Native plants, shrubs, and flowers in Blue Mountains
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The Blue Mountains is the pride of Australia and a haven for nature lovers. Dotted with scenic views, the native plants, shrubs, and flowers in the Blue Mountains are some of the biggest attractions for locals and foreign visitors alike. You can enjoy the rich and diverse flora of this place on your Blue Mountains Day trips from Sydney. This place has a lot to offer. So do not be in a haste and take time out from your Blue Mountains tours to appreciate the true beauty of this World Heritage site.
Table of Contents
Native flowers in the Blue Mountains
Waratah
Waratah is an Australian native flower and the emblem of beauty. It can be found on sandstone ridges around Sydney and is listed among the most beautiful native plants, Shrubs, and flowers in the Blue Mountains.
Species:
- New England waratah
- Monga waratah
- Victorian waratah
- New South Wales waratah
- Tasmanian waratah
Scientific name: Telopea speciosissima
Flower size: 6–15 cm in diameter
Leaf size: Ranges between 10–20 cm in length and 2–3 cm in breadth
Dwarf Purple Flag
You can find Dwarf Purple Flag between Sydney till the adjacent ranges down into eastern Victoria. It is interesting to know that there are around 280 species of irises in the world. The Dwarf Purple Flag is one of the beautiful and delicate flowers in the Blue Mountains region.
Scientific name: Patersonia longifolia
Stalk size: Grow up to 15 cm
Leaf size: Ranges between 1–2 mm wide
Flannel Flower
The tiny pink Flannel Flowers, belonging to the Apiaceae family, are rare and exotic and can be found in scattered parts of eastern Australia. You can find around 31 native plants, Shrubs, and flowers in the Blue Mountains belonging to the Apiaceae family. These exotic flowering plants need a certain climatic condition to get germinated, which is reported to take place one season a year after a fire if there has been rained.
Scientific name: Actinotus helianthi
Flower (head) size: 5- 8 cm diameter
Plant size: Up to 50 cm (in the form of shrubs)
Leaf size: Up to 10 cm long and 7 cm wide
Smoke-bush flower
A Smoke-bush flower is a deciduous shrub and is commonly known as a smoke tree, purple smoke bush, dyer’s sumach, and so on. Smoke-bush flowers bloom between late spring to mid-summer. The flowers of this plant are wispy, airy and showy, and consist of many filaments that give them the look that of clouds.
Scientific name: Cotinus coggygria
Flower size: 5–10 mm in diameter
Inflorescence size: 15- 30 cm long
Plant size: Up to 10- 15 feet
Leaf size: 3–8 cm long
Banksia marginata flower
Banksia marginata flower, otherwise known as Silver Banksia and Honeysuckle, is a native to Australia. They are mainly found in south-eastern Australia and across Tasmania., and belongs to the Proteaceae family. You can get Banksia marginata flowers throughout the year, but their blooming period is mainly between February to July.
Scientific name: Banksia marginata
Flower size: 50- 100mm long; 40- 60mm wide
Plant size: 1- 12 meters (medium shrubs); 15- 30 meters (large trees)
Leaf size: 15- 60 mm long and 3- 13 mm wide
Native plants in the Blue Mountains
Banksia
Banksia belongs to the category of native plants, shrubs, and flowers in the Blue Mountains. This tree belongs to the Proteaceae family, and there are around 98 species of this family in the Greater Blue Mountains area. Along with this, you will find 9 species Banksias in the Blue Mountains region.
Species:
- Fern-leaved Banksia
- Banksia cunninghamii
- Hairpin Banksia
- Heath-leaved Banksia
- Newnes Plateau Banksia
- Old Man Banksia
- Silver Banksia
- Swamp Banksia
- White mountain Banksia, and so on
Flower size: 50- 100mm long; 40- 60mm wide
Plant size: Up to 30 metres tall
Leaf size: 1–1½ cm – 45 cm long
Gumtree / Eucalyptus
The Blue Mountains area is known for its eucalyptus trees, which are found there in abundance. A reason why Blue Mountains are called Blue as well. What is more interesting is to learn that there are over 700 species of Eucalyptus trees that dominate the continent’s bushland. Eucalyptus native to the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area include:
- bensonii
- burgessiana (Faulconbridge Mallee Ash)
- cunninghamii (Cliff Mallee Ash)
Scientific name: Eucalyptus globulus
Plant size: Up to 90 meters
Bud size: 5mm long
Fruit size: 5 to 6 cm in diameter
Leaf size: 150–300 mm long; 17–30 mm wide (when matured)
Tree fern
Giant tree ferns are found at Blackheath in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, and Queensland. These are also commonly known as Cooper’s tree fern, lacy tree fern, or scaly tree fern. These fast-growing trees are characterized by feathery fronds, lacy, and a hair-like, scale-covered trunk. These are non-flowering ever-green trees native Australian trees and are non-toxic in nature.
Scientific name: Cyathea cooperi
Plant size: 25 feet long; 10-12 feet wide
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