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2026-06-26
Floral Emblem of Australia
Floral emblems of Australia's states and territories
Floral Emblem of Australia - Golden Wattle, (Acacia pycnantha), Fabaceae
Golden Wattle, (Acacia pycnantha) was proclaimed as the national floral emblem on 1 September 1988.
The specimen from which it was named was collected in 1836 in New South Wales.
(Greek akis 'a point'), refers to prickly leaves.
(Greek pyknos 'dense', and antho 'flower'), refers to dense clusters of flowers.
(Anglo-Saxon wattle long flexible twigs interwoven for the framework on which mud was daubed for simple buildings.
Golden Wattle, is a shrub up to 8 m tall, with the function of leaves, after the seedling stage, performed by phyllodes.
Phyllodes are modified flattened leaf stalks, and no leaf blades.
Golden Wattle produces large fluffy golden-yellow flower-heads with many sweetly-scented flowers.
The dark brown mature fruit splits along one side to release the seeds.
It occurs widely in Australia in the understorey of open forest and in open scrub.
It regenerates freely after fires, which may have killed the parent plants. to produce dense thickets in forests, woodlands and along roadsides.
It is a popular garden plant, when propagated from seed soaked in hot water to break the hard seed coat.
It is grown abroad in temperate regions for its bark, which has a high content of tannin, and has been used in perfume making
However, imported Golden Wattle has become a significant weed species in some countries.
Floral Emblem of Victoria - Pink Heath, (Epacris impressa), Common Heath, Ericaceae
It was proclaimed the floral emblem of Victoria on 11 November 1958.
It is a slender, small-leafed shrub that grows to around 1 metre in height and produces spectacular long, tubular flowers.
(Greek epi 'upon', and akris for 'hill', where is normally grows.
(Latin impressa 'impressed', for the dimples on the outside of the floral tube.
It is an up to 1 m evergreen shrub with lots of tubular stem-clasping white, pink or red flowers and many small, usually sharply-pointed, leaves.
It grows widely in heathlands and is grown to add colour to winter gardens.
Floral Emblem of NSW - Waratah (Telopea speciosissima), Proteaceae
It was proclaimed the floral emblem of NSW on 24 October, 1962.
It is an up to 3 m shrub with bright red globe-shaped flower heads, large pink-red bracts surrounding the flowerhead, and tough leaves.
It has 4 perianth segments, (3 fused and one free), in each flower and the flowers are in pairs.
It has large pink-red bracts surrounding the flowerhead.
Each bloom contains up to 250 flowers.
(Eora Aboriginal warada 'beautiful flower')
(Greek telopos 'seen from afar')
(Latin speciosissimus 'very handsome or showy')
It grows in high ranfall sandstone areas from sea level to 1000 m.
It is grown as a showy garden specimen and for cut flowers.
Floral Emblem of ACT - Royal Bluebell (Wahlenbergia gloriosa), Campanulaceae
It was proclaimed the floral emblem of the ACT on 26 May, 1982.
It is named after Professor George Goran Wahlenberg (1780-1851), Uppsala University, Sweden. following Linnaeus.
(Latin gloriosa 'superb or glorious')
It is up to 40 cm has intense velvety blue-purple bell-shaped flowers, dark green leaves about 2cm long with wavy margins.
It is a prostrate perennial herb, which spreads by underground rhizomes to form a carpet.
It grows at above 1300 m in the ACT, can survive frost and snow, and may colonise disturbed areas of natural bushland.
The vivid blue flowers of the royal bluebell make this an easily identified plant in the natural areas around Canberra.
Floral Emblem of Queensland – Cooktown Orchid, (Dendrobium bigibbum), Orchidaceae.
(Dendrobium bigibbum var. phalaenopsis), formerly (Dendrobium phalaenopsis) was proclaimed the floral emblem of Queensland on November 19, 1959,
during celebrations to mark the State's centenary.
'Bigibbum' means 'two-humped'.
It occurs in the northern tropical regions, especially the Cape york peninsuala.
The orchid was commemorated in 1968 on the 25-cent stamp and on the $1.20 stamp in 1998.
It is an ornamental epiphytic orchid with fleshy leaves and large showy flowers with broad lateral petals.
The name refers to the northern Queensland town, Cooktown, named after Captain Cook, whose his ship was repaired near there in 1770.
(Greek phalaina 'a kind of moth', and opsis 'looks like')
It has flowers like the Phalaenopsis orchids, Moth orchids, which is why it was called 'phalaenopsis'.
Phalaenopsis orchids are known for their beauty and are associated with good fortune, prosperity, happy life, innocence, purity, so are used in weddings.
