Australian Botany Trivia

1. In full bloom at the beginning of the spring wildflower season within the Grampians is the golden wattle, the floral emblem of Australia. Having the botanical species name pycnantha, to which genus does this plant belong?

From Quiz Spring Has Sprung, Wildly

Answer: Acacia

There are almost one thousand identified species of Acacia in Australia making it the largest genus of vascular plants in the country. Due to the vast number found throughout The Grampians, and their various flowering times, fluffy balls of bright yellow can be seen virtually all year round. Acacia pycnantha, the golden wattle, begins flowering in late winter and carries on throughout spring. It is a large shrub/small tree growing from four to six metres tall by two to four metres wide. The mass of scented globular flowers contrasted against the glossy green foliage has also inspired Australia's national sporting colours of green and gold. The Banksia, Eucalyptus (gums) and Melaleuca (myrtles) genuses are also well known icons of Australian flora and many species of each can be found in The Grampians too.

From Quiz Western Australian Wildflowers

Answer: Great Southern

The Stirling Ranges are located in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, and of the 1500 or so varieties found here, 87 are unique to the area. The ranges are located north north east of Albany.

From Quiz Australian Plants and Vegetation

Answer: mountain ash

Mountain ash forests are common in Tasmania and in patches of Victoria. Some of the large expanses of vegetation destroyed in the Black Friday bushfires of 1939 were mountain ash forest. Though there are living mountain ash trees over 90 metres high, it is thought that the species is capable of growing even taller, surpassing the height of the world's tallest trees, Californian redwoods, but that the very tallest trees were destroyed after European settlement by logging or bushfires.

From Quiz Australian Botany: The Floral Emblems

Answer: Queensland and Western Australia

Western Australia's emblem, the red and green kangaroo paw (Anigozanthos manglesii), and Queensland's, the Cooktown orchid (Vappodes phalaenopsis), are the only monocots. The Australian Capital Territory's emblem, the royal bluebell (Wahlenbergia gloriosa) is often mistaken for a monocot because of its herbaceous habit and slender leaves, but the five-petalled flowers are a giveaway that it is a dicot.

From Quiz Poisonous Aussie Plants!

Answer: White Cedar

Melia azedarach australasica, or the White Cedar, is more commonly known in Western and South Australia as the Cape Lilac. Its yellow coloured fruits cause gastro enteritis, drowsiness and convulsions in humans and brain and intestinal damage in pigs.

From Quiz Wattleido

Answer: Red and Green Kangaroo Paw

The Red and Green Kangaroo Paw is endemic to Western Australia and was made its State plant on 9th November, 1960. It is a desired garden plant, with showy flowers growing on stalks around 1200 mm high. It has been designated as protected and a licence is needed to collect it from the wild. The Western Australia Christmas Tree is a hemiparasitic shrub from Western Australia. It has orange flowers during the Christmas season. It attaches its roots to other plants in order to steal water and nutrients. The Royal Bluebell is the floral emblem of the Capital Territory. The Common Heath Pink is the floral emblem of Victoria. - rhosyn.

From Quiz Australian Plants and Vegetation

Answer: Atriplex (saltbush)

Atriplex and other genera of the Chenopodiaceae family cover the Nullarbor. Atriplex nummularia, or old man saltbush, is a dominant feature because of its large size - the species can grow up to three metres tall and form clumps several metres across. One of the most spectacular chenopods on the Nullarbor is Maireana erioclada, whose fruits in spring are a bright magenta colour, and show up brightly against the blue-grey foliage. Artemisia and Opuntia are both common in North American deserts, and Artemisia is also common in South African arid areas, but they are not indigenous to Australian deserts. Leptospermum is generally a more temperate genus.

