Spring M-P

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. On phones, turn to landscape to view all.
Based on Debenham C’s, The Language of Botany, A Publication of The Society for Growing Australian Plants, Chipping Norton NSW, c.1962.

Oxylobium ellipticum

Botanical Name: Oxylobium ellipticum
Commonly Called: Golden shaggypea
Botanical Family: Fabaceae
Grows: The shrubs grow 1 to 2.5m high by 1 to 2m wide.
Foliage: The elliptical, 1 to 4cm long leaves are dark green on top and grey or rusty hairy under.
Flowers: The pea form flowers grow in corymbose terminal racemes, including on short lateral branches. Their pedicels are shorter than the calyx and the linear bracteoles are caducous. The about 7mm long sepals are villous. The approximately 10mm wide, bright orange-yellow standard is longer than the calyx.
Flowering Season: Flowers appear in spring and into early summer.
Fruit: The fruit is a brown, hairy, up to 8mm long capsule enclosing black, shiny, hard seed.
Habitat/distribution: This beautiful erect plant is found in moist, rocky woodlands and alpine areas up to 1,200m where dwarf forms are found. It is also indigenous in Vic and NSW.
Where found: Cradle Mountain Lake St Claire, Hartz Mountain, Mt Field and Tasman National Parks; Bruny Island; Bluff River Gorge, Buckland; Knocklofty Reserve, West Hobart; Orford Thumbs, Orford; Peter Murrell, Blackmans Bay; Platform Peak, Tarkine, Tolosa Park and kunanyi/Wellington Park Reserves; Heritage Forest Tasmanian Native Garden, Mowbray; Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens; Tasmanian Bushland Garden, Buckland; and The Tasmanian Arboretum, Eugenana; Nubena, Port Arthur and several locations around the south west coast, also many home gardens.
Other notes: A beautiful small shrub with nitrogen fixing nodules on its roots, it is an ideal revegetation species. The lower growing alpine form could be mass planted for a brilliant spring flower display. Grow in well drained moist soil in full sun. It may be propagated from cuttings and scarified seed.

Patersonia fragilis

Botanical Name: Patersonia fragilis
Commonly Called: Short purpleflag
Botanical Family: Iridaceae
Grows: The clumps grow 10 to 40cm high by 30 to 40cm wide
Foliage: The firm leaves are narrow, sheathing, ridged and linear. They are dull green/blue to green, 20 to 40cm long.
Flowers: The flowers have 3 conspicuous rounded blue/mauve perianth segments, enclosed in brown terminal bracts on stems shorter than the leaves.
Flowering Season: Flowers appear in late spring and into summer.
Fruit: The fruit is a 3-celled capsule.
Habitat/distribution: The beautiful small clumping plant is found in moist coastal heaths. It also grows in SA, Vic and NSW.
Where found: Strahan, Queenstown, Birchs River Plains and many other places in the west; King, Three Hummock, Furneaux and Bruny Islands; Georgetown, Bridport, St Helens area and many locations in the north east; Freycinet, Forrestier and Tasman Peninsulas and near Orford; Lindisfarne, Longley, near Geeveston, near Hastings Caves and many other places in the south east; Heritage Forest Tasmanian Native Garden; Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens; Tasmanian Bushland Garden, Buckland; and The Tasmanian Arboretum, Eugenana; also many home gardens.
Other notes: Can be differentiated from P. occidentalis by its smaller growth habit, with narrower leaves and flower stems shorter than the leaves. The flower bracts contain many flowers that each last about one day. Grow in well drained moist soil in full sun.

Pimelea drupacea

Botanical Name: Pimelea drupacea
Commonly Called: Cherry riceflower
Botanical Family: Thymelaeaceae
Grows: An open shrub growing 1 to 3m high by 0.5 to 1m wide.
Foliage: The leaves are arranged in pairs, elliptical in shape, green upper surface, slightly hairy undersurface with prominent veins.
Flowers: The small white/cream terminal flower clusters which may appear to be axillary because of the shortness of branchlet, have 2 leaf-like bracts and 2 central orange stamens. As the flowers mature they tend to develop a pink throat.
Flowering Season: The flowers appear in late spring.
Fruit: The fruit matures from reddish to a shiny ovoid black drupe.
Habitat/distribution: This shrub is widespread and common as understorey in wet sclerophyll forests. It is also found in Victoria
Where found: Wide spread in wet sclerophyll; throughout the south west, west, north west, north east and south east; Maria, Bruny and Bass Strait Islands; Cradle Mountain and Lake St Claire, Hartz Mountain and Tasman NPs; Wellington Park; Richardsons Road near High Yellow Bluff and MacGregor Road, Forestier Peninsula.
Other notes: Black shiny, ovoid fruit on plant in wet forests. A hardy plant for moist locations in part shade to full sun. Tip pruning after fruiting enhances the plant. The black shiny fruit attracts birds.

Botanical index - Spring

E indicates an endemic species and links to the relevant endemic page

Common index - Spring

E indicates an endemic species and links to the relevant endemic page