Australian Native Plants

Australian Monocots



Fimbristylis ferruginea is tufted (20-65 cm tall) with very short rhizomes. <br>Flowers appear on a single spikelet, sometimes on 1 or 2 lateral spikelets.<br>It has a brown membranous sheath around...
Fimbristylis ferruginea
(Rusty Sedge)
3 images
The Chaffy Saw-sedge is a tussock-forming perennial with flat grassy leaves. It has brown flower spikes in spring and summer.
Gahnia filum
(Chaffy Saw-sedge)
1 image
The Potato Orchid is a leafless saprophytic orchid. The flowers are bell shaped with the labellum or lip enclosed by the rest of the flower with the sepals and petals joined together forming a tube ....
Gastrodia sesamoides
(Potato Orchid)
1 image
The Waxlip Orchid is a terrestrial orchid with star shaped flowers. The flowers are mauve or purple with same sized oval sepals and petals that taper at the tips. The centre of the flower is white....
Glossodia major
(Waxlip Orchid)
2 images
The Small Waxlip Orchid is a terrestrial orchid with star shaped purple or violet or pink flowers. In rare cases, white flowers are produced. It is similar to Glossodia major, but smaller and does...
Glossodia minor
(Small Waxlip Orchid)
2 images
Gymnostachys is a plant in the Araceae family. The only species in the family is Gymnostachys anceps. It is a strappy leaved plant with spikes of blue and white flowers. Fibres from Settler's Flax...
Gymnostachys anceps
(Settler's Flax)
1 image
Big Mountain Palm is a solitary feather-leaved palm with a slender ringed trunk growing to ten metres tall. The crownshaft is greyish green and the green fronds are pinnate and arch downwards. Creamy...
Hedyscepe canterburyana
(Big Mountain Palm)
3 images
The Curly Palm is an elegant palm with greyish ringed trunk, growing to about ten metres in height. It has a crown of arching pinnate fronds with dark green leaflets which are somewhat angled. The...
Howea belmoreana
(Curly Palm)
3 images
The Kentia Palm is an popular palm with dark green ringed trunk to 15 cm in diameter, growing to about ten metres in height but often smaller. It has a crown of arching pinnate fronds with dark green...
Howea forsteriana
(Kentia Palm)
3 images
Nodding Club Rush is an erect, rhizomatous, grass-like sedge that is both annual and perennial. It grows to 30 cm tall.<br>The flowering stem is thread-like and reaches 2-20 cm high.<br>The flowers...
Isolepis cernua
(Nodding Club Rush)
2 images
Swamp Club-rush is a slender, tufted to shortly rhizomatous perennial sedge, from 5-50 cm high with 1.5 mm diameter stems. Leaves are reduced or sometimes to 15 mm long.<br><br>Spikelets are in...
Isolepis inundata
(Swamp Club-rush)
2 images
Toad Rush is an annual that grows in tufts and to a height of 20-30 cm.<br>The leaf blades are flat and around 5 mm wide. The stems are usually pale. It has solitary flowers along branches, in...
Juncus bufonius
(Toad Rush)
3 images
Jointed Rush is a perennial rush that grows to 50 cm to 1.2 m tall, with a rhizomatous habit. It often grows in thick tussocks or clumps.<br>The plant's stems are cylindrical to slightly flattened in...
Juncus kraussii
(Jointed Rush)
3 images
Atherton Palm is an attractive palm that can be seen as a solitary palm or a clumping palm with multiple trunks. It can grow to about seven metres in height with trunk up to 10 cm in diameter in...
Laccospadix australasica
(Atherton Palm)
3 images
Little Mountain Palm is a small solitary trunked palm from Lord Howe Island growing to about three metres tall. It is the only member of the Lepidorrhachis genus. The leaves are pinnate and grow to...
Lepidorrhachis mooreana
(Little Mountain Palm)
1 image
The Fringed Hare Orchid is an unusual terrestrial orchid. The lateral petals are green with reddish markings and stick up like rabbit (or hare) ears, and the lateral sepals point downwards. The...