From Quiz Australian Botany: The Floral Emblems

Answer: South Australia

South Australia's emblem, Sturt's desert pea (Swainsona formosa), and the national emblem, golden wattle (Acacia pycnantha), are both legumes, belonging to the order Fabales. Legumes are characterised by their fruit: a single-chambered elongate pod. These two species belong to different families of legume though: Sturt's desert pea belongs to the family Fabaceae, and golden wattle to the Mimosaceae.

From Quiz Poisonous Aussie Plants!

Answer: Cycad

The seeds of Australia's more than thirty cycads are highly poisonous but the Aboriginals knew how to carefully prepare them before cooking and eating them and as such, avoided any illness. The chemicals in untreated cycad seeds are not actually toxic themselves but bacteria in the intestine yield a toxin which is very potent.

From Quiz Spring Has Sprung, Wildly

Answer: honey-pots

The small tubular flowers of honey-pots are full of nectar and so were steeped in water by the indigenous peoples of the area providing them with sweet liquid refreshment. It is a low-growing dense bush that is often found in sheltered positions amongst other larger shrubs and trees. Flowers appear from autumn through spring and give way to small green berries in summer which were also used as bush-tucker. Many of the bird species found in the Grampians also make a meal of these berries and have contributed to the species being widespread by way of dispersing seeds in their droppings. The Jardwadjali and the Djab Wurrung were the two major tribes of indigenous peoples inhabiting the Grampians region. Spectacular evidence of their occupation here and the spiritual significance it held for them is evidenced by the rock art that is contained within the park. Although there are only five sites that are accessible for public viewing (many are in advanced stages of erosion, others have been vandalised by mindless morons) there are around three hundred examples of this ancient art form present, which accounts for around eighty percent of all indigenous rock art in Victoria. After much political wrangling dating back to the late 1980's, the Grampians were recently renamed to incorporate the name the indigenous peoples used, thus becoming Grampians National Park (Gariwerd).

From Quiz Western Australian Wildflowers

Answer: Kangaroo Paw

Wattle is the Australian floral emblem. The Sturt desert pea is the emblem of the Northern territory, while boronia is found in Western Australia, but is not the floral emblem. There are several types of kangaroo paw, but the floral emblem is the red & green kangaroo paw.

From Quiz Australian Botany: The Floral Emblems

Answer: Northern Territory

Sturt's desert rose (Gossypium sturtianum) is the emblem of the Northern Territory. Gossypium hirsutum is the main species of cultivated cotton. The flowers of Sturt's desert rose indeed resemble small Hibiscus flowers.

From Quiz Poisonous Aussie Plants!

Answer: Tie Bush

The reddish fruits of the deciduous Tie Bush, Wikstroemia indica, cause severe gastro-enteritis.

From Quiz Wattleido

Answer: The plant develops aquatic roots on the stem that take in oxygen from the water.

The Blackseed Glasswort's ability to use this method of survival is being studied in laboratories across Australia. Like all glassworts, its ash consists of soda ash which is used in the making of glass and soap. - rhosyn.

From Quiz Western Australian Wildflowers

Answer: Darwinia

The Cranbrook bell is botanically known as Darwinia meeboldii, the Gillam's bell as Darwinia oxyledis and the pink mountain bell as Darwinia squarrosa.

From Quiz Australian Botany: The Floral Emblems

Answer: South Australia and the Northern Territory

Sturt's desert pea and Sturt's desert rose both grow widely through central Australia. Golden wattle's distribution approaches the arid zone, growing on the margins of semi-arid areas like the Eyre Peninsula, but doesn't quite make it. The rest are temperate species, except for the Cooktown orchid, which is tropical.

From Quiz Poisonous Aussie Plants!

Answer: Cunjevoi

Exhibiting an attractive yellow anthurium-like flower, the Cunjevoi, Alocasia macrorrhiza, if chewed (any part thereof), causes pain and swelling of the mouth and the throat.

