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Australia broke off from the great Pangean mainland 45 million years ago. When that happened, varieties of plants began adapting to their new environment on a severely limited land mass. Most varieties of plants in Australia can’t be found in any other part of the world except on those occasions when people have brought them over from Down Under. These plants are called endemic. One of the most interesting features of Australian vegetation is its remoteness. The two most common types of vegetation there are the myrtle family tree, the eucalyptus, and acacia. As of today, the world knows 568 eucalyptus and 771 acacia species. When you travel to Australia, you’ll see a wide variety of different plants that might surprise you.
The study of Australian flora starts with James Cook’s expeditions in Australia. He set off from England on board the Endeavor and spent almost two months at Botany Bay while naturalists Daniel Solander and Joseph Banks collected samples. The continent of Australia was not fully analysed until 18th century when explorers such as Jean Lecheneau and J.-J. Labilliardiere studied it in detail. It wasn’t until 1791 that the first full-scale exploration of the country took place by them across some regions. The first person to extensively research the flora of Australia was Robert Brown, a naturalist who accompanied the 1801-1802 expedition to collect specimens. He later published his findings in ‘Plantae Novae Hollandiae’, which is credited as being Australia’s first scientific journal. Cook explored the southern and eastern parts of the mainland, as well as Tasmania and other islands, with scientist Ferdinand Bauer. He returned to England in 1805, bringing back more than 4,000 plant species.
The climate of Australia has a huge impact on the vegetation found in this country. Perhaps the most important difference when it comes to Australian flora is that they thrive in dryer conditions than seen in other places. Soil, which lacks micronutrients, will affect the type of vegetation is mainland Australia. This difference is most pronounced during drought periods.
Australia is a dry country with only 295 millimeters of rain per year. However, the coastal areas get up to 143 centimeters of rain in one year. The flora depends on their location. In Australia, there are many different types of forests that grow in different regions. In this continent, subspecies such as tropical rainforests and sclerophyllous forests can be found and they represent both open and denser ones. Outside of Australia. Vegetation in this area is mostly shrubs and herbaceous plants. Huge areas in the west, south and central parts of Australia are covered with pastures. The eastern states are overgrown with bushes where medium-sized trees prevail as well as herbaceous plants. In the middle of Australia there is a desert that is mostly devoid of vegetation, except for small sections where watercourses can be found.
The plants found in Australia’s climate are typically flowering plants, fruiting plants and other ornamentals.
450 subspecies of Eucalyptus can be found in Australia. The diversity between these different subspecies varies from tropical to alpine amongst other things. Certain eucalyptus tree species can only grow in a particular area that has a certain annual precipitation, air temperature, and soil type. Eucalyptus trees are often found in the forests of eastern and southern Australia, and some small varieties grow in arid forest or shrub areas. These trees don’t exclusively grow in only a few areas of Australia. The dry climate in Australia is unusual, which means that many of the plants have adapted to this by having long roots. Trees also grow “sparkling” foliage, which reduces moisture loss.
Eucalyptus leaves are opposite and are either sclerophyll or xerophyll. Xerophyllous eucalyptus forests can be found in wetter regions of Australia. The wood of these forests is usually not suitable for large-scale construction or carpentry, so trees are cleared and wood chips are made from them to be used in the manufacture of paper.The west coast of Australia is full of beautiful forests with two types of eucalyptus – curry and jarrah.
Acacia trees are well known for their bright yellow, mostly small flowers. The most well-known variety is the Golden Locust, which is the national flower of Australia. It can reach about 12 meters in height, making it the tallest tree in the world. It has an unusual foliage because of a leafy stem called a phyllode. Most common people know it as cuttings.
Although you’ll find rainforests in only small pockets of the mainland, they’re rich in variety and have been studied more than any other type of forest worldwide. There are two different types in Australia – but both can be found on the continent. Rainforests grow along the Great Dividing Range. In small areas of Queensland there is a tropical rain forest, very diverse, identical to those in Indonesian and Malaysian forests of the same type. The rainforest is home to hundreds of species of trees, notably the stinging trees which can burn you if you don’t pay attention.
Places in the tropics where seashores are protected from huge waves of surf, like by nearby islands or coral reefs. As mentioned by travelers, these are “trees that grow in the sea”. Notice how at high tide you can only see the crowns of these trees and at low tide their respiratory roots, which differ from species to species.
Astrebla is a commonly occurring plant in Australia for it can be found in every square meter of the country. It is used as fodder by farm animals and also by sheep.
In the dry grasslands of Australia, spinifex predominates and is not eaten by animals. Consequently, this ecosystem is hardly threatened, unlike others.
In Australia, due to the actions of humans, over seventy-five varieties of plants have died. Around 150 species are also on a list of vegetation that may soon disappear. Most of these plants were brought to Australia by people from Europe. The prickly pear cactus is an invasive plant which has taken over a vast area of the mainland, and replaced many edible plants. This has caused there to be about 460 parks and other reserves on the mainland, in which there are vast areas with only one species of plant.
Australian Aborigines ate raw fruit, berries, fried various roots and nuts of the fire. They made a drink from the nectar of flowers with the help of stems and roots.
