FloraBase News
- February PotM: Eremophila alternifolia
6 Feb 2012 -
Eremophila alternifolia or ‘Poverty Bush’ is an erect, open
shrub growing in height from 0.5m to 4m. - January PotM: Cephalotus follicularis
6 Feb 2012 -
This very interesting little herb, a member of the
Cephalotaceae
family, is an insectivorous perennial and grows only in Western
Australia on the south coast between Augusta and Albany. - Nuytsia 21 (4) published
22 Dec 2011 The latest issue of Nuytsia, volume 21 (4), was published on 21 December 2011 and includes papers describing new taxa in Eremophila and Leucopogon as well as corrections in Eremophila and Amanita.
To be notified whenever we publish new Nuytsia articles, subscribe to our Publication Alert.
- December PotM: Ecklonia radiata
2 Dec 2011 -
December’s Plant of the Month is one with a difference. This
brown kelp is abundant and widespread along the southern Australian
coastline, reaching north to Kalbarri in Western Australia. - Nuytsia 21 (3) published
7 Nov 2011 The latest issue of Nuytsia, volume 21 (3), was published on 7 November 2011 and includes papers describing new taxa in Dielsiodoxa, Labichea, Ptilotus and Sida. Two new records of introduced fungi are also reported for the State.
To be notified whenever we publish new Nuytsia articles, subscribe to our Publication Alert.
- November PotM: Lobelia heterophylla
4 Nov 2011 -
Lobelia heterophylla is an erect, annual herb to 0.6m high.
Its blue to purple flowers can be found throughout most of Western
Australia, apart from the very north, from August to February. - October PotM: Ptilotus exaltatus
6 Oct 2011 
Ptilotus exaltatus, commonly known as the Tall Mulla Mulla, is an
annual herb growing in height from 0.1–1.2m high.- NT Government publishes Flora of the Darwin Region
15 Sep 2011 
The Northern Territory Government has recently announced the
publication of Volumes 1 & 2 of the Flora of the Darwin Region. The
family treatments are now available online containing colour photos
identification keys, descriptions, habitat notes and illustrations.
The two volumes now cover more than 800 plant species from the
wet-dry tropics of Northern Territory of Australia.- Publication Alert: Nuytsia 21 (2) published
6 Sep 2011 - The latest version of Nuytsia, volume 21
(2), was published on 29 August 2011. This issue includes three
articles, publishing new species in the genera Petrophile,
Leucopogon and Stackhousia.
To be notified whenever we publish new Nuytsia articles, subscribe to our Publication Alert. - September PotM: Conospermum caeruleum
1 Sep 2011 
Growing to no more than a metre high, Conospermum caeruleum
is a perennial herb of the genus commonly known as ‘Smokebush’,
belonging to the Proteaceae family.- FloraBase 2.6 released
25 Aug 2011 - Today we release a new version of FloraBase containing an integrated Nuytsia journal sub-site, formerly hosted on DEC’s main web site. Along with this, we add better listing of weeds of the Swan Region, and many other small corrections and updates. We hope you like it!
- August PotM: Hardenbergia comptoniana
1 Aug 2011 
Hardenbergia comptoniana begins to show its sprays of purple pea flowers in mid-July, with flowering continuing until October with a prolific showing of many blooms.- July PotM: Omphalotus nidiformis
1 Jul 2011 
The Ghost Fungus occurs as overlapping clusters of fan- or shell-shaped fruiting bodies on living trees or rotting stumps of a wide range of plants such as banksias, eucalypts, peppermints, wattles, and pines.- Terrestrial Ecosystem Research
1 Jun 2011 
A network of ecosystem scientists and infrastructure building on significant past investments by scientists and governments to understand Australian ecosystems.- June PotM: Daviesia epiphyllum
1 Jun 2011 
A most unusual resident of the Northern Sandplains, growing in shallow sand over laterite on heaths between Hill River and Eneabba.- May PotM: Bauhinia cunninghamii
1 May 2011 
This tree from north-west of Western Australia belongs to the Fabaceae (sub-family Caesalpinioideae), and attains a height of twelve metres, making it conspicuous in the landscape.- Revised WA Conservation Codes
15 Apr 2011 
WA conservation codes for flora and fauna have been updated. Changes include the conservation status code 'R' being replaced with 'T' to highlight the 'Threatened' status of Declared Rare Flora and the addition of 'Priority Five' for 'Conservation Dependent taxa' (although no flora are currently listed).- April PotM: Acacia celastrifolia
1 Apr 2011 
A wattle with rich yellow blooms that make winter bushland a delight from April to August when grey skies can predominate.- New Australian Lichen website
9 Mar 2011 
Written by Heino Lepp, and hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens, this site is a comprehensive overview of Australian lichens. It includes information on the classification and biogeography of lichens in WA.- March PotM: Corymbia ficifolia
1 Mar 2011 
The flowers of this tree are a summer spectacle. Often used as a park or street tree, they are slow growing, varying in height from 2-10m.- February PotM: Hakea ruscifolia
1 Feb 2011 
Candle Hakea's cool white flowers, as its common name suggests, are like white candles. The blooms stand out in the bushland where many plants have already developed the autumn colours of aestivation.- Regional weed priorities released
20 Jan 2011 - The results of DEC’s Invasive Plant Prioritisation Process (2008-2010) are now available. The spreadsheets provide a snapshot of weed ratings and priorities for each DEC Region in recent times and aim to assist staff and the community in the strategic management of weeds.
