Some of our iconic trees are putting on their usual fine show for this time of year undeterred by the current dryness. Along the coast male plants of Drooping She-oak, Allocasuarina verticillata, are developing long orange tassels at the ends of their leaf-like branchlets. The tiny leaves can be found in a ring inside the edges of the multiple joints along the branchlets. The female plants may have small globular buds which will open into modest orange-red flowers.
Drooping She-oak (male)
Ironbarks, Eucalyptus tricarpa subsp. tricarpa, are starting to spread carpets of their creamy or occasional pale-pink flowers, as masses of visiting noisy honeyeaters chase each other through the trees enjoying the season’s largesse. The delightful dangling flowers are usually in threes, with long stalks and conical caps.
Ironbark
At ground level, look out for rich red tubular flowers hidden in the spiky matted foliage of Cranberry Heath, Styphelia humifusa, formerly Astroloma humifusum.
Cranberry Heath
Ellinor Campbell