Leporella fimbriata
(Fringed Hare Orchid)
1 image
The Hare Orchid is an attractive small orchid with unusual petals like rabbit ears and is the only member of the Leptoceras genus. The small flowers are white with long narrow red lateral petals that...
Leptoceras menziesii
(Hare Orchid)
1 image
The Australian Fan Palm is an attractive rainforest palm with single trunk and large round leaves to 2m diameter. The leaves have a windmill appearance of wedge-shaped segments joined together. The...
Licuala ramsayi
(Australian Fan Palm)
1 image
The Minor Walking Stick Palm is a small clustering palm growing to about two metres tall but can grow as tall as five metres. The trunk diameter of up to 2 cm, but usually less. It has pinnate fronds...
Linospadix minor
(Minor Walking Stick Palm)
1 image
The Walking Stick Palm is a small solitary palm growing to about two or three metres tall, with a trunk diameter of up to 3 cm. It has dark green pinnate fronds with end two leaflets broader than the...
Linospadix monostachya
(Walking Stick Palm)
3 images
The Millstream Palm is a medium sized solitary fan palm growing to about ten metres in height. The fronds are grey green in colour on stalks about a metre long. After the leaves die, the stalks...
Livistona alfredii
(Millstream Palm)
1 image
The Cabbage Palm has a single grey trunk. The leaves are shiny green to 1.8m across. The flowers are creamy white and the fruit is black when ripe. The growing bud is edible (hence the name), but...
Livistona australis
(Cabbage Palm)
5 images
Livistona decipiens is an attractive palm with light green drooping finely divided leaves to 3m long. It has attractive 2m long sprays of cream flowers in summer.
Livistona decipiens
(Ribbon Fan Palm)
1 image
The Sand Palm is a fairly small palm with a fairly slender trunk that grows to about ten metres tall. The fronds are fan-shaped with partially divided segments. Old frond leaf bases remain on the...
Livistona humilis
(Sand Palm)
3 images
Central Australian Cabbage Palm is a solitary fan palm growing to about twenty five metres tall with a trunk of about 30 cm in diameter. It develops a dense crown of up to fifty leaves which are...
Livistona mariae
(Central Australian Cabbage Palm)
2 images
The Mataranka Fan Palm is a single trunked fan palm. The leaves are stiff with waxy underside and grow to 4 m long with petiole to 2 m. Leaves have thorns along the margins. Old leaves hang round the...
Livistona rigida
(Mataranka Fan Palm)
1 image
The Common Onion Orchid or Common Leek Orchid is a terrestrial orchid with fairly thick green stem. The flowers are produced in long clusters of very small green or greenish yellow flowers which...
Microtis unifolia
(Common Onion Orchid)
2 images
The Mangrove Palm is an unusual palm with an underground horizontal trunk. The fronds grow upwards from the ground and can grow to nine metres tall, with about half a dozen leaves per plant. It...
Nypa fruticans
(Mangrove Palm)
3 images
The Bronze Palm is a solitary palm growing to about ten metres in height (although very old plants can grow to twenty metres), and is the only species in the genus Oraniopsis. The fronds grow to six...
Oraniopsis appendiculata
(Bronze Palm)
2 images
The Lesser Swamp Orchid is a large terrestrial orchid growing to 2 m in height. The star shaped flowers are brownish or reddish brown with white underside, and sometimes have yellow veins.. The lip...
Phaius australis
(Lesser Swamp Orchid)
2 images
The Swamp Orchid is a large ornamental orchid from eastern Australia. It produces large star shaped flowers that grow to about 10 cm across in clusters of up to a dozen per stem. The stem is fleshy...
Phaius tancarvilleae
(Swamp Orchid)
3 images
Common reed is a perennial grass that grows to 4 m tall in both fresh and brackish water.<br>Its leaves are alternate, up to 70 cm long and 3.5 cm wide, and smooth in appearance.<br>The plant's...
