Scientific name: Hardenbergia violacea

This is a vine or a scrambling plant with tough wiry stems and is also known as the Purple Coral Pea. Up to 2 metres in length it grows on shrubs and even the base of trees. It can be seen around Hays Inlet in the open woodland areas including Eucalypt forest. It is a widespread species found along the coast from central Queensland all the way around to South Australia and Tasmania.

It has bright violet flowers with a yellow spot on each petal. The leaves are green and leathery and the vine produces seed pods around 5 cm in length (you can see these pods on the photo above). These pods contain 6 to 8 seeds and go brown when mature. Native Sarsaparilla is a legume and is good at fixing nitrogen in soils. The plant copes with fire by regrowing from the root system under the soil. The roots and leaves used to be made up into a tea by early European settlers.

The flowers attract nectar eating insects which are then targeted by insect eating birds including the local Grey Fantail, Noisy Minor and the Willie Wagtail. It is also a host species for a number of butterflies. The Native Sarsaparilla has also been propagated by a number of commercial nurseries for use in local gardens.

Scientific name: Eucalyptus robusta

This Eucalypt is big and robust (hence it’s scientific name) tree with thick red bark that often peels away from the trunk in long strips. It is a Eucalypt and favours coastal areas including the fringes of the Hays Inlet wetlands. It is an important tree for coastal koalas as it can tolerate some levels of inundation and so is often found around the border between Melaleuca swamp and Eucalypt forest.

The tree can grow to a height of 30 meters with a straight trunk which can up to a meter in diameter. The wood from this tree is highly resistant to marine borers making it a valuable commodity for boat builders. The tree has been exported and is now grown in Argentina, China, Mozambique and the USA.

It has large leathery green leaves which form a major part of koala’s diet. The tree flowers in autumn through to spring providing a valuable source of nectar for grey-headed flying foxes and a number of species of bird including honeyeaters and lorikeets. The tree provides a significant habitat for a numerous insects which also attract the attention of insectivores including birds.