Bertya tasmanica

Bertya tasmanica can grow at the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens.

It usually has separate male and female flowers, but single-sexed plants are possible. Interestingly, the female flowers are located at the top of the branches while the male flowers are lower down.

Another curious aspect is that the male flowers seem to open from the bottom up, while the female flowers appear independent of this sequence.

It is found in South Australia, New South Wales, and Victoria, particularly in sandy mallee and mallee-heath communities.

Bertya tasmanica is native to Australia, specifically the mainland (subspecies vestita) and Tasmania (subspecies tasmanica).

It is an endangered species at both the State and National level, with the majority of its population occurring at a single site on the east coast.

As it matures, Bertya tasmanica can grow up to 2.5 metres in height and has a erect or spreading shrub structure with multiple stems.

Its young foliage is covered in greyish or yellowish hairs, which eventually become smooth with age. The leaves are narrow-linear, reaching up to 30 mm in length and 2 mm in width.

They are hairless on the upper surface, and have curled edges that almost hide the yellow-brown to greyish hairs on the underside.

The inflorescence can either be a single flower or an umbrella-shaped cluster with 2 flowers.

The male flowers are stemless and have noticeable bracts, while the female flowers are stemless and have a light green color with hints of red or maroon. 

Bertya tasmanica blooms from May to December.