Eucalypts. With 2,800 species of eucalypts (gum trees), these are the trees most commonly associated with Australia.
Wattle (Acacia)
Did you know: The golden wattle (Acacia pycnantha) is Australia's national flower.
Australia's national floral emblem is the golden wattle (Acacia pycnantha Benth). When in flower, the golden wattle displays the national colours, green and gold. As one species of a large genus of flora growing across Australia, the golden wattle is a symbol of unity.
He has one of the rarest plants in Australia - only one individual is known in the wild, the Ormeau Myrtle.
Eucalypt. The most widespread of Australian plant species is the eucalypt, also known as a gum tree. Eucalypts are iconic forest trees in Australia. About 80 per cent of forests in Australia are eucalypt forests, or forests in which gum trees are the dominant (but not the only species).
The largest and oldest-known living plant on Earth has been discovered in Australia. Posidonia australis is an ancient and incredibly resilient seagrass that has been discovered in Shark Bay, Western Australia. It's at least 4,500 years old and spans 180km of shallow ocean.
Eucalypts. With 2,800 species of eucalypts (gum trees), these are the trees most commonly associated with Australia. Eucalypts are found in many areas, from the silver and red snow gums of the Australian Alps to the ancient river red gums in South Australia's Flinders Ranges.
Wattles Acacia
This stunning plant produces vibrant yellow flowers from a young age. It's not surprising that the Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha) variety is the national flower of Australia.
You'll smell it before you see it - the Titan Arum (Amorphophallus titanum), commonly known as the corpse flower, captured the imagination of visitors to Adelaide Botanic Garden who were lucky enough to catch a glimpse, and whiff, of the stinky bloom which only flowers for 48 hours.
There are also a number of terms for Australia, such as: Aussie, Oz, Lucky Country, and land of the long weekend.
There is no one Aboriginal word that all Aborigines use for Australia; however, today they call Australia, ""Australia"" because that is what it is called today. There are more than 250 aboriginal tribes in Australia. Most of them didn't have a word for ""Australia""; they just named places around them.
Until the early 19th century, Australia was best known as “New Holland”, a name first applied by the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman in 1644 (as Nieuw-Holland) and subsequently anglicized. Terra Australia still saw occasional usage, such as in scientific texts.
Australia is known for many things, including swathes of tropical beaches, marine reserves, Aboriginal culture, cute koalas, rolling wine country, and lush rainforests.
Australia has discovered the world's largest and oldest known living plant. Posidonia australis is an ancient and extremely hardy seagrass discovered in Shark Bay, Western Australia. It's at least 4,500 years old and stretches across 180 kilometres of shallow ocean.
Banksias (Banksia) Wattle (Acacia) Waratahs (Telopea) Bottlebrushes (Callistemon) Kangaroo Paws (Anigozanthos)
Recognised as the national flower of Australia, the Golden Wattle variety is deeply intertwined with its history and culture.
Montsechia vidalii existed approximately 130 million years ago, in the Cretaceous Period. It flourished in freshwater lakes and, side-by-side with dinosaurs, helped populate the landscape of Central Spain and the Pyrenees, near the border with France (PNAS, August 17, 2015).
Some trees can live for centuries or even millennia but the secrets behind their long life spans have eluded scientists. However, new research has found that the ginkgo tree, which can live more than 1,000 years, doesn't really show any expected effects of aging — they appear to be primed for immortality.
The world's rarest tree is Pennantia baylisiana, also called Three Kings Kaikomako. It was near extinction because the only remaining specimen was female and could not reproduce. However, botanists found viable fruits and planted them within botanical gardens around the world to save it.
Trees such as Bangalow palms, ash quandongs (blueberry ash) and lillipillis are suitable for small gardens. On larger blocks, silky oaks, silver (blue) quandong, sheoaks, figs and native tamarinds can also be planted. Birds spread the tree seeds as they move between food sources.