Brunonia australis, commonly known as the blue pincushion or native cornflower, is a perennial herb that grows widely across Australia. It is found in woodlands, open forest and sand plains. The leaves are about 10 cm long and grow from the base. Flowering is usually in spring, with hemispherical clusters of blue flowers developing on a stem about 50 cm in height. Specimens of Brunonia were first collected by Robert Brown during the 1801–02 voyage of HMS Investigator under the command of Matthew Flinders. The genus had not been published by early 1810, when members of the Linnean Society of London sought to name a plant genus in Brown's honour. This genus was settled upon because it was so difficult to classify: "The genus under consideration is... exceedingly interesting, on account of its apparent relationship to several very different natural orders, and the great difficulty of referring it to any one in particular." The name Brunonia was chosen because a genus had already been named Brownea in honour of Patrick Browne, and Brunonia was seen as a compromise, "preserving as much resemblance to his name as possible, while I avoid all ambiguity with the Brownea previously established." In February 1810, James Edward Smith read a formal description of Brunonia to the Linnean Society. Two species were given: Brunonia australis and Brunonia sericea. Later that year, Brown made use of Smith's names in his Prodromus florae Novae Hollandiae. However, Smith's speech did not go to print until 1811, so priority of publication of the genus belongs to Brown not Smith. Thus Brown unwittingly violated a virtual botanical taboo, by naming a genus after himself. B. sericea was reduced to a variety of B. australis in 1907, and given synonymy with B. australis in 1992. A number of other species and variety have been published, but to date none have survived as current taxa except B. australis. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brunonia
Dipodium roseum, commonly known as rosy hyacinth-orchid or pink hyacinth-orchid, is a leafless mycoheterotrophic orchid found in east and south-eastern Australia. For most of the year, plants are dormant and have no above-ground presence. Below the ground lie fleshy roots. Flower spikes ranging from 30 to 90 cm in height appear between December and April. These racemose inflorescences have 15 to 40 pink flowers with small darker spots. The sepals and petals are strongly recurved and the three-lobed labellum is pink with dark lines and a band of mauve hairs. A rare white-flowering form also exists. The species was formally described in 1991. The type specimen was collected in Montrose in Victoria's Dandenong Ranges. The species was previously included in a wider circumscription of Dipodium punctatum. Dipodium roseum occurs in dry woodland in the states of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania. Pollination of this species, as for all species in the genus, is by native bees and wasps. No leafless species of Dipodium has been sustained in cultivation due to the inability to replicate its association with mycorrhizal fungi in a horticultural context. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dipodium_roseum
Drosera auriculata (Droseraceae), a.k.a.: Tall Sundew, Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Name derivation: Drosera from the Greek 'droseros' meaning dewy; alluding to the glistening of the glandular leaf laminae. Auriculata from the Greek 'auricula' meaning ear-shaped. Distribution: Found in the southern part of South Australia, from the Flinders Ranges to the lower South-east, growing in moist areas. Also found in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. Status: Native. Common in South Australia. Common in the other states. Plant description: Small herb with flowering stems to 20 cm high. Lowest leaves in a flat rosette, circular to reniform, to 6 mm diameter. Stem leaves alternate or in clusters, lamina with 2 acute lobes, to 6 mm diameter, peltate on slender petiole to 9 mm long, stipules absent. Inflorescence to 10 cm long with 2–8 white or pink flowers. Flowering between August and November. - http://saseedbank.com.au/species_information.php?rid=1522 Drosera family Drosera, commonly known as the sundews, is one of the largest genera of carnivorous plants, with at least 194 species. These members of the family Droseraceae lure, capture, and digest insects using stalked mucilaginous glands covering their leaf surfaces. The insects are used to supplement the poor mineral nutrition of the soil in which the plants grow. Various species, which vary greatly in size and form, are native to every continent except Antarctica. Both the botanical name (from the Greek δρόσος: drosos = "dew, dewdrops") and the English common name (sundew, derived from Latin ros solis, meaning "dew of the sun") refer to the glistening drops of mucilage at the tip of each tentacle that resemble drops of morning dew. Sundews are perennial (or rarely annual) herbaceous plants, forming prostrate or upright rosettes between 1 and 100 cm (0.39 and 39.37 in) in height, depending on the species. Climbing species form scrambling stems which can reach much longer lengths, up to 3 m (9.8 ft) in the case of D. erythrogyne. Sundews have been shown to be able to achieve a lifespan of 50 years. The genus is specialized for nutrient uptake through its carnivorous behavior, for example the pygmy sundew is missing the enzymes (nitrate reductase, in particular) that plants normally use for the uptake of earth-bound nitrates. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drosera