Phragmites australis
(Common Reed)
3 images
Blue Tussock Grass is a large tussock forming grass to 1 m tall, with stiffly erect, smooth leaves of a rather bluish- or glaucous-green colour. Leaf blades are generally closely inrolled and sharply...
Poa poiformis
(Blue Tussock Grass)
1 image
The Tall Leek Orchid is a tall thick-stemmed terrestrial orchid growing to over a metre tall. The flower colour varies from green to brownish to purplish. Flowers are produced in spikes and are...
Prasophyllum elatum
(Tall Leek Orchid)
2 images
The Alpine Greenhood, also known as Mountain Greenhood, is a terrestrial orchid species from mountainous areas of south east Australia. The flower is green and white with dorsal sepal and petals...
Pterostylis alpina
(Alpine Greenhood)
1 image
The King Greenhood is a ground orchid from eastern Australia. The flower is large for a Greenhood, growing to about 6 cm long, and is green and white coloured with brownish at the tip of the hood....
Pterostylis baptistii
(King Greenhood)
1 image
The Bird Orchid is an unusual Greenhood orchid from Western Australia. When viewed from the side, the flower resembles a bird with long pointed bill. The flower is green and white, with a bit of a...
Pterostylis barbata
(Bird Orchid)
1 image
The Scarlet Greenhood is a ground orchid endemic to eastern Australia. The flower is white and greenish, or white and reddish. The lateral sepals have long slender points that are held upright on...
Pterostylis coccina
(Scarlet Greenhood)
1 image
The Blunt Greenhood is a green flowering terrestrial orchid. The flower is greenish and white, about 3 cm tall and has a blunt hood made up of the dorsal sepal and lateral petals being fused...
Pterostylis curta
(Blunt Greenhood)
3 images
The Black-stripped Greenhood Orchid is a tall terrestrial greenhood orchid growing to about 90 cm in height. The flowers are shiny green with dorsal sepal and lateral petals fused into a hood called...
Pterostylis melagramma
(Black-stripped Greenhood Orchid)
1 image
Nodding Greenhood is an Australian orchid found in the eastern states. The plant has a rosette of three to six oval shaped leaves that grow to a length of 9 cm at the base. The green hooded flowers...
Pterostylis nutans
(Nodding Greenhood)
1 image
The Snail Orchid is a green flowered ground orchid from Western Australia. The flower is green with the dorsal sepal and lateral petals fused together into a blunt green hood. The lateral sepals are...
Pterostylis pyramidalis
(Snail Orchid)
1 image
The Jug Orchid is terrestrial orchid with striped flowers from Western Australia. The flowers are green and white striped, sometimes with brownish towards the tips, and grow on stems of up to 60 cm...
Pterostylis recurva
(Jug Orchid)
3 images
The Dark Banded Greenhood flowers in winter and spring from June to September. Several flowers are produced on a stem that grows to about 30 cm long. The flowers are reddish purple or reddish brown...
Pterostylis sanguinea
(Dark Banded Greenhood)
2 images
The Frog Greenhood is a green flowered ground orchid from the south west of Western Australia. The flowers are dark green and lighter green with the dorsal sepals and petals fused into a blunt hood;...
Pterostylis sargentii
(Frog Greenhood)
1 image
Green-lip Greenhood Orchid is a green flowered ground orchid native to Tasmania. The translucent green hood or galea is made up of the dorsal sepal and lateral petals which are fused together. The...
Pterostylis stenochila
(Green-lip Greenhood Orchid)
2 images
The Banded Greenhood is a green and white orchid from southern and western Australia. Flowering is in winter and spring from May to September. Several flowers are produced on a stem that grows to...
Pterostylis vittata
(Banded Greenhood)
2 images
Solitaire Palm is a solitary slender palm with grey trunk and green crownshaft, growing to about ten metres tall, with a trunk diameter of up to 10 cm in diameter. It has an elegant crown of pinnate...
