Flowering Season: The flowers appear in spring but flowering can extend into summer.
Fruit: The fruit is a brown capsule containing many seeds.
Habitat/distribution: Common and widespread around Tasmania in a range of habitats from sea level to 1000m. Also found in Vic and NSW.
Where found: Throughout Tasmania especially open grassy areas; Meehan Range Nature Recreation Area; Knocklofty, Tom Gibson, Cheltenham Park, Conningham and many more Reserves; many Parks and National Parks; George Town, Latrobe, Flinders Island, Skullbone Plains, Waratah and many other places. Large swathes along the Lyell Highway, especially west of Derwent Bridge.
Other notes: Leaves and edges of leaves are smooth. Various forms exist in cultivation. Requires well-drained moist soil and full sun. Propagate by division of clumps, or from short life fresh seed.

Epacris impressa

Botanical Name: Epacris impressa
Commonly Called: Common heath
Botanical Family: Epacridaceae
Grows: This readily recognised epacrid species grows 50 to 100cm high by 20 to 50cm wide.
Foliage: The spreading to recurved, stalkless leaves are narrow and taper to a sharp point. The younger branches are ribbed and tomentose. The older stems are bare with leaf scars.
Flowers: The tubular flowers range in colour from creamy-white through pink to deep red and have 5 distinct indentations (impressions) at the stem end, hence the species name. They grow from the leaf axils along the length of the upper branches toward the tips.
Flowering Season: The flowers appear mainly in spring but also spasmodically in autumn and winter.
Fruit: The fruit are small 5-celled capsules.
Habitat/distribution: Epacris impressa is widespread and abundant in dry sclerophyll forests from sea level to 800m. It is also found in SA, Vic and NSW.
Where found: Throughout Tasmania especially in well-drained soil and dappled shade to full sun. All National Parks and many city parks and gardens; kunanyi/Wellington Park, Knocklofty, Peter Murrell, Risdon Brook, Tom Gibson and many other Reserves; Meehan Range Nature Recreation Area, Tangara Trail tracks in Acton Park and many other places.
Other notes: Prune after flowering for bushy shape and size in home gardens. The impressions at the base of the floral tubes are the distinguishing feature for this species.

Goodenia elongata

Botanical Name: Goodenia elongata
Commonly Called: Lanky native-primrose
Botanical Family: Goodeniaceae
Grows: This small herb grows prostrate to about 5cm with its leafy flower stalks up to 30cm high and spreads 30 by 50cm wide.
Foliage: Narrow, spatulate, 1 to 5cm long, with smooth edges, slightly hairy, widely spaced along the stem. Upper stem leaves smaller.
Flowers: The single flowers are yellow, to 2.5cm across, on a long fine stalks from the leaf axils.
Flowering Season: The flowers appear in spring.
Fruit: The fruit is an oval capsule to 6mm long.
Habitat/distribution: In Tasmania it is widespread and common in moist areas. It also is found in Vic.
Where found: It is found especially in moist areas in Freycinet and Tasman National Parks; Maria and Bruny Islands; some Reserves; Kellevie Road at the Carlton River Bridge.
Other notes: A distinguishing feature is the flowers on long fine stems without bracteoles. Useful for moist areas but will tolerate periods of dry, with some sun, among other ground cover plants.

Goodenia lanata

Botanical Name: Goodenia lanata
Commonly Called: Trailing native-primrose
Botanical Family: Goodeniaceae
Grows: This pretty little herb grows prostrate to 0.6 by 1.5m wide.
Foliage: The leaves grow from 1 to 8cm long by 0.5 to 2cm wide with toothed or lobed edges, obovate, narrowing to a long stem. Upper surface is dark green with scattered hairs and the lower surface is light green.
Flowers: The solitary flowers on stems 2 to 6cm long, are yellow with three spreading lower lobes and two erect upper lobes, and deeper colour in the centre with petal edges slightly wavy.
Flowering Season: The flowers appear throughout spring and into summer
Fruit: The fruit is an ovoid to cylindrical capsule, 5 to 6mm long.
Habitat/distribution: It is widespread, and grows in variable soils in dry to moist sites from coastal heath to woodlands. Also Vic.
Where found: Throughout the north, north east, midlands and south east in Tasmania. Freycinet and Tasman National Parks and some bushland parks and gardens; Wellington Park lower areas, Knocklofty and Peter Murrell Reserves; also along roadsides.
Other notes: Suitable for growing in well drained, moist soil with some sun. Forms from the Midlands are frost hardy while coastal forms are not.

Goodenia ovata

Botanical Name: Goodenia ovata
Commonly Called: Hop native-primrose
Botanical Family: Goodeniaceae
Grows: This attractive species grows 1 to 2m high by 0.5 to 1.5m wide.
Foliage: The leaves are bright green, slightly sticky and ovate with toothed edges. Mature leaves with short stems, grow from 2 to 6cm long on dark grey/green branches.
Flowers: The bright yellow flowers on long slender stems have petals with slightly wavy edges and consist of three spreading lower lobes and two upper lobes.
Flowering Season: The flowers are prolific in spring and sporadic throughout the year.
Fruit: The fruit is a narrow rounded capsule.
Habitat/distribution: This species is widespread in Tasmania and is a coloniser of roadsides and open forest especially after a bush fire. It is also found in SA, Vic, NSW and Q.
Where found: It is found occasionally on the west coast in Trial Harbour and Zeehan, in the Northern midlands and along the Nile and South Esk Rivers. It is more common along the northern coastal areas from Stanley to Bridport and down the east coast from Picnic Point to Orford. It is quite common in the south east including at Lime Bay, Carlton River, Derwent and Huon Valleys and as far south as Cockle Creek and South Cape Bay. It grows in the lower areas of kunanyi/Wellington Park, in many bushland parks and gardens including Knocklofty and Peter Murrell Reserves; in Freycinet and Tasman National Parks and Furneaux, Maria and Bruny Islands.
Other notes: Goodenia ovata is easily recognised by the many 5 lobed yellow flowers on a bright green rounded bush. it is a rapid coloniser in open forest areas after bush fires. It grows well in most soils in home gardens and is easy to propagate from semi-hard wood cuttings.

Goodia lotifolia

Botanical Name: Goodia lotifolia
Commonly Called: Smooth goldentip
Botanical Family: Fabaceae
Grows: The easily grown small tree grows 1 to 4m high by 1 to 2m wide.
Foliage: The foliage is tri-foliate leaflets 1 to 2.5cm long, having the mid-green upper surface with obvious reticulate veins.
Flowers: The flowers are terminal racemes of bright yellow pea flowers with red-brown throats.
Flowering Season: Flowers appear in spring
Fruit: The fruit is an oblong flattened brown pod which may be heard exploding on a warm day.
Habitat/distribution: Common on shaded hillsides throughout the state. Also WA, SA, Vic, NSW, Q.
Where found: King and the Furneaux Islands; North West, Northern and East coasts; Freycinet and Forestier/Tasman Peninsulas; Swansea, Lenah Valley and lower kunanyi/Wellington Park.
Other notes: Tolerates a variety of conditions and is a colourful addition to the garden. Following fruiting the branch dies, but if this is removed by pruning, more shoots will appear. The branches of this shrub are very brittle. Its open habit can be made more compact by careful pruning.