Sicilian Sea Lavender (Limonium hyblaeum), a cushion-forming endemic to Sicily’s rocky south-east coasts, only described as a separate species in 1980, by which time it … Read the full post
Narrow-leaved Cotton Bush (Gomphocarpus fruticosus)
Narrow-leaved Cotton Bush (Gomphocarpus fruticosus), a South African milkweed and accidental host for the Monarch (Wanderer) butterfly. Known here as Swan Plant (floated in water, … Read the full post
Peruvian Lily (Alstroemeria aurea)
Peruvian Lily (Alstroemeria aurea), one of a group of tuberous flowering plants native to South America which have been widely adopted into horticulture and floriculture … Read the full post
Square-stalked St. John’s Wort (Hypericum tetrapterum)
Square-stalked St. John’s Wort (Hypericum tetrapterum), a moisture-loving wort (i.e. medicinal root) from Europe. This plant has also been known as St. Peter’s Wort, although … Read the full post
Prickly Paddy Melon (Cucumis myriocarpus)
Prickly Paddy Melon (Cucumis myriocarpus) a bitter Southern African cucumber producing a myriad of tiny fruit. von Mueller made the first Australian collection of Paddy Melon … Read the full post
Banana Passionfruit (Passiflora tarminiana)
Banana Passionfruit (Passiflora tarminiana), an expert climber with edible fruit. Formerly planted more widely for the fruit (although this is often described as somewhat insipid), … Read the full post
St John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum)
St John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum), a Eurasian perennial and herbal remedy widely established across temperate Australia. It is impossible to tell the story of St John’s … Read the full post
Italian Arum Lily (Arum italicum)
Italian Arum Lily (Arum italicum), known to past generations as the ‘Cuckoo-pint’, a green-flowering Mediterranean bulb of deep shade, and minor relative of the ubiquitous … Read the full post
Tutsan (Hypericum androsaemum)
Tutsan (Hypericum androsaemum), a striking Eurasian St. Johns Wort with a shrubby aspect and attractive red fruits turning black at maturity. Naturalised in New Zealand … Read the full post
Pelisser’s Toadflax (Linaria pelisseriana)
Pelisser’s Toadflax (Linaria pelisseriana), a slender purple-flowering member of Plantaginaceae originating in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean. Pelisser’s Toadflax was first recorded growing freely in … Read the full post
Devil’s Apple (Solanum linnaeanum)
Devil’s Apple (Solanum linnaeanum), a nightshade from Southern Africa adopted into ornamental use on the strength of its radiant, toxic fruit. Traditionally called Apple of … Read the full post
Blanket Fern (Asplenium subglandulosum)
Blanket Fern (Asplenium subglandulosum), a tough indigenous ground fern found throughout Australia and New Zealand as an inhabitant of rock crevices, and a very atypical … Read the full post
Two-leaf Cape Tulip (Moraea miniata)
Two-leaf Cape Tulip (Moraea miniata), one of several South African species of the genus established in Australia and nowhere else in the world. Imported alongside … Read the full post
False Strawberry (Potentilla indica)
False Strawberry (Potentilla indica), one of a number of species in a Rose-family genus adopted into herbal medicine and ornamental use. Native to monsoon Asia, … Read the full post
False Sowthistle (Reichardia tingitana)
False Sowthistle (Reichardia tingitana), a fancy, sand- and salt-loving yellow aster from the Mediterranean and Middle East. A plant of coastal dunes and saline deserts … Read the full post
Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum)
Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum), a biennial Eurasian colonist of damp ground, introduced to Australia as a textile comb, grain contaminant and occasional ornamental and floriculture selection. … Read the full post
Common Thorn-apple (Datura stramonium)
Common Thorn-apple (Datura stramonium), a toxic annual member of the Nightshade family originating in C. America. Also known as the Devils Trumpet, as James Town … Read the full post
Stinkwort (Dittrichia graveolens)
Stinkwort (Dittrichia graveolens), an autumn-flowering annual aster with an aggressive aroma and Eurasian origin. Although the first Australian collection dates to 1876, Stinkwort was spreading … Read the full post
Cut-leaved Evening Primrose (Oenothera laciniata)
Cut-leaved Evening Primrose (Oenothera laciniata), an annual or short-lived perennial from the sand prairies of the eastern United States. Introduced in 1770 to English cultivation … Read the full post
White Stonecrop (Sedum album)
White Stonecrop (Sedum album), a modest European succulent well-established in parts of coastal North America and a rare or perhaps just cryptic presence in southern … Read the full post
Trailing Snapdragon (Asarina procumbens)
Trailing Snapdragon (Asarina procumbens), a perennial snapdragon originating in the south of France where it grows in rock crevices. Broadly adopted as an ornamental selection, … Read the full post
Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris)
Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris), a Eurasian meadow mint turned cosmopolitan homesteader of temperate lawns and roadsides worldwide. Collected at Sydney as early as 1802, in those … Read the full post
Lesser Swine’s Cress (Lepidium didymum)
Lesser Swine’s Cress (Lepidium didymum), a South American member of the mustard family introduced to Europe by early colonial transfers, and from there to Australia … Read the full post
Tree Tobacco (Nicotiana glauca)
Tree Tobacco (Nicotiana glauca), an Argentinian perennial related both to cultivated Tobacco and Australia’s native Nicotianas. Highly toxic, it was introduced to Australia as an … Read the full post
Green Cestrum (Cestrum parqui)
Green Cestrum (Cestrum parqui), a toxic South American ornamental shrub that became a notorious killer of cattle in eastern Australia. Its seed is bird-distributed and … Read the full post
Common Ice-plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum)
Common Ice-plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum), a dew-spangled exotic relative of Australia’s friendly native pigfaces. The name ‘Ice-plant’ refers to the prominent bladder cells which store water … Read the full post
Hairy Willow-herb (Epilobium hirtigerum)
Hairy Willow-herb (Epilobium hirtigerum), an ephemeral Australian native plant whose lifeways flit between areas of disturbance. Hairy Willow-herb is adapted to exploit sites of short-lived … Read the full post
Yellow Glandweed (Bellardia viscosa)
Yellow Glandweed (Bellardia viscosa), a hemi-parasitic European broomrape spread to Australia in the late 19th century in contaminated grass seed. The species colonises paddocks, along … Read the full post
Cotton Fireweed (Senecio quadridentatus)
Cotton Fireweed (Senecio quadridentatus), a native Australian member of the genus demonstrating that its exotic cousins are not the only members of Senecio with capacity … Read the full post
Sea Spurge (Euphorbia paralias)
Sea Spurge (Euphorbia paralias), a Mediterranean spurge introduced to Australian coasts and now actively transforming dune environments around the continent’s southern perimeter. Sea Spurge alters … Read the full post