- New census of the Queensland flora
18 Jan 2011 
The Census of The Queensland Flora 2010 was recently published by the Queensland Herbarium and is now available in PDF. Given the number of plant taxa shared 'across the top' this new census will be a useful additional tool for those in the Kimberley region of WA.- January PotM: Eremophila alternifolia
1 Jan 2011 
The Aboriginal name for this plant is ‘Tarrtjan’, meaning Goldfields, an area which comprises a large part of its range.- Australian Tropical Rainforest Key ed.6
10 Dec 2010 
The 6th edition of this venerable interactive key has just been published online, covering 2,553 taxa (trees, shrubs, vines, herbs, grasses, palms, pandans and mistletoes) of northern Australian rainforests from Broome to Townsville, with over 11,000 colour images. The key includes 437 WA taxa.- Herbaria a major frontier for discovery
8 Dec 2010 
Of the estimated 70,000 angiosperm species on Earth still to be described, more than half already have been collected and are stored in herbaria. Effort, funding, and research focus should, therefore, be directed as much to examining extant herbarium material as collecting new material in the field.- December PotM: Eremaea pauciflora
1 Dec 2010 
A most enjoyable little shrub, erect to spreading in habit and growing to 2m, its often massed flowers are a deep orange tipped with yellow and can be enjoyed from July to January.- Algae image a winner
2 Nov 2010 
John Huisman, an expert on marine algae with a joint position at the WA Herbarium and Murdoch Uni, has won sixth place in the Nikon Small World Photomicrography competition for his image of the red seaweed Martensia sp.- Atlas of Living Australia launches
1 Nov 2010 
The ALA is building tools to enable researchers and other users of biodiversity information to find, access, combine and visualise data on Australian plants and animals. The Atlas is a national collaboration between the CSIRO, Australian herbaria, museums and other biological collections.- November PotM: Templetonia retusa
1 Nov 2010 
'Cockies Tongues', a much-branched shrub growing up to 4m, is a member of the family Fabaceae (subfamily Papilionoideae). It splashes the landscape with colours of yellow, pink, scarlet, vermilion and (rarely) white from April through to November.- Phycologist - live from the Kimberley
11 Oct 2010 - John Huisman, an expert on marine algae with a joint position at the WA Herbarium and Murdoch Uni, is taking part in a 2-week WA Museum voyage of discovery to Cassini Island and Long Reef off the Kimberley coast. The expedition, in an Australian first, plans to stream live video clips highlighting discoveries and expedition activities, providing a rare window into life onboard a research vessel surrounded by spectacular and rugged scenery.
- October PotM: Petalostylis cassioides
1 Oct 2010 
With flowers of a rich yellow tinged with deep orange, this shrub enjoys red sandy soils and sandstone, and as such is a lover of the ‘outback’.- Nuytsia 20 published
29 Sep 2010 
Volume 20 of Nuytsia - WA’s Journal of Systematic Botany was published, containing 21 papers, including a census of the Myxomycota of WA and 8 papers on genera within the family Myrtaceae (Melaleuca, Micromyrtus, Calothamnus, Darwinia, Verticordia and establishment of the new genus Enekbatus).- ANPC Conference in Perth
28 Sep 2010 - The Australian Network for Plant Conservation 8th national conference - 'Planning Conservation to Achieving Restoration' began today at DEC's new Biodiversity Science Centre.