Phalaenopsis orchids may for up to 6 months, producing new flowers on the same spike, to prolong the blooming period.
Floral Emblem of South Australia - Sturt's Desert Pea, (Swainsona formosa), Darling pea, Fabaceae.
It was proclaimed the floral emblem of South Australia on 23 November 1961, using its former name of (Clianthus formosus).
The name refers to Isaac Swainson (1746–1812) botanist and quack doctor and (Latin formosus 'finely formed' or 'beautiful').
Formosa was the first Portuguese navigators' name for Taiwan.
It was first discovered by navigator and pirate William Dampier in 1699, on Rosemary Island in the Dampier Archipelago.
It was noted by explorer Captain Charles Sturt (1795-1869), while exploring in central Australia.
It has a prostrate sprawling form that produce creeping stems of hairy, grey-green foliage up to 2 m long, from which inflorescences arise bearing flowers.
The flowers are a deep scarlet or red on the standard, keel and wings with a black or dark red structure at the centre of the flower.
It is a perennial plant with silky grey-green pinnate foliage arising from prostrate stems, with leaves and stems covered with downy hairs.
The flowers are arranged in clusters of six to eight on short, thick, erect stalks.
The petals are usually blood red or scarlet with a glossy black swelling or 'boss' at the base of the uppermost petal, the standard.
The fruit is a legume, which splits at maturity, releasing flat kidney-shaped seeds.
It occurs in arid inland regions with annual rainfall up to 250 mm per year, often as an ephemeral following heavy rain, usually in small depressions in the sandy soil.
It contains the stock poison, swainsonine-N-oxide, C8H15NO3, which may kill cattle eating too much of it.
The few people attempt to grow it use seed pretreated by sandpaper scarification or by soaking in hot water, but then it is difficult to transplant.
Propagation can also be carried out from cuttings or by grafting using the related species root stock, and tissue culture may be used.
The distinctive shape of Sturt's Desert Pea makes it ideal for use on insignia, decorative items and as a cut flower plant.
Floral Emblem of Tasmania - Tasmanian Blue Gum (Eucalyptus globulus) Southern Blue Gum, Myrtaceae.
It was proclaimed the floral emblem of Tasmania on 27 November 1962.eu and calyptos, 'well' and 'covered', refers to the operculum of the flower bud, which protects the stamens in the bud and is shed when the
flower opens.
(Latin globulus 'little ball or small sphere'), referring to the shape of the fruit.
It is a widely planted timber tree and may grow to a height of 70 m.
The broad juvenile leaves, in opposite pairs are covered with a blue-grey, waxy bloom - the origin of the common name 'blue gum'.
The mature leaves are narrow, sickle-shaped and dark shining green, arranged alternately on rounded stems.
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The buds are top-shaped, ribbed and warty and have a flattened operculum bearing a central knob.
The creamy white flowers are borne singly in the leaf axils and produce copious nectar which can yield a strongly-flavoured honey.
The woody fruits contain many small seeds to be shed through valves, which open on the top of the fruit.
Eucalyptus globulus occurs mainly in tall open forest in south-eastern Tasmania, but few are left in the wild.
It is the main tree grown overseas for eucalyptus essential oil, especially in China.
Eucalyptus essential oil contains | Eucalyptol, C10H18O, cineole | Cymene | Pinene | Limonene | Phellandrene | and has many uses and alleged health benefits.
Also, Eucalyptus globulus bark contains useful chemicals.
Floral Emblem of the Northern Territory - Sturt's Desert Rose (Gossypium sturtianum) Australian Cotton, Malvaceae.
It was proclaimed the floral emblem of the Northern Territory on November 1961.
(Latin gossypion arboreum 'cotton tree')
It is a compact shrub up to 2 m, dark green with black stipples, oval flowers with mauve petals, with red bases forming a contrasting centre in each flower.
The fruit is a capsule, which many small seeds covered with the short silky hairs.
Floral Emblem of Western Australia - Red and Green Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthos manglesii) Mangles Kangaroo Paw, Haemodoraceae.
It was proclaimed the floral emblem of Western Australia on 9 November 1960.
Anigozanthos (Greek 'anises', 'unequal' or 'oblique', 'anthos', meaning 'flower', floral extremities have six unequal parts.
The name ' manglesii', honours Robert Mangles, who had the type specimen in his English garden.
Unopened cluster of flowers look like a kangaroo paw, Kangaroo paw, (Anigozanthos flavidus), widely opened flowers, Australia, Haemadoreaceae.
Kangaroo paws are quick growing, very hardy plants, with red and green flowers.