From Quiz Wattleido

Answer: Leucopogon

There are nearly 160 species of Beard-heath. Its botanical name is Leucopogon. It is a perennial, evergreen flowering shrub (or small tree) which is native to different parts of Australia. It is of the family Ericaceae, which means these plants are heathers, so its common name, beard-heath, follows from this. The flowers are a beautiful white colour with petals which have a furry appearance like a white beard. Now if we go back to the botanical name, this has its origins in Greek. "leukos" means "white" and "pogon" means "beard". - Kenners158

From Quiz Australian Botany: The Floral Emblems

Answer: the emblems of Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, and Western Australia

Golden wattle, the Cooktown orchid, the New South Wales waratah (Telopea speciosissima) and the red and green kangaroo paw are endemic to their regions: Australia, Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia respectively. Tasmanian blue gum (Eucalyptus globulus), Victoria's emblem pink heath (Epacris impressa) and the royal bluebell are all found in at least two states/territories in the south-east, and both Sturt's desert pea and Sturt's desert rose are found in multiple arid-zone states and the Northern Territory.

From Quiz Poisonous Aussie Plants!

Answer: Finger Cherry

The fruit of the Finger Cherry or Native Loquat, Rhodomyrtus macrocarpa, is full of a toxin that attacks the optic nerve and has been blamed for many cases of permanent blindness.

From Quiz Wattleido

Answer: Sydney blue gum

Eucalyptus saligna belongs to the Myrtaceae family. The origin of the word comes from the greek words "eu" (well) and "kalyptos" (covered). Many birds get nectar from the tree, while in flower. Gimlet gum is the common name of Eucalyptus salubris, steel box is the common name of Eucalyptus rummeryi, and Fremantle mallee is the common name of Eucalyptus foecunda. Eucalyptus has more than 700 varieties. - Lpez

From Quiz Australian Botany: The Floral Emblems

Answer: Tasmania

The national floral emblem genus Acacia contains about a thousand Australian species. The genus of Tasmania's emblem, Eucalyptus, is runner-up with about 850 species.

From Quiz The Wollemi Pine

Answer: To propagate more trees outside the park

A decision to limit access to the trees and their environment meant that ensuring the survival of the Wollemi would need a careful propagation program. The Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney received the exclusive license to establish a propagation program - and ultimately - a marketing strategy to ensure the survival of the "dinosaur tree".

From Quiz Poisonous Aussie Plants!

Answer: Abrus precatorius

Crab's Eye, Gidee-Gidee or Jequirity Bean, Abrus precatorius, has bright red seeds that if chewed, even just one, can cause severe gastro-enteritis, muscle weakening, accelerated heart rate and circulatory failure, i.e., death. But, if swallowed whole the seeds will 'pass' without any ill effects.

From Quiz Australian Plants and Vegetation

Answer: swampy areas

Some swampy coastal regions, particularly in the Gulf of Carpentaria in northern Australia, are dominated by expanses of Melaleuca. The genus is very common in other wet places like river courses in tropical and temperate Australia too. Some species of paperbark have been introduced elsewhere in the world to dry up swamps. One such species, Melaleuca quinquenervia, has become a terrible weed in the Florida everglades in the USA.

From Quiz The Wollemi Pine

Answer: A fungus

Phytophthora cinnamomi was discovered in one tree in the Wollemi National Park in November 2005. Scientists feared it was a result of thrill seekers abseiling into the canyon to see the trees, bringing the fungus with them. Strong fungicides were used systemically and all authorised visitors must now wear sterile clothing when visiting the site.

From Quiz Poisonous Aussie Plants!

Answer: Stinging Nettle

The stinging or scrub nettle, which is closely related to the common weed Urtica urens, produces toxins that cause itching, swelling and a burning sensation.

From Quiz Wattleido

Answer: Mountain Bells

This plant is named after Charles Darwin, as was the town of that name in Australia. Neither Canterbury Bells nor Blue Bells are native to Australia as far as I know. Australian Bells I made up! - C30

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Last Updated Nov 15 2025 5:49 AM

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