- September PotM: Leucopogon strictus
1 Sep 2010 
An attractive small shrub growing to around a metre in height. Its flowers range in colour from white through to deep pink and dramatically complement the pungent grey-green leaves.- Bandalup Buttercup a Top 10 species
12 Aug 2010 - Hibbertia abyssa, named by staff at the Western Australian Herbarium, is amongst Australia’s Top 10 new species discoveries for 2009.
- Plants for Carnaby's Search Tool
4 Aug 2010 - Enables users to describe their site, planting purpose or desired plant features and lists Carnaby-friendly plant species matching these qualities for consideration in revegetation or garden plantings.
- August PotM: Swainsona formosa
1 Aug 2010 - The Sturt Pea is a very colourful prostrate annual or short-lived perennial herb growing in clumps up to 3m in width. The best-known flower form is crimson with a black ‘eye’ or ‘boss’.
- July PotM: Alyogyne pinoniana
1 Jul 2010 - The Sand Hibiscus is an attractive shrub growing to 3m and with flowers ranging in colour from blue to purple to violet.
- 2010 flora stats published
14 Jun 2010 - Comprehensive and authoritative figures on the number of plant taxa in WA, and a baseline count of the number of cryptogams tracked in the Census of Western Australian Plants.
- June PotM: Calytrix leschenaultii
1 Jun 2010 - Almost iridescent flowers from purple to shades of violet, pink and blue. A plant in full bloom is outstanding in the bushland and flowers from June to November.
- May PotM: Hakea laurina
1 May 2010 - Cream buds and red flowers form an interesting contrast against the long, deeply-veined leaves of this shrub or small tree.
- WA weeds on the web
28 Apr 2010 - A selection of the most problematic environmental weeds on Western Australia's Swan Coastal Plain and south coast have been added to FloraBase.
- New linear systematic sequence
16 Apr 2010 - The new systematic sequence for vascular plants in Western Australia is based on the work of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APGIII), and the Australian Plant Census.
- 200th Birthday: Brown's Prodromus
1 Apr 2010 - Robert Brown published the very first Flora of Australia this week in 1810 - the 'Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen ...'
- April PotM: Eucalyptus desmondensis
1 Apr 2010 - A small, slender, willowy mallee with smooth, whitish bark that makes a contrast to the deep creamy-yellow flowers or deep red bud caps.
- 2010 Fungi Photo Competition
25 Mar 2010 - Perth Urban Bushland Fungi and the WA Nats Club are hosting the 2010 Fungi Photographic Competition at the Henderson Environmental Centre on 22-23rd May. Submissions close on 9th April.
- March PotM: Gompholobium confertum
1 Mar 2010 - This small shrub, a member of the family Fabaceae (subfamily Papilionoideae), has an erect habit, blue/purple flowers and grows to 1.2m high.
- February PotM: Olearia axillaris
1 Feb 2010 - This erect, much-branched shrub with small flower-heads and silvery-white foliage is common in coastal areas of Western Australia.
- The Western Australian Herbarium is updating its sequence and arrangement of collections
19 Jan 2010 - As part of the move to a new Biodiversity Science Centre, the Western Australian Herbarium is rearranging its vascular plant collections. The new systematic sequence is largely based on the phylogeny of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APGIII), a global collaborative effort to better understand the relationships of plant groups.
- January PotM: Banksia coccinea
1 Jan 2010 - This vivid, showy plant, growing on the south coast of Western Australia between Denmark and Esperance flowers from late winter to early summer.
- Nuytsia 19(2) published
17 Dec 2009 - Volume 19, part 2 of Nuytsia - WA’s Journal of Systematic Botany was published, containing 13 papers describing, amongst others, new species in Marianthus, Hibbertia, Acacia, Leucopogon and Thysanotus plus an interim key to the WA tribes and genera of Myrtaceae.
- Volunteer of the Year
4 Dec 2009 - Barbara Backhouse was acknowledged as one of DEC's Volunteers of the Year for her efforts over the last 20 years managing the development of our Public Reference Herbarium.
- December PotM: Lechenaultia tubiflora
1 Dec 2009 - Displays of brilliant red, white, cream in various combinations set against a background of green leaves, makes this species a quintessential Christmas plant.
- November PotM: Hibbertia stellaris
1 Nov 2009 - This species flowers of orange, or orange/yellow are a striking stand-out attraction in the bushland from August to December.
