Allocasuarina diminuta subsp. diminuta

Male Allocasuarina diminuta subsp. diminuta

Family - Casurinaceae

Common name - Nil

Description - Male and female flowers are on separate plants. Photographs here show male and female 'flowers' and cones. Allocasuarina diminuta subsp. diminuta is a shrub to small tree often with weeping habit, from 1 to 5m tall. It is common in localised areas in The Pilliga growing on sandstone ridges and hillsides, and low open woodland. I took these flower photos in June and July.

 

Female 'flowers' of Allocasuarina diminuta subsp. diminuta

A close up of the male parts

Unopened cones of Allocasuarina diminuta subsp. diminuta

Allocasuarina diminuta subsp. diminuta

Male Allocasuarina diminuta subsp. diminuta

Maireana decalvans

Maireana decalvans - Black Cotton Bush in The Pilliga

Family - Chenopodiaceae

Common name - Black Cotton Bush

Description - An erect or spreading perennial shrub to 1m, but generally smaller. The fruiting structure is a flat, circular 'wing', pale green to pink, drying to black, with one radial slit. Leaves are up to 10mm long and succulent. It is widespread in dry open country.

Notice the one radial slit in the hairless fruiting perianth

Maireana decalvans - Black Cotton Bush

Maireana decalvans in its natural habitat in The Pilliga

Correa glabra var. glabra

Correa glabra var. glabra at Dandry Gorge

Family - Rutaceae

Common name - Rock Correa

Flowers and fruit - Flowers tubular, pale green, 15 to 30mm long, petals united, with protruding stamens. Calyx is cup-shaped without lobes. Flowering is sporadic - I photographed these flowers in early July.

Leaves and stems - Leaves are dark green, shiny, and slightly sand-papery. Stems of the shrubs I found were tomentose (fluffy).

Habit and habitat - Erect shrub nearly to 2m. Found on slopes, open woodland and rocky habitats.

The top side of the leaves of Correa glabra var. glabra

The underside of leaves, and branches, of Correa glabra var glabra

Isopogon petiolaris

Distinctive flowers of Isopogon petiolaris (Spreading Cone Bush)

Family - Proteaceae

Common name - Spreading Cone Bush, Drumsticks

Flowers and fruit - Flowers are carried in terminal yellow globular clusters, larger than 2cm diameter. Flowers are conspicuous and followed by rounded cones. Isopogon petiolaris can flower any time in spring and summer.

Leaves - Light green leaves are deeply lobed, stiff with a sharp point, and up to 15cm long. The leaf stalk is up to 9cm long and is two-thirds of the leaf length.

Habit and habitat - A low mounded ground cover to upright shrub less than a meter tall. Isopogon petiolaris is an eye-catching plant when flowering. It grows in dry sclerophyll forest and heath, commonly in stony sites. In The Pilliga it can occur in dry sandstone country.

Flowers, fruit and leaves of Isopogon petiolaris

Spreading habit of Isopogon petiolaris