A current feature of our heathland is the massed flowers on low-growing shrubs of Silky Teatree, Leptospermum myrsinoides. The flowers with five soft petals are usually white, but sometimes are a delightful soft pink.
Silky Teatree
In some areas they are competing with spectacular dense, white flower spikes of the Victorian Smoke-bush, Conospermum mitchellii.
Victorian Smoke-bush
White is also to be found on lower species of rice-flowers. Common Rice Flower, Pimelea humilis, a very low shrub, has dense clusters of appealing tiny four-petalled flowers. A taller plant, the aptly named Woolly Rice-flower, P. octophylla, has large nodding, creamy flowers swaying on long thin stems with soft woolly foliage.
The yellow of our goodenias with their colourful, lop-sided five-petalled flowers is eye-catching. At ground level there are single flowers of Bent Goodenia, Goodenia geniculata, on thin stems. Higher up is the widespread bushy understorey plant, Hop Goodenia, G. ovata.
Ellinor Campbell