- Species rediscovered after 160 years
30 Oct 2009 - Two acacia species have been rediscovered in the central Wheatbelt, one of which had not been sighted since it was first collected 160 years ago. Acacia leptoneura was previously only known from a specimen collected by James Drummond between 1837–48.
- New plants discovered in Kimberley
20 Oct 2009 - More than 100 new species of plants have been recorded in the Kimberley as scientists begin to discover more about the relatively unknown botanical life of the far reaches of north-west WA.
- Woodland Watch 2008
14 Oct 2009 - The latest comprehensive report describing the valuable work of Woodland Watch has just been published.
- WA Herbarium moves to new premises
9 Oct 2009 - The Western Australian Herbarium will be moving to new premises as part of a Biodiversity Science Centre in May 2010. The building will be a state of the art complex with improved facilities for the collection, staff and visitors.
- New population of the Water Wheel Plant
7 Oct 2009 - The recent discovery of Aldrovanda vesiculosa L., an aquatic carnivorous plant in the Droseraceae, near Cape Le Grand radically extends the known range in WA.
- October PotM: Angianthus tomentosus
1 Oct 2009 - An erect or ascending, dwarf, woolly, annual herb, with yellow clyindrical flower heads on show from August to December.
- September PotM: Cephalipterum drummondii
1 Sep 2009 - A small, slender, erect annual herb to 0.45 m high that forms a glorious floral carpet throughout late winter and spring in the northern wheatbelt and beyond.
- New floristics data for last 120 years
25 Aug 2009 - A graphical summary of the increase in formally recognised vascular plant species (including weeds), and growth in vouchered specimens, between 1889 and 2009.
- August PotM: Trichodesma zeylanicum
1 Aug 2009 - An annual or perennial, herb or shrub to 2 m high. Its pendulous flowers of blue or white are displayed from March to December and make a striking contrast against the red earth of outback regions.
- July PotM: Pityrodia axillaris
1 Jul 2009 - This low, diffuse shrub with flowers of deep lustrous red to yellowish-scarlet is a joy to view in a cold wheatbelt landscape or through to the high temperatures of December.
- New fungi book published
23 Jun 2009 - An essential guide to the colourful fungi of the south-west: Fungi of the Perth Region and Beyond - a Self-Managed Field Book, by Dr Neale Bougher, published by the WA Naturalists Club.
- 2009 flora stats published
3 Jun 2009 - The latest authoritative stats on species names in use in WA, and a baseline count of the number of cryptogams tracked in the Census of Western Australian Plants.
- Nuytsia 19(1) published
2 Jun 2009 - Volume 19, part 1 of Nuytsia - WA’s Journal of Systematic Botany was published, containing 14 papers describing, amongst others, new species in Darwinia, Ptilotus, Acacia, Tecticornia, Guichenotia and Pultenaea plus two new genera in the Myrtaceae.
- June PotM: Petalostylis labicheoides
1 Jun 2009 - An erect shrub that grows to 4 metres, the wonderful yellow-orange flowers bloom from March to December and are insect-pollinated.
- Woodland Watch 2007
14 May 2009 - The latest comprehensive report describing the valuable work of Woodland Watch has just been published.
- May PotM: Drosera erythrorhiza
1 May 2009 - Found blooming from April to June, its white flowers contrasting with the red leaves of its basal rosette from which it takes its common name - Red Ink Sundew.
- April PotM: Halgania anagalloides
1 Apr 2009 - An erect, spiny shrub to 0.6m, while small, is generous in displaying its blooms of glorious blue to purple from August to May.
- March PotM: Corymbia calophylla
1 Mar 2009 - An iconic south-western Australian species blooming from December to May, with both pink and white flowering forms.
- Ten Years of FloraBase
17 Feb 2009 - A poster, presented during TDWG 2008, discusses the development of this web site since its public launch in November 1998 (in PDF).
- New server for FloraBase
5 Feb 2009 - A new web server has been commissioned today to deliver content for FloraBase, AVH and World Wide Wattle, making these services even faster and more reliable.
- February PotM: Heliotropium glabellum
1 Feb 2009 - Its flowers of white, yellow or orange are on show from January to August throughout the Kimberley region.
- Pilostyles moves family
20 Jan 2009 - With the reclassification of the obscure, stem-dwelling parasitic genus Pilostyles to the family Apodanthaceae, no members of the related Rafflesiaceae now occur in WA.
- January PotM: Actinotus leucocephalus
1 Jan 2009 - This small, erect, hairy white herb is an annual belonging to the family Apiaceae. Flowers of white to cream appear in September and continue to February.
