On the Central Coast, where a flower grows decides who may pick it
The Coast’s parks are visited for wildflowers the state’s cut-flower trade also wants, and the region’s weed list names plants that may not be sold at all: answer the key’s questions and you arrive at the rule that reaches the flower in front of you.
General information from NSW Government sources; the native plant law is in the Biodiversity Conservation Act and the parks’ own rules, and the National Parks and Wildlife Service is the place to ask; the weed rules are the ones the Department of Primary Industries’ WeedWise lists for the region.
- Group 4 Waratah Telopea spp.
- Group 3 Christmas bells Blandfordia spp.
- Group 3 Flannel flower Actinotus spp.
- Group 3 / 2 Gymea lily Doryanthes excelsa
- Group 3 / 1 Grass tree Xanthorrhoea spp.
- Group 2 Boronia Boronia spp.
- Group 1 Hairpin banksia Banksia spinulosa
- Group 1 Drumsticks Isopogon spp.
The flowers at the ends of the key
One row for each flower the key’s ends name, in the cut-flower plan’s own spelling, with what must travel with the material on sale. The groups are the plan’s; the plan records that, subject to its approval, Part 1 of Schedule 6 of the Act will be amended to align with it.
| The flower | Its group | What must travel with it on sale |
|---|---|---|
| Waratah Telopea spp., native to NSWThe floral emblem’s page has the waratah flowering from September to November; NPWS calls the short walk from the carpark at Warrah lookout a great place to see waratahs in season, and records the spot as known to locals as Waratah Patch. Cultivars with pink and white flowers still require licensing when sold. | Group 4 Grower licences only |
A grower licence. Waratah material under a grower licence travels with a consignment note or invoice that identifies it to its origin, for example “plantation grown” with the supplier’s name; individual tags for each stem or bunch are not required. Grower tags are required for Group 4 species except waratahs.Picking, and the Act’s grounds |
| Christmas bells Blandfordia spp.In the plan, Christmas bells flower generally from December to January, with nectar-feeding birds, particularly honeyeaters, frequenting them. It also records that the species grows best in situ, relying on the prevailing soil moisture and acidity. | Group 3 A licence; NPWS tags required |
A licence, and tags: regulator tags are required for cut flowers and foliage from all Group 3 species, whether from the wild or cultivated sources. The plan’s Christmas bells appendix adds that only grower and wild harvest licences are issued for the genus.The paper each market stem carries |
| Flannel flower Actinotus spp., native to NSW (except A. minor)The plan has the flannel flower flowering in spring and early summer, often en masse. NPWS promises spring walkers on the Coast walking track near Bateau Bay wildflowers coming into bloom, including ground orchids and flannel flowers. | Group 3 A licence; NPWS tags required |
A licence, and tags: regulator tags for all Group 3 material, and the plan’s flannel flower appendix says one NPWS tag per bunch for plants harvested under a wild harvest or grower licence.Where and when to see the Coast’s wildflowers |
| Gymea lily Doryanthes excelsa, flowers and foliage in different groupsThe plan has the Gymea lily flowering in spring and summer on stems up to 6 m high, and records that high returns have created a situation where material is removed illegally from roadsides, private properties and national parks. | Group 3 / 2 Flowers Group 3; foliage Group 2 |
Two routes in one plant: the flowers sit in Group 3, a licence with tags, and the foliage in Group 2, a licence without them. Biodiversity and Heritage Regulator tags are required for Group 3 cut flowers, whether from the wild or cultivated sources.The paper each market stem carries |
| Grass tree Xanthorrhoea spp., flowers and foliage in different groups | Group 3 / 1 Flowers Group 3; foliage Group 1 |
The flowers sit in Group 3, a licence with regulator tags; the foliage in Group 1, a wild harvest or grower licence, no tags, and picking in a state forest under a forest products licence from the Forestry Corporation instead.The paper each market stem carries |
| Boronia Boronia spp., native to NSW | Group 2 A licence; no NPWS tags |
A wild harvest or grower licence, and no tags; growers are encouraged to use grower tags for the group.Picking, and the Act’s grounds |
| Hairpin banksia Banksia spinulosa | Group 1 A licence; no NPWS tags |
A wild harvest or grower licence, and no tags, with picking in a state forest under a forest products licence from the Forestry Corporation instead.Picking, and the Act’s grounds |
| Drumsticks Isopogon spp., native to NSW | Group 1 A licence; no NPWS tags |
A wild harvest or grower licence, and no tags, with picking in a state forest under a forest products licence from the Forestry Corporation instead.Picking, and the Act’s grounds |
The paper each market stem carries, worked through on one bunch
Where to see them
The key’s first question is about the ground, and these are the places it names, each with the page that names it. On the Coast, the wildflowers come in spring at Brisbane Water and along the Bouddi coastal walk, and the winter walkers on the Coast track get whales instead.
- Brisbane Water National Park
NPWS places it on the central coast near Gosford, north of Sydney, and its page for the park leads with what visitors come for: colourful spring wildflowers, Aboriginal engraving sites and views from the lookouts.
- Bouddi National Park
Located on the Central Coast near Gosford, its landscapes run from beaches and steep cliffs to rainforest and heathland, and its visitor information protects what grows there: all fauna, flora and rock formations are protected.
- Wyrrabalong National Park
Its Coast walking track, through a narrow strip of forest between Forresters and Bateau Bay beaches, is named as one of the Central Coast’s most beautiful walks; spring walkers are promised flannel flowers and ground orchids, and winter walkers whales from Crackneck lookout.
- Munmorah State Conservation Area
Its visitor information calls the winter months the best time to whalewatch at Munmorah, and its own nearby-towns list records Norah Head, an hour north of Sydney, as part of the Central Coast region.
- Dharug National Park
The waratah’s own page at the Australian National Botanic Gardens records the species in at least ten national parks of the Sydney Basin, with Brisbane Water, Dharug and Macquarie Pass among the parks where it is conserved.
The guides, in the order of the key
Each guide takes one part of the key and answers it in full. They are ordered by the couplet each one lights, from the first question to the last.
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Lights 1a · 3 · 4
Can you pick waratahs or flannel flowers on the Central Coast?
The parks where everything is protected, the Act’s own list of what counts as picking, the four grounds the licence rules answer for, and the waratah that may not be harvested from the wild at all.
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Lights The ends of the key
Where and when do the Coast’s wildflowers come out?
The Coast’s parks and walks, with the seasons NPWS gives them, from the winter whales to the spring flannel flowers.
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Lights 4a 4b 4c
Is the waratah at the market legal?
One mixed native bunch followed stem by stem: the consignment note a waratah travels with, the tag on a flannel flower bunch, the grower’s route behind both, and what a buyer can ask for.
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Lights 2a
What does NSW law say about bitou bush?
What the region’s listing forbids, the biosecurity zone and its duties, and the one coastal band the zone leaves out.
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Lights 2a, and the region
Which weeds may the Coast not sell?
Lantana and Cape broom may not be sold. Three more, with the Central Coast Council area at the core of the region’s map, should not be.