Natural splendour, real musics, wines, wordpower
In global terms, Australia’s major cities – Perth, most especially – are surprisingly rich in “wild”-ish, “bushy”, quasi-“natural” locations.
They are not all in parks and reserves.
Some are just a few square metres apiece – vibrant, tiny “Islands” within an otherwise-stolid “sea” of cement, asphalt, lawns, graceless buildings, etc.
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They are not at all closely related to Banksias, but so-called “grasstrees” – which are neither trees nor grasses – also sport spectacular “spikes”.
Each such spike is occasionally “clothed” with an enormous number of flowers.
A “grasstree” flower spike can soar two or more metres – sometimes straight-line vertically, sometimes contortedly.
All grasstrees are endemic to Australia; many species occur in very particular regions, but at least one kind naturally occurs in at least one of every Australian state or territory.
This post’s heroes are endemic to southwest WA.
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Northern South Australia and the south of the Northern Territory are deservedly celebrated for their vast, “cinematic” landscapes.
Any visitor can hardly fail to be in awe of the big skies, the far-distant horizons, and the extravagantly colourful, harsh/glorious, obviously-ancient terrain.
Too many visitors, however, fail to pay attention to what’s literally right in front of them, or just behind, or immediately above them.
The “small” view – of whatever is within “touching distance” – is almost always at least as rewarding as is any “sweeping plains and rugged mountain ranges” perspective.
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…is surely one of “our” planet’s most wonderfully weird plants.
Kingia Australis is the only member of its genus, is not at all closely related to any of the other grass trees, and it grows (very, very slowly, over centuries) only in Australia’s southwestern corner.
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