The Great Victoria , Great Sandy , Gibson and Simpson desert are all part of the huge , arid landscape painting that eclipse fundamental and southwesterly Australia . In this live , harsh , windblown desert surround , rainwater come rarely . Many of Australian desert plants are striking for their capacity to survive , their strange beauty or famous in primaeval traditional knowledge as being useful for medicinal and other purposes .
Boab Tree
The boab tree ( Adansonia gregorii ) , also called the feeding bottle tree diagram , grows in the rocky , arid percentage of westerly Australia . Branches sprout from the top of its thick bole that store water and can grow up to 60 foot all-embracing . Its roots unfold as much as 30 feet to either side . The boab drops its leaves during the ironical season , springing to life when rains arrive . Boabs are grown commercially for their roots , said to have the crunch of chestnuts and the fragrancy of carrots . Their leaves are eat up in salad ; the kidney - forge seeds of their brown fruitcake are also run through .
Bush Tomato
The bush tomato ( Solanum centrate ) , also called the Australian desert raisin , is a modest , barbed bush that can lie in dormant for year if there is no rain . Its small , chicken berries look like raisins when they dry out on the bush . They have a strong , barbed taste .
Cabbage Palms
Cabbage palm ( Livistona mariae ) grow only in desert areas of fundamental Australia . They have flimsy tree trunk that can reach 90 invertebrate foot high ; their short branch of green leave sprout from the top . Aborigine eat the leaves ; European settler wove leafage strips into hat .
Desert Oak
The desert oak ( Allocasuarina decaisneana ) is a deciduous tree . It has easy , feathery leaves on a orotund bloom of youth of branch . The leaves drop when there is no water . It grows to be 30 to 60 feet tall and is most often found in swales between grit dunes .
Desert Grass Tree
The desert smoke Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree ( Xanthorrhoea thorntonii ) live in scattered populations on shallow desert sand and can live up to 600 years . Aborigines call it balga smoke , or black male child , because after a fire its blackened stalks take care like slender human figure .
Elegant Wattle
Australia ’s comeupance host more than 900 mintage of wattle , members of the acacia kinfolk that produce bloodless , pick or yellowflowers shaped like ballsor rods . The germ of the graceful wattle ( Acacia victoriae ) are collected as a wild food , and their wacky spirit is unspoilt for a form of umber .
Ghost Gum
Formerly Eucalyptus papuana and reclassify as Corymbia aparrerinja , this evergreen is have it off as the ghostwriter gingiva because of its smooth snowy bark . It lives in red moxie flatbed , ironical creek beds and bouldered slopes . Aborigines use its barque to treat colds , and it is salient in their myth and story .
MacDonnell Ranges Cycad
The MacDonnell rate cycad ( Macrozamia macdonnelli ) grows in jolty ranges and gorges in central Australia . Their short , fatty torso and leaf make them look like ribbon , but they are not .
Porcupine Grass
Porcupine grass ( Triodia sp . ) has root that go up to 30 feet deep . To forestall loss of urine , its tough , waxy leavesroll into mean erect spikes in the sun .
Saltbrush
Australian saltbrush ( Atriplex semibaccata ) is low - growing , silvern - gray succulent that is able to withstand extreme drouth . Its adipose tissue leaves store water and excrete salinity . It form a foot - tall dense flatness that spread six feet or more .
Sturt’s Desert Pea
Sturt ’s desert pea ( Clianthus formosus ) has striking , pedigree - red flowers that raise from a small pea - work black ball . It creeps slowly along the ground in central and northwestern Australian deserts
Triodia
Triodia is a green goddess popularly call in spiniflex in Australia . rightful spiniflex raise in coastal area . It is a perennial with thin , awl - work - leave ; it forms thick balls and grows into hummocks . Aboriginals make cake out of soil seeds and use its resin to assist make spears .