Ptychosperma elegans
(Solitaire Palm)
2 images
Macarthur Palm is an elegant clumping palm that grows up to nine metres tall, with a trunk diameter of up to 6 cm. The pinnate fronds grow to about three metres. It produces flower spikes up to 45cm...
Ptychosperma macarthurii
(MacArthur Palm)
1 image
The Underground Orchid is an endangered orchid from Western Australia. This strange plant grows under the ground and even flowers below the soil surface level. The plant has a fleshy tuber which...
Rhizanthella gardneri
(Underground Orchid)
1 image
Norfolk Island Palm is a palm growing to about twelve metres tall with a green to grey trunk that grows to about 30 cm in diameter. It has pinnate fronds that grow to about three metres in length....
Rhopalostylis baueri
(Norfolk Island Palm)
3 images
The Ravine Orchid is a species of orchid endemic to Australia. It has long thin strap like leaves about 50 cm long. The flower heads are about 15cm long with about four to a dozen flowers or more....
Sarcochilus fitzgeraldii
(Ravine Orchid)
2 images
This orchid has long strappy leaves about 50cm long. The flowers grow is clusters of 5 to more than 20. The flowers are up to 3cm across and are mostly white with red or brownish dots. There is also...
Sarcochilus hartmannii
2 images
The Sharp Club-Rush is a medium-sized perennial sedge with a long rhizomatous root system. Stems from 20-60 cm high and 3 mm diameter, without nodes (swollen bumps) and smooth and hairless. Leaves to...
Schoenoplectus pungens
(Sharp Club-Rush)
2 images
Lawyer vine is a climber with prickly stems that can grow up to eight metres long. The stems have long coiled tendrils that help it climb. The leaves are oval tapering towards the tip and up to 15cm...
Smilax australis
(Lawyer Vine)
1 image
Saltcouch is a perennial grass with erect, leafy stems. It grows in mat formations from rhizomes to a height of 15-30 cm.<br>The plant's leaves are alternate, up to 15 cm long, and are in 2 ranks on...
Sporobolus virginicus
(Saltcouch)
3 images
The Delicate Dendrobium is native to eastern Australia and is also found on some islands of the South Pacific. The leaves are greyish green and elongated oval. The flowers are yellowish green with...
Thelychiton gracilicaulis
(Delicate Dendrobium)
2 images
The Oak Orchid (Thelychiton jonesii) is a species of orchid endemic to Queensland. There are two recognised subspecies: (Thelychiton jonesii var. jonesii and (Thelychiton jonesii var. magnificum. It...
Thelychiton jonesii
(Oak Orchid)
1 image
The Pink Rock Orchid can form large clumps. The pseudobulbs have from two to seven oval leaves about 10cm long and 2cm wide. The flowers are pink or purple and grow in clusters of up to about...
Thelychiton kingianus
(Pink Rock Orchid)
3 images
Dendrobium moorei is found only on Lord Howe Island. The pseudobulb grows to about 20 cm long with four or five elliptical leaves tapering to point. The flowers grow in large clusters about 15 cm in...
Thelychiton moorei
(Moore's Dendrobium)
1 image
The Rock orchid grows as an epiphyte on branches of trees or on rocks in open forest. It can form large spreading clumps on rocks. The pseudobulbs grow to about 45 cm long with about two to five oval...
Thelychiton speciosus
(Rock Orchid)
3 images
The Blue Lady Orchid is found only in Western Australia. It is a terrestrial orchid growing to about 70 cm in height. The leaf is lance shaped and grow to over 10 cm long and 4 cm wide. The flowers...
Thelymitra crinita
(Blue Lady Orchid)
3 images
The Striped Sun Orchid grows in colonies on damp soil in suitable habitat. The leaf grows to 25 cm long and may be moew than 5cm. The flowers grow in cluster of up to six, and each individual flower...
