Australia So Much to See
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Sources used for identification of wildflowers shown on these pages and regions where they occur see Credits
These pages will
feature some of the wildflowers we have photographed in Western Australia, and where possible, identified. If you
are able to help identify further flowers, or correct any I may have wrong, please contact us.
Information given for each species
will give botanical name, known common names, describe the flower, give time of year it flowered, and where it was photographed, and
the areas it occurs in. Names have been matched to Florabase which has also been used to show distribution.
See some
of these wildflower in larger sized photos on our Flickr pages.
Drosera collina, (formerly Drosera erythrorhiza subsp. collina)
Delicate tiny five petalled white flowers in a cluster on a thick
stem approximately three centimetres tall. No foliage at flowering stage with flowers growing in leaf litter. Identification
of rosette alone is difficult and these differing coloured rosettes are probably what is commonly known as Drosera collina
Autumn
Perth region
and northern areas of the South West region and adjacent areas of the Wheatbelt.
Drakaea livida, Warty Hammer Orchid
One of a group of distinctive and unusual shaped small orchids which mimic a wasp to fool it into
"mating" with what looks and smell like a female wasp, thus spreading pollen from stamen to anther
October
Bridgetown, South
West region, and found through the lower Great Southern, South West, Perth and adjacent areas of the Wheatbelt regions
In the Drosera genus, there are many small Drosera (sundew) species, and in particular, the flat rosettes that have similar five
petaled white flowers which can be confusing for an amateur. One exception to the five petaled species is Drosera pygmaea which
only has four petals on its flowers. Others are climbing or free-standing larger plants, with some climbers ascending to over
a metre. Modified leaves, called lamina, have a sticky substance that looks like dew drops in the sun. Drosera are insectivorous,
with small insects becoming caught in the sticky substance in the lamina, and they are dissolved as added nutrition for the plant. With expert help based on my photos, the best effort at accurate identification for these has been given.
Drosera drummondii, (formerly Drosera menziesii subsp. penicillaris), Pink Rainbow Sundew (climbing form)
Insectivorous, semi-free
standing or climber, delicate pink flowers with five petals in a small cluster at top of climber. Shades and petal width
can vary. Style filaments Smooth stems which can grow to 1.1 metres, with hairy buds. Lamina round. Similar
to Drosera menziesii and hard to differentiate
Spring
Bridgetown, South West Region, Western Australia and found through the South
West, Wheatbelt, and Great Southern Regions and along the coast to Esperance