- Scientific Plant Names Dictionary
12 Dec 2008 - Version 2.1 of an authoritative listing to aid with the correct spelling of WA’s scientific plant names within common word processing software. Now includes 170 moss names!
- TDWG 2008 Conference
16 Oct 2008 - The Western Australian Herbarium, together with the WA Museum and Notre Dame University are hosts of this years international Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG) 2008 Conference, on in Fremantle from 19-25 October 2008.
- Family and generic names improved
26 Aug 2008 - Work over the last year has seen the addition of authority and protologue information to the family and generic names in the Census. FloraBase is now able to display this information in searches. See for example a search of Nuytsia.
- Nuytsia 18 published
21 Aug 2008 - Volume 18 of Nuytsia - WA’s Journal of Systematic Botany was published, containing 24 papers and two short communications on the taxonomy of sections of Asteraceae, several new Acacia species and a census of the mosses of the Perth region, amongst others.
- 2008 flora stats published
25 Jun 2008 - The latest authoritative stats on species names in use in WA, and a baseline count of the number of cryptogams tracked in the Census of Western Australian Plants.
- Tecticornia bibenda a ‘Top 10’ species
27 May 2008 - Tecticornia bibenda — a succulent plant in WA that resembles the ‘Michelin Man’ — has been recognised as one of the ‘Top 10’ new species described in 2007.
- Why dryandras changed their name
20 May 2008 - A brief explanation of the reasoning behind the merging of Dryandra and Banksia.
- Over 800 new descriptions added
13 Mar 2008 - Since 1993, coded descriptive data has been captured and maintained for every taxon in WA. In the last year 812 queryable descriptions have been added or updated.
- Bumper year for naming new plants
7 Mar 2008 - Environment Minister notes that scientists named a record number of new species and varieties of Western Australian plants in 2007.
- Scientific Plant Names Dictionary
14 Dec 2007 - Version 2.0 of an authoritative listing to aid with the correct spelling of WA’s scientific plant names within common word processing software.
- ‘SoS’ Nuytsia edition published
5 Dec 2007 - The Minister for Environment and Climate Change launched a special Saving our Species edition of Nuytsia in which 95 WA plants - many of which may be vulnerable to future mining activities - are scientifically named.
- Nuytsia 16(2) published
23 Nov 2007 - The final part of Nuytsia Volume 16 was published, containing ten papers and four short communications on the taxonomy of Agonis and segregates, new species and keys to Cryptandra and Stenanthemum and a review of the grass genus Puccinellia, amongst others.
- Botanical Glossary upgraded
5 Nov 2007 - The FloraBase glossary of botanical terms, first published online in v2.5 has been refined to more comprehensively link terms and referenced taxa.
- Minister launches Interactive Keys
14 Sep 2007 - The Minister for Environment and Climate Change launches our latest innovation — online identification tools — in the new FloraBase 2.5.
- New Churchill Fellow: Ray Cranfield
15 Aug 2007 - To study historical lichen collections and community participation in lichen surveys and collections — UK, Sweden.
- 2007 flora stats published
8 Jun 2007 - The latest authoritative stats on species names in use in WA, and a baseline count of the number of cryptogams tracked in the State Census.
- Nuytsia 16(1) published
20 Dec 2006 - The first part of Nuytsia Volume 16 was published on 20 December 2006. It contains twenty-two papers on the taxonomy of sections of Stylidium, Eriochilus, Goodenia and other genera including publication of the new daisy genus Rhetinocarpha.
- New Herbarium Curator
6 Oct 2006 - Dr Kevin Thiele began duties as the new head of the WA Herbarium on Wednesday 4 October 2006.
- Science Division’s Database Server upgraded
6 Oct 2006 - The database server upgrade of Tuesday 3 October has been successful, and a number of minor issues corrected subsequently.
- New version of FloraBase released
21 Sep 2006 - Version 2.1.3, released today contains a significant upgrade to the usability of plant names currency information, and improved browser compatibility for the new Phylogeny Browser.
- Phylogeny Browser now available
1 Aug 2006 - A new interactive tool for the exploration of relationships between orders and families of flowering plants, with links to FloraBase genera and species and three authoritative external sites.
- 2006 Flora Statistics published
1 Jun 2006 - The latest authoritative stats on species names in use in WA, and for the first time a baseline count of the number of cryptogams tracked in the State Census.
