Powerful pollination plants

Triggerplants aren't just delightfully dainty herbs that bloom across Spring. 

They utilise a unique mechanism to achieve pollination: a spring-loaded column snaps over the insect when it lands on the flower. This action, triggered by the insect landing on the flower, catches and deposits pollen on the unsuspecting insect. 

Unlike with Droseras, who trap and 'digest' the insects that land on them, the insects usually escape the slapped-down strap, taking the all-important pollen with them.

All of these species can be spotted along the Wunaga Trail.

Stylidium brunonianum pink fountain triggerplant 02 WEB

Stylidium brunonