Spring is a marvellous time for seeing wildflowers in Canberra’s bushlands. The small ground orchids can be difficult to find until you get an eye for them and some don’t flower each year.
Peak flowering may be earlier or later in other areas and can also vary with season.
In Flower in September
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Acacia decurrens | Black Wattle | Small tree |
| Acacia implexa | Hickory Wattle | Small tree |
| Acacia melanoxylon | Blackwood | Small tree |
| Ajuga australis | Australian Bugle | Herb |
| Aristida ramosa | Purple Wire Grass | Grass |
| Caladenia caerulea | Blue Orchid | Orchid |
| Caladenia cucullata | Hooded Caladenia | Orchid |
| Caladenia fuscata | Orchid | |
| Clematis microphylla var leptophylla | Small-leaved Clematis | Climber |
| Cryptandra amara var longiflora | Small shrub | |
| Cymbonotus lawsonianus | Bear's Ears | Ground hugger |
| Cyrtostylis reniformis | Gnat Orchid | Very small orchid |
| Dillwynia phylicoides | Parrot Pea | Small shrub |
| Eucalyptus pauciflora | Snow Gum | Buds only |
| Hibbertia riparia | Guinea Flower | Ground cover |
| Leucopogon fletcheri sub brevisepalus | Low shrub | |
| Leucopogon microphyllus var pilibundus | Low shrub | |
| Lomandra longifolia | Rush | |
| Olearia microphylla | Daisy shrub | |
| Omphacomeria acerba | Sour Bush | Scrambler |
| Pseudognaphalium luteoalbum | Jersey Cudweed | |
| Pterostylis nutans | Nodding Greenhood | Orchid |
| Wurmbea dioica subsp dioica | Early Nancy | Herb |
October
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Aira elegantissima | Delicate Hairgrass | Grass |
| Brachyloma daphnoides | Small shrub | |
| Bulbine bulbosa | Golden Lily | Lily |
| Caladenia carnea | Orchid | |
| Caladenia congesta | Black Tongue Caladenia | Orchid |
| Caladenia gracilis | Musky Caladenia | Orchid |
| Caladenia sp aff dimorpha | Orchid | |
| Caladenia sp aff tentaculata | Spider Orchid | Orchid |
| Calochilus robertsonii | Purplish Beard Orchid | Orchid |
| Craspedia variabilis | Billy Buttons | Daisy |
| Daviesia mimosoides subsp mimosoides | Bitter Pea | Small shrub |
| Dillwynia sericea | Eggs and Bacon Pea | Small shrub |
| Diuris semilunulata | Donkey Orchid | Orchid |
| Diuris suplhurea | Tiger Orchid | Orchid |
| Eucalyptus dives | Broad-leafed Peppermint | Tree in flower |
| Eucalyptus polyanthemos | Red Box | Tree in flower |
| Galium gaudichaudii | Herb | |
| Glossodia major | Wax Lip Orchid | Orchid |
| Glycine clandestina | Twining Glycine | Climber |
| Grevillea alpina | Small bush | |
| Hibbertia calycina | Lesser Guinea Flower | Ground cover |
| Indigofera adesmiifolia | Straggly shrub | |
| Indigofera australis | Australian Indigo | Shrub with mauve peas |
| Leptospermum multicaule | Low shrub, white flowers | |
| Lomandra multiflora | Matrush | Rush |
| Luzula sp | Woodrush | Sedge |
| Microseris lanceolata | Yam Daisy | |
| Phyllanthus hirtellus | Thyme Spurge | Small hairy shrub |
| Pultenaea procumbens | Eggs and Bacon Pea | Low shrub |
| Schoenus apogon | Sedge | |
| Stackhousia monogyna | Creamy Candles | Small shrub |
| Stypandra glauca | Nodding Blue Lily | Lily |
| Thelymitra sp aff ixioides | Spotted Sun Orchid | Orchid |
| Thysanotus patersonii | Twining Fringed Lily | Lily |
| Veronica calycina | Forest Speedwell | Herb |
| Viola betonicifolia | Mountain Violet | Violet |
| Vittadinia cuneata var cuneata | New Holland Daisy | Daisy |
November
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Billardiera scandens var scandens | Appleberry | Yellow flowers tipped red |
| Bracteantha viscosa | Sticky Everlasting | Yellow daisy |
| Briza maxima | Quaking Grass (introduced) | Grass |
| Briza minor | Shivery Grass (introduced) | Grass |
| Carex appressa | Hook Sedge | Sedge |
| Chrysocephalum semipapposum | Clustered Everlasting | Yellow daisy |
| Convolvulus erubescens | Bindweed | Pink convolvulus |
| Craspedia canens | Billy Buttons | Yellow daisy |
| Dianella revoluta var revoluta | Blue Flax Lily | Blue flowers, purple berries |
| Dodonaea viscosa sub spatulata | Hop Bush | Female flowers with winged seeds |
| Gompholobium huegelii | Pale Wedge Pea | Yellow pea flowers |
| Gonocarpus tetragynus | Red flowers, tufted plant | |
| Goodenia hederacea subs hederacea | Scrambled Eggs | Ground cover, yellow flowers |
| Helichrysum collinum | Yellow daisy | |
| Helichrysum scorpioides | Button Everlasting | Yellow flower |
| Hibbertia obtusifolia | Guinea Flower | Yellow flower |
| Holcus lanatus | Yorkshire Fog (introduced) | Grass |
| Hydrocotyle laxiflora | Stinking Pennywort | Herb |
| Hypericum gramineum | Small St John's Wort | Yellow flowers |
| Hypoxis hygrometrica var villosisepala | Golden Star | Yellow flowers |
| Joycea pallida | Red-anther Wallaby Grass | Grass |
| Kunzea parvifolia | Pink flowers | |
| Lepidosperma laterale | ||
| Leptorhynchos squamatus | Hairy Buttons | Yellow daisy |
| Lomandra filiformis | Wattle Matrush | Cream flowers December |
| Lomandra longifolia | Matrush | Tight, Cream spikes |
| Lomandra multiflora | Female spike | Dark coloured clusters of berries |
| Mirbelia oxylobioides | Mountain Mirbelia | Typical orange pea |
| Myosotis discolor | Forget-me-not (introduced) | |
| Olearia tenuifolia | Pink daisy | |
| Pimelea linifolia subsp linifolia | Rice Flower | Cream/white flower |
| Poranthera microphylla | White flower | |
| Sherardia arvensis | Field Madder (introduced) | Pink flowers |
| Stellaria pungens | Prickly Starwort | Small white flowers |
| Stipa scabra subs falcata | Slender Speargrass | Grass |
| Stylidium graminifolium | Trigger Plant | Pink flowers |
| Thelymitra nuda | Plain Sun Orchid | Purple |
| Thysanotus tuberosus | Fringed Lily | Mauve fringed flowers |
| Tolpis umbellata | Yellow Hawkweed (introduced) | Yellow daisy |
| Trifolium campestre | Hop Cover | Cream flowers |
| Triptilodiscus pygmaeus | Yellow flowers | |
| Wahlenbergia stricta sub stricta | Tall Bluebell | Bluebell |
Friends of Aranda Bushland, May 1999 with help from Naomi Bell.
Our list is not fully comprehensive and we appreciate help in adding new plants and flowering times.