Plant database

We created this database to help people grow and conserve more native plants. Corrections and comments are welcome.

Plant categories

Trees – generally single trunk, over 5 metres
Shrubs – multiple woody stems – less than 1 metre and greater than 1 metre
Ground covers – under 1 metre, prostrate, dwarf shrubs or herbs
Grasses and related clumping plants (monocots) – generally herbaceous with monocot features.
Vines and scramblers – grow up or out
Ferns – plants without flowers, reproduce with spores
Other – Some plants that don’t fit into the above categories

Contributors

Dan Clarke is the editor. Profiles have been written by Jeff Howes, Dan Clarke, Heather Miles, Rhonda Daniels, Ralph Cartwright, Mark Abell, Andrew Knop, Kevin Stokes, John Knight, the Late Hugh Stacy and the Late Warren Sheather. Photos have come from authors and other members, with special thanks to Alan Fairley.

Dan Clarke attempts to re-inforce much of the botanical information on this database through the Arcane Botanica YouTube channel www.youtube.com/@arcanebotanica2503

Major milestone reached

In January 2024, we reached 1000 profiles of native species and cultivars. The goals is to reach 2000.

Why was the database created

Australia has a wide range of ecosystems driven by climate and environment. Selecting the right plant means considering where the plant grows naturally in Australia and what microclimate it prefers. This database aims to help you in that selection.

More info here.

Using the database

You can either:

Click on a category below to see images of plants in the category, and click through to more detailed profiles.
Use the search and filtering features in the table below to find plants of interest and then click on a plant’s Image or Title to view plant details.You can alphabetise the table of plants by clicking on the heading at the top of each column.

Any plants, such as cultivars that use inverted commas e.g. Banksia ‘Giant Candles’, appear after those without any inverted commas, such as Banksia robur.

Search:

