Wildflower Collection part 2/2

The sixth chapter of The Magic of the Forest book, titled More Wildflowers. Features: Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha): The brilliant-yellow, fragrant flowers of Golden Wattle make it a very showy and well-known small tree. Flowering in spring large fluffy flowerheads make a vivid contrast against the dark foliage. The early settlers interwove the long flexible twigs of Golden Wattle and daubed them with mud to make the framework of their houses. Trees are also grown commercially for the high content of tannin in their bark. (69W x 100H) Royal Bluebell (Wahlenbergia gloriosa): A delightful small, perennial herb with rich violet-blue flowers carried erect or nodding on slender stems. The shining, oblong leaves have bluntly toothed and waved margins. They occur mainly in sub-alpine woodland. (60W x 130H) Waratah (Telopea speciosissima): A brilliantly coloured erect shrub. The dark green, leathery leaves are alternately arranged and coarsely toothed. The flowers are grouped in large, rounded heads, surrounded by crimson bracts. (86W x 72H) Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthos manglesii): A low shrub with broad leaves that taper to an acute point. The flowering stem and base of the flowers are deep red, covered with wooly hairs. The colour of the flower then changes to bright green, splitting to reveal yellow anthers. (66W x 90H) Common Heath (Epacris impressa): A colourful slender, upright shrub. Leaves are rigid, alternate and sharply pointed. The tubular flowers range in colour from white or pale pink, to deep crimson. (54W x 105H) Cooktown Orchid (Dendrobium bigibbum): The Cooktown Orchid grows in exposed situations, either attached to tree trunks or on rocky outcrops, and is not a rainforest species. Flowering stems carry up to twenty stalked flowers which are usually deep lilac in colour. (53W x 120H) Sturt's Desert Rose (Gossypium sturtianum): The natural habitat of Sturt's Desert Rose are stony slopes and dry creek beds. Flowers have pinky-mauve petals with red bases, forming a contrasting centre in each flower. This attractive bush occurs throughout most of Australia. (69W x 60H) Sturt's Desert Pea (Swainsona formosa): A brilliantly coloured and very distinctive creeper. The stems and grey-green leaves are covered in downy hairs. Flowers are arranged in clusters of six to eight on short, thick, erect stalks. Petals are usually scarlet with a glossy vlack swelling at the base of the uppermost petal. Other colour forms range in colour from white to deep pink. After a good season on the dry outback plains, great carpets of these spectacular plants can be seen flowering for long periods during late winter and spring. (130W x 137H) Tasmanian Blue Gum (Eucalyptus globulus): A tall, straight tree with rough, persistent bark at the base and smooth bark above. The cream flowers produce nectar in copious quantities yielding strongly flavoured honey. Mature leaves are dark, shining green. The name 'Blue Gum' is derived form the blue-grey, waxy bloom covering the juvenile leaves. (58W x 128H) Wreath of Wildflowers (180W x 180H)