If you wish to experience an incredibly diverse array of extraordinary flowering plants – most especially, species that naturally occur in only one part of the world – you’d be best-advised to avoid places with “good” soil and abundant, “reliable” rainfall.
The “winning” combination: “poor” soil, unreliable rainfall and a very high evaporation rate!
Arguably, the world’s best natural “flower gardens” are in the southwestern “corners” of Africa and Australia; there, “looking down” is almost always rewarding, but most especially so in Spring.
I took the photo on 30 October 2023, circa 100 kilometres southeast of Perth.
You are looking at a petite member of the genus Ptilotus – the plants commonly known as “mulla mulla”.
Although every Australian state is home to at least one Ptilotus species, the overwhelming majority naturally occur only in Western Australia – mostly, in arid or semi-arid habitats.
Click here for access to images of many of the more than 120 different Ptilotus species.
Wandoo woodlands are distinctly different from Jarrah forests.
“Jarrah forests” (most of which are actually Jarrah/Marri forests) are utterly unlike Karri forests.
All the aforementioned forest types naturally occur only in southwest WA.
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