1 of 12,000 Kangaroo Paw – Anigozanthos manglesii (plant family: Haemodoraceae) Floral Emblem of Western Australia Red and Green Kangaroo Paw, Anigozanthos manglesii was proclaimed the floral emblem of Western Australia on 9 November 1960. [Proclamation]

It is one of about twelve species of the genus Anigozanthos which is restricted to the south-west of Western Australia.

8 of 12,000 Dubious Pinoushion – Pincushion cone flowers (Isopogon dubious) are spectacular shrubs, whose species name arose from doubt about its generic classification when the flower was originally recorded.

2 of 12,000 Slender smokebush – Conospermum huegelii (previously known as Conospermum intricatum) is commonly known as Slender smokebush.

Conospermum belongs to the family Proteaceae. There are 53 species of Conospermum in Australia of which 42 occur in Western Australia. Conospermum huegelii is endemic to Western Australia.

3 of 12,000 Flame Pea – Chorizema cordatum Lindl. The genus Chorizema contains approximately eighteen species and all but one are endemic to Western Australia. Chorizema cordatum, commonly known as the Heart-leaf Flame Pea, occurs naturally in the forests of south-western Australia on gravelly or loamy soils.

When in flower, this small scrambling shrub is conspicuous with its loose racemes of orange-red or yellow pea flowers. The plant flowers in spring; the blooms are in racemes up to 12 cm long and are borne either terminally or in the leaf axils.

4 of 12,000 Featherflower – Verticordia monadelpha, Pink Morrison, Pink or White Woolly. In the family Myrtaceae, consisting of around 100 species, the genus Verticordia (common name feather flowers) only occurs in Australia. Apart from one species on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia and three in the tropical north of Northern Territory and Western Australia, the remainder are endemic to the south-west shrub land and sand heaths of Western Australia. The popularity of some species, including Verticordia monadelpha, for floral arrangements has resulted in over picking from the wild, and research for farming of selected forms is being undertaken.

7 of 12,000 Brown Boronia – Boronia megastigma or Brown Boronia – a small shrub native to southwestern Western Australia occurring from Perth to Albany. Boronia megastigma grows to less than a metre. It has small leaves and small cup-shaped flowers, which occur in spring. The plant is quite striking in that the flowers are bright yellow inside whilst the exterior is an interesting red-brown colour. The flowers have a wonderful fragrance and are used in the production of essential oils.

6 of 12,000
Sturt’s Desert Pea – Swainsona Formosa (plant family: Fabaceae). This species, a member of the pea family, Fabaceae, is confined to Australia, where it occurs in all mainland States except Victoria. The original collection was made in 1699 by William Dampier on Rosemary Island in the Dampier Archipelago where he collected a specimen.

5 of 12,000 Pin-cushion Hakea – Hakea laurina (akea laurina) is one of the most admired native plants of south-western Australia, and is grown in quantity in Australia and other countries. In Italy and America its uses include street and hedge planting. The general impression is of bold and handsome foliage, slightly blue-green, though closer inspection shows that the foliage is blemished at various times of the year with fungus spots. The simple and shapely leaves are widely spaced and wave and curl attractively. They are up to 15 cm long, thick and smooth, with rows of prominent veins.