Thelymitra cyanea
(Striped Sun Orchid)
1 image
The Spotted Sun Orchid is a ground growing orchid with small leaf to 2 cm long and 1 cm wide. The flower stem is up to 60 cm tall with clusters of up to eight flowers. The flowers are about 2 to 3 cm...
Thelymitra ixioides
(Spotted Sun Orchid)
3 images
The Scented Sun Orchid is a ground growing orchid with large leaf. The flowers grow in clusters on upright spikes. The individual flowers are blue and about 25 mm in diameter. The main flowering...
Thelymitra macrophylla
(Scented Sun Orchid)
1 image
The Slender Sun Orchid has a single leaf to about 3cm long and 1 cm wide. The flowers grow in clusters of up to a dozen flowers, but they only open two or three at a time giving a sparse flowering...
Thelymitra pauciflora
(Slender Sun Orchid)
1 image
The Salmon Sun Orchid has a single leaf to about 10 cm long. The flowers are salmon pink and grow in small clusters of up to five. Each flower is about 25 mm in diameter. The main flowering period is...
Thelymitra rubra
(Salmon Sun Orchid)
1 image
This rhizomatous perennial has narrow, linear leaves with parallel lines. It ranges in height between 3 cm and 25 cm.<br>The plant produces numerous small, round, green flowers on a central stem that...
Triglochin striata
(Streaked Arrow Grrass)
3 images
The Cooktown Orchid is the floral emblem of Queensland and one of the most ornamental of Australian orchids. It is an epiphyte growing on trunks and branches of trees. The flower clusters have up to...
Vappodes phalaenopsis
(Cooktown Orchid)
2 images
The Foxtail Palm is an attractive self-cleaning palm with tall grey ringed trunk and green crown shaft. The plant grows to ten metres tall. The fronds are long and feathery and give rise to the...
Wodyetia bifurcata
(Foxtail Palm)
4 images
Wurmbea dioica is a herbaceous plant growing to 30 cm tall, with two or three narrow grassy linear leaves. The plant is bulbous. The attractive flowers are white with six petals, with a narrow purple...
Wurmbea dioica
(Early Nancy)
1 image

Australian Others



The Zamia Fern is a cycad with smooth edged leaves growing straight from the underground tuber with about seven branches on mature leaf. The individual leaflets are in bipinnate arrangement around...
Bowenia spectabilis
(Zamia Fern)
2 images
Macrozamia communis is an Australian cycad found on the east coast of New South Wales. It has large glossy, deep-green fern-like (pinnate) leaves about 1m to 2m long. Plants on shallow soils and on...
Macrozamia communis
(Burrawang)
2 images
Johnson's Cycad (Macrozamia johnsonii) is a large spectacular cycad, and the largest cycad species in New South Wales. Macrozamia johnsonii used to be known as the New South Wales form of Macrozamia...
Macrozamia johnsonii
(Johnsons Cycad)
1 image
The MacDonnell Ranges Cycad is a medium to large cycad with blue green leaves that grow to 1.5m to 2.5m long and arch downwards stiffly. The crown may have 50 to 120 keeled leaves. The trunk grows to...
Macrozamia macdonnellii
(MacDonnell Ranges Cycad)
1 image
Macrozamia miquelii is a medium-sized cycad. It is an attractive plant with comparatively soft green fronds with narrow pointed leaflets that stand upright initially before arching downwards with...
Macrozamia miquelii
(Burrawang)
1 image
Moore's Cycad is the tallest Macrozamia cycad and can reach 7m with trunk diameter of 50cm to 80cm. The fronds are dull green and up to 2.5m long with a short stem. Leaflets are about 20cm to 30cm...
Macrozamia moorei
(Moore's Cycad)
1 image
The Zamia Palm is a relatively small cycad with a crown of twelve to thirty glossy green leaves. The fronds are 1.2 m to 2.2 m long and slightly keeled. Each frond has about 92 to 50 leaflets which...
Macrozamia riedlei
(Zamia Palm)
1 image




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