Kimberley native flora is fascinating for anyone who appreciates nature and photography. The northernmost region of Western Australia is one of the most beautiful and unique places on Earth, with rich landscape, flora and fauna. The diversity of the landscape means there is also a great diversity of the plants and trees. With over 2000 plant and tree species, many are unique to the Kimberley region and are, thus, an important part of the ecosystem, providing food for the animals, birds and insects.
Boab tree
Boab tree (Adansonia gregorii) is an icon of the Kimberley region. It’s the only region in WA (and in the whole of Australia, with the exception of parts of NT) where it grows wild and in huge numbers. It is a large, slow growing deciduous tree, characterized by unique bottle-shaped trunk. These are very hardy trees, which can grow over a thousand years.
We found boab trees very fascinating. No boab tree is the same. Each boab tree has a unique shape, size and character. Each has a story to tell – some look huge, fat and mighty. Others look tall, slim and elegant. Still others look like Siamese twins with a few stems grown together.
Within the same season (even within the same week) you can find boab trees that look completely bare, some that are partially covered in leaves, some are quite green, full of leaves and even fruits.
We consider ourselves very lucky to have seen a boab flower, which is a big creamy flower, normally occurring in summer and we have seen it in July, which is a dry winter season in Kimberley. Interestingly, each boab flower only lasts one day.
The fruits of boab tree are eatable by animals and people and are very rich in Vitamin C (although we haven’t tried them ourselves).
This is the famous Prison Boab near Derby on the west coast. Its significance refers to the 1890s when it was used a rest point for police and escorted Aboriginal prisoners en-route to Derby.
Apart from the Boab tree, there are a number of other interesting trees growing in the Kimberley.
Kapok tree
Kapok Tree (Cochlospermum fraseri) is a common deciduous tree found in Kimberley, in the north of Western Australia. It can grow up to 7 meters, has large pretty yellow flowers and large egg-shaped seed pods. Both flowers and young roots can be consumed. Likewise, the silky kapok inside the pod is put to good use too – to stuff mattresses and pillows. Hence theres is an alternative name for this tree – cotton tree.
Kimberley Rose
Kimberley Rose or the Sticky Kurrajong (Brachychiton viscidulus) tree only grows in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. It is a deciduous tree, that can be as high as 10 meters long. It produces massive display of scarlet red sticky flowers during the dry (winter) season, after it sheds its leaves.
Livistona palm
Livistona palm (Livistona nasmophila) is native to Kimberley area in Western Australia (as well as part of Northern Territory). It can grow up to 18 meters high, forming a canopy above, providing cooling shade underneath. We saw this plant at Zebedee Springs in El Questro and also at Echidna Chasm gorge in Purnululu National Park (both in Kimberley).
Mulla mulla
Mulla mulla (Ptilotus exaltatus) is a common annual plant growing up to 1,2 meters in most regions of Australia. We saw it first growing in Pilbara and we fell in love with it straightaway. This particular plant was photographed at James Price Point in West Kimberley.