Botanical Name	Common Name	Family	Category	Summary
Abrophyllum ornans	Native Hydrangea	Rousseaceae	Trees	Abrophyllum ornans is a shrub to small tree to 8 m tall. It is grown mainly for its large shiny leaves and showy fruit. The small greenish-yellow to white, and slightly fragrant flowers appear in showy panicles from October to December. It is a useful edge or pioneer species for rainforest restoration.
Abutilon otocarpum	Desert Chinese Lantern		Shrubs under 1m	Abutilon otocarpum is a small shrub to about 0.7 metres tall, found on the western plains on NSW, in semi-arid conditions; on red sandy soils, sand rises and dunes. It is also found in all other mainland states in similar habitats.
Abutilon oxycarpum	Flannel weed, Straggly Lantern-bush, Small-leaved Abutilon, Swamp Chinese-lantern, Chingma lantern		Shrubs over 1 m	Abutilon oxycarpum is a soft-woody shrub growing up to 2 m tall, found naturally on rocky hill slopes as well as creek banks in dry sclerophyll woodlands and forests and sometimes in rainforest, in all states of Australia with the exception of Tasmania. In NSW, it grows on the coastal, tablelands and western slopes, with most of its distribution north of Sydney (but also extending down the south.
Acacia acinacea	Gold Dust Wattle		Shrubs over 1 m	Acacia acinacea is a small to medium shrub that is found in south-eastern South Australia, most of Victoria and southern NSW. Phyllodes are small, elliptic with an offset mucro (pointed end). There is a small gland near the centre of the phyllode margin. The flowers are in globular heads with 8-20 flowers in each head. Blooms are bright golden and carried in pairs at the base of each phyllode.
Acacia amblygona	Fan-leaved Wattle		Shrubs over 1 m	Acacia amblygona is a small shrub reaching a maximum height of 1.5 metres. All forms have dark green, rigid, almost triangular, prickly phyllodes and there is a prostrate form registered as ‘Austraflora Winter Gold’.
Acacia amoena	Boomerang Wattle		Shrubs over 1 m	Acacia amoena is known as the Boomerang Wattle this name probably refers to the shape of the phyllode but this name could apply to any number of species with similar phyllodes. Acacia amoena is an erect shrub that reaches a height of two metres in our cold climate garden.
Acacia aphylla	Leafless Rock Wattle		Shrubs over 1 m	Acacia aphylla is a wiry, narrow spiky shrub, to 3 m high, it is endemic to Western Australia and it listed as threatened with extinction.
Acacia ashbyae	Ashby's Wattle		Shrubs over 1 m	Acacia ashbyae is a very decorative wattle with long, spreading branches. In our garden plants have proved to be hardy once established, fast growing and free flowering. Pruning is appreciated after flowering.
Acacia asparagoides			Shrubs over 1 m	Acacia asparagoides is a wattle shrub to 2 m tall with a restricted distribution, confined to the Blue Mountains of NSW, between Newnes Junction and Lawson. Here, it grows in dry sclerophyll forest and heath on sandstone.
Acacia baileyana	Cootamundra Wattle		Trees	Acacia baileyana is a large shrub to small tree, growing to 8 m tall. It is indigenous to a very small area in southern inland New South Wales, comprising Temora, Cootamundra, Stockinbingal and Bethungra districts, on the western slopes subdivisions of NSW but has naturalised in places like Sydney and the northern and south tablelands, as well as Qld, Vic, SA and WA.
Acacia baueri	Tiny Wattle		Shrubs under 1m	Acacia baueri is a small shrub to 1 m tall, with a decumbent to spreading habit with hairy and warty branches. It grows mainly along the coast, north from the Illawarra Region of NSW, up into Qld.
Acacia binervata	Two-veined Hickory	Fabaceae Subfamily Mimosoideae	Trees	Acacia binervata is a tree to 15 m tall, which can create a dense canopy. It is found in a range of habitats, growing in dry to moist sites in sandy, to more enriched, to basalt soils. It can be found in dry and wet sclerophyll woodland and forest, or on the margins of rainforest communities
Acacia binervia	Coast or coastal myall, Rosewood coast, Coastal wattle		Trees	Acacia binervia is a shrub or tree from 2 to 16 m high, with dark brown to grey bark. The phyllodes are sickle-shaped to 15 cm long and about 2 cm wide; and are a striking blue-grey. The cylindrical pale to bright yellow spikes of flowers are very showy and appear in spring from August to October, followed by long seed pods.
Acacia blakei ssp. diphylla	Gorge Wattle		Trees	Acacia blakei ssp. diphylla  is known as the Gorge Wattle. This common name refers to one of the species’ strongholds in the gorge country, east of Armidale in northern NSW. It grows in northern NSW near Gloucester with populations in south east Queensland
Acacia boormanii	Snowy River Wattle		Shrubs over 1 m	Acacia boormanii is a beautiful wattle. In spring plants are covered with blooms. The grey-green foliage provides a contrasting background to the flowers. Prune behind the flowers when they fade to keep plants bushy and blooming bounteously.
Acacia brownii	Heath Wattle		Shrubs under 1m	Acacia brownii, the Heath Wattle, is a small shrub reaching a height of one metre. The phyllodes are rigid, 4-angled, about two centimetres long and crowned with a sharp point. The flowers are held in globular clusters with 12-30 flowers in each cluster and bright yellow.
Acacia buxifolia	Box-leaf Wattle		Shrubs over 1 m	Acacia buxifolia, the Box-leaf Wattle, is a native of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. The Box-leaf Wattle is usually a medium shrub reaching a height of two to four metres. There is a form growing on the Northern Tablelands of NSW that develops into a dwarf shrub reaching a height of one metre.
Acacia bynoeana	Bynoe's wattle, Tiny wattle		Shrubs under 1m	Acacia bynoeana is a small shrub growing to 0.5 m high, in heath and dry sclerophyll forest, in sandy soils. It has a limited distribution in NSW, found mainly south from Morisset area to the Illawarra region, west to the Blue Mountains and it is uncommon in the wild, hence it is listed as a threatened species in NSW.
Acacia caesiella	Tablelands Wattle		Shrubs over 1 m	Acacia caesiella, Tablelands Wattle, is an erect or spreading shrub normally with multiple stems and reaching a height of 3.5 metres. The bark is smooth, grey or brown. Flowers are held in globular clusters with 12-16 individual flowers in each cluster. They are deep yellow and cover plants in spring.
Acacia calamifolia	Reed-leaf Wattle		Shrubs over 1 m	Acacia calamifolia, the Reed-leaf Wattle, is a bushy, tall shrub reaching a height of four metres. The flowers are held in globular heads that are profuse, conspicuous and golden yellow in colour. The flowers are held in globular heads that are profuse, conspicuous and golden yellow in colour. Our specimen carries some flowers for most of the year.
Acacia cardiophylla	Wyalong Wattle		Trees	Acacia cardiophylla is widely known as the Wyalong Wattle and is said to grow to a height of four metres. The plants in our cold climate garden, reach a height of two metres with a similar spread. The bipinnate foliage is soft and greyish-green. Golden yellow flowers are carried in globular heads with 20-30 blooms in each head.
Acacia chalkeri	Chalker's wattle		Shrubs over 1 m	Acacia chalkeri grows to 4 m high and about 2 m wide, with a bushy habit. It is a species confined to a small area around the Wombeyan Caves in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales (north-west of Mittagong) where it grows in shallow limestone-enriched soils.
Acacia cheelii	Motherumbah		Trees	Acacia cheelii is a small tree with flaky bark inclined to be ribbony. The long phyllodes are up to 16 centimetres long by three centimetres wide, sickle-shaped, bluish-green with three prominent veins. The rod-shaped, golden flower heads are up to six centimetres long and held in clusters of two or three in the phyllode axils. The flowering period extends from September to November.
Acacia clandullensis	Gold-dust Wattle		Shrubs over 1 m	Acacia clandullensis is an open pendulous shrub growing 1 to 2 m high. It is restricted to the Clandulla and Glen Davis areas in the western coastal / tablelands area, west of Sydney, growing at higher altitudes in stony sandy or clay-loam soils. It is associated with Western Scribbly Gum (Eucalyptus rossii) woodlands.
Acacia clunies-rossiae	Kowmung Wattle, Kanangra Wattle.		Trees	Acacia clunies-rossiae is a bushy shrub or tree, growing in dry sclerophyll forest, in valleys, on slopes and ridges, and along creeks in the Kowmung River and adjacent Coxs River district of NSW, entirely within Kanangra-Boyd and Blue Mountains National Parks. It has a very restricted distribution.