Tree Trigger-plant

Description:

My first encounter with this species. Stylidium laricifolium, commonly known as the "larch-leaf, tree trigger-plant, or giant trigger-plant", is a member of the family Stylidiaceae. It is endemic to Australia and is found primarily on the east coast from Queensland through Victoria. The largest of the plants I saw was no more than 40 cm high, although it can grow up to 1.5 metres tall in a bushy form. Flowering is in the spring. The species name, laricifolium refers to the long, narrow leaves, which resemble the leaf form of the genus Larix, the larches. One of the characteristics I love about this plant is that it's so soft to touch. I have yet to see it in flower.

Habitat:

Well-drained, acid, sandy or sandstone-based soils that are low in nutrients, in areas with soils derived from sandstones and granites. The latter is certainly true of Girraween National Park. This spotting was on the slopes of Mt. Norman - one of dozens of extremely large granite monoliths in this region. Here's some park info - http://www.rymich.com/girraween/

Notes:

PS: Massive fires swept through Girraween two months later, in mid-February, 2019, and it will take years to regenerate. Everything you see in these photos has been burnt to a cinder, and I can't help but feel sad for the wildlife that has been destroyed because of one careless human act.