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

Acacia mariae

Acacia mariae - Golden-top Wattle

Family - Fabaceae (Mimosoideae)

Common name - Golden-top Wattle

Flowers and fruit - Single globose (spherical) golden flower heads in phyllode (leaf) axil. Pods are green and leathery turning brown and crisp when ripe - flat, and 3 to 6cm long. Flowering period is July to October.

Leaves and stems - Acacia 'leaves' are not true leaves, and are called 'phyllodes'. Phyllodes of Acacia mariae are silver grey with a covering of matted hairs, straight or curved and lanceolate, sometimes pressed upwards to the stem. Branches are smooth and grey.

Habit and habitat - An erect or spreading shrub about 1m tall, but can be taller. Acacia mariae is widespread and common in The Pilliga in open woodland and sandy soils, and can present a spectacular sight in flower.

Flower heads are single on 1cm stalks, leaves often pressed upwards

Ripe seed pods of Acacia mariae in The Pilliga

Acacia mariae (Golden-top Wattle) is a showy species

Acacia mariae putting on a spectacular show in the eastern Pilliga

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

Agave americana

Agave americana at 'The Aloes Picnic Area' in The Pilliga

Agave americana is an introduced plant, an escaped garden plant, which originated from Mexico.

Family - Agavaceae

Common name - Century Plant

Description - Blue-grey succulent leaves are lance-shaped, 1 to 2m long, with toothed margin and terminal spine. A robust flower spike to 5m tall appears in summer or autumn. Many flowers are clustered on branchlets. This introduced weed plant occurs around old habitations, roadsides and inland areas. It spreads thickly, crowding out native species.

Note - The Picnic/Rest Area in The Pilliga called 'The Aloes' has been wrongly named for the Agave that grow there, rather than Aloes.

Roadside Agave americana near Baradine

Agave americana growing at 'The Aloes' Historic Site 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

Bossiaea rhombifolia subsp. concolor

Bossiaea rhombifolia subsp. concolor

Family - Fabaceae (Faboideae)

Common name - Nil

Flowers and fruit - Typical 'pea' flowers are bright yellow and crimson, born singly in leaf axils on very short stalks. Pods are obovate up to 25mm long. (According to PlantNet, flowers sometimes lack dark markings.) Flowering period is July to October.

Leaves and stems - Bluish-green or green leaves, longer than they are wide, are alternate on tiny stalks on round or slightly flattened stems. The leaves are often folded upwards along midrib. Stems are green to reddish-brown.

Habit and habitat - A hairless shrub about 1m tall, Bossiaea rhombifolia subsp. concolor grows mainly in dry sclerophyll forests. This plant flowers profusely and is an attractive plant in the bush, especially en mass.

Note: There are 2 subspecies of Bossiaea rhombifolia recorded in The Pilliga. Subspecies rhombifolia has leaves that are nearly as wide as they are long, whereas, subspecies concolor (featured here) has leaves considerably narrower than they are long. I have not yet (March 2014) observed subspecies rhombifolia.

Bossiaea rhombifolia subsp. concolor

Stems are sometimes flattened, and leaves sometimes folded upwards

Unripe fruit of Bossiaea rhombifolia subsp. concolor

Bossiaea rhombifolia in its natural habitat in The Pilliga

Lycium feroissimum

Lycium feroissimum (African Box-thorn) a noxious weed

Lycium feroissimum originated from southern Africa and is a declared noxious weed in all of NSW.

Family - Solanaceae

Common name - African Box-thorn

Flowers and fruit - White to mauve tubular flower 10 to 12mm long with protruding stamens. Fruit is an orange-red berry 5 to 10mm diameter containing many seeds. Lycium feroissimum flowers and fruits at any time through the year.

Leaves and stems - Leaves are usually clustered, 10 to 40mm long and 4 to 10 mm wide. Stems are woody when mature, and bear sharp, stout spines.

Habit and habitat - Dense many-branched shrub to 4m high. Grows in agricultural, pastoral and urban wasteland, as well as open woodland.

White/mauve flower with protruding stamens

Fruit are eaten by birds which disperse seeds of this noxious weed

Spines are very sharp

Acacia spectabilis

Acacia spectabilis - Mudgee Wattle

Family - Fabaceae (Mimosoideae)

Common name - Mudgee Wattle

Flowers and fruit - Many large bright yellow flower heads on raceme from leaf axil. Pods are straight or curved with irregular constrictions between seeds.  4 to 17cm long and 10 to 19mm wide. Flowers mainly between July and November.

Leaves and stems - Bipinnate leaves. Grey-green to glaucous (bluish), usually with one inconspicuous gland at or near the base of lowest pair of pinnae. Grey or whitish branches.

Habit and habitat - Erect or spreading shrub/tree to 4m high, or sometimes taller. Single-stemmed with smooth bark. Dry Eucalypt and Callitris woodland, sandy soils. Acacia spectabilis, as its name suggests, can look spectacular in flower.

Grey-green bipinnate leaves of Acacia spectabilis

Ripe seeds pods of Acacia spectabilis

White smooth bark of Acacia spectabilis

White/grey bark often has dark blotches

Acacia spectabilis makes a beautiful show in the bush

Leucopogon biflorus

Leucopogon biflorus

Family - Ericaceae

Common name - There does not appear to be a common name for this species of Leucopogon, but Leucopogons are collectively often known as Beard-heath or White-beard.

Flowers - Tubular flowers are solitary or two together, often bunched at ends of branches, white, and the 5 points of the tube are rolled back and fluffy. Sepals white. This is a very showy shrub in it's natural habitat. Flowers July to October.

Leaves and stems - Alternate green leaves are stiff with a spike at the tip, and striate/veined underneath. Stems are reddish-brown with very fine hairs.

Habit and habitat - Erect to spreading shrub to 2m high. Grows in sclerophyll woodland, skeletal sandy soils and rocky outcrops.

Plentiful flowers of Leucopogon biflorus - note the white sepals

Notice the pointed leaves

Spreading twigs of Leucopogon biflorus

Leucopogon biflorus is a showy shrub

Goodenia cycloptera

Goodenia cycloptera - Serrated Goodenia

Family - Goodeniaceae

Common name - Serrated Goodenia

Flowers - Yellow to pale yellow flowers, 3 erect petals and 2 downward facing petals. 10 to 15mm long. Flowers are on leafy racemes ascending from basal leaves. Pubescent (hairy) on the outside of the flower and in the throat of the flower.

Leaves and stem - Leaves toothed, with basal leaves larger than leaves on ascending stems. Softly hairy.

Habit and habitat - prostrate to ascending herb to 30mm. Sandy soil. There are 17 Goodenia reported to be native to The Pilliga.

Sepals to 3mm. Brown, hairy sections are the back of petals.

Basal leaves of a new plant

Habit varies