Australia So Much to See

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.

Home > Lists and Links > Nature in Australia > Alphabetical Wildflower Index > Wildflowers D-5

Drosera purpurascens is an insectivorous plant which stands upright, in contrast to Drosera macrantha and Drosera pallida which climb on other vegetation

Several upright stems on the one plant, branching with usually red coloured lamina. Flowers are five petaled and white, and similar to Drosera pallida pictured above

Spring

Cordering, Wheatbelt region, Western Australia and occurs through the Great Southern and into the adjacent South West Region, and some areas of the western Wheatbelt south of Perth.

Drosera pallida, (white cluster flowers) climbing sundew, pale rainbow creeper, Bridal rainbow
Insectivorous, climber, delicate white flowers with five petals in a small cluster at top of climber. Style consists straight filaments in contrast to Drosera macrantha. Reddish colour on ovaries. No hairs evident on stems and buds which separates the species from Drosera macrantha. Circular lamina.

Spring
Bridgetown, South West Region, Western Australia and found through the South West, lower Great Southern, and Perth regions, extending north to Geraldton in coastal areas.

Drosera rosulata. This is similar to Drosera bulbosa, Red-leaved Sundew, but lacks the raised mid-rib evident in the latter, with the leaves slightly folded upwards from the depressed centre rib.

A small flat slightly succulent and hair covered plant, which produces delicate white five petalled flowers with one flower per stem. Anthers appear orange or pink when first open due to the covering of the pollen which bursts revealing yellow pollen, then anthers appear brown after the pollen has been released. Foliage turns red seasonally.

April May

Bridgetown, South West Region, Western Australia, and found through the South West and Perth regions, with a recording from the Mid West.

Drosera pulchella, Pretty Sundew

A tiny rosetted Sundew, with flowers that can be white, shades of pink or shades of orange. Seen here in pastel pink, and in an apricot orange. Flowers have dark markings radiating from the centre at the base of the petals. Style consists of five parts which each point outwards between the five stamens, with orange anthers. Rosette consists of a circle of round red tinged lamina, each on a long wide flat green petiole (leave stalk) almost as wide as the lamina.

December

Northcliffe, in the South West region, Western Australia, and found in coastal or near to the coast between Gingin and Albany, extending a little way inland as far as York from the west and Jerramungup from the south. Favours wet or winter wets sands

Drosera stricticaulis, Erect Sundew

This is a short stiff stemmed Sundew, which was not yet flowering when I photographed it. It flowers from July to October with rich pastel pink flowers in a cluster at the top of this freestanding Sundew. Divided style filaments are sparse, and the yellow tipped stamens stand upright. Circular lamina are on long petioles up the main stem. Stems and buds are hairy.

Not flowering when seen in August

Totadgin Rock, Merredin, in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. Found mostly in the Wheatbelt, from Wongan Hills to Jingalup south of Kojonup. Favours water courses and damps areas around granite outcrops.

See more Drosera species on the following page