The end of the Mildura wildflower season is fast approaching. We were out and about the other day looking for that perfect shot of the multitude of yellow Senna and Wattles still in flower.
We literally stumbled across this lovely hidden gem — Grevillea huegelii, more commonly known as Comb Grevillea or Comb Spider-flower — growing quietly in a roadside nature reserve near Mildura in north-west Victoria.
Compared with many of the spectacular hybrid Grevilleas found in Australian gardens, the wild form is a much more understated plant. But what it lacks in garden-centre flamboyance, it makes up for in character. This is a genuine survivor, perfectly adapted to the semi-arid conditions of the Mildura and Murray Mallee region, where long, hot summers, low rainfall and poor soils quickly sort out the tough plants from the rest.
Comb Grevillea is a native Australian shrub with distinctive narrow, divided foliage and unusual deep red flowers. The flowers produce long red styles tipped with contrasting yellow pollen presenters, giving them the delicate spider-like appearance responsible for the common name Comb Spider-flower.
Plants such as this are easily overlooked. They may be growing beside a quiet road, along the edge of mallee woodland or tucked into patches of remnant native vegetation where most people would drive straight past without noticing them.
That is one of the pleasures of Mildura wildflower season. It is not always about vast carpets of colourful flowers. Sometimes the most interesting discoveries are individual native plants that have quietly survived for years in difficult country.
For photographers, the Mildura and Sunraysia region offers an enormous variety of native plants, wildflowers, mallee landscapes and small botanical details that change throughout the seasons.
This photograph of Grevillea huegelii near Mildura, Victoria, is available through our Australian stock photography archive, together with other images of Australian native plants, wildflowers and Murray Mallee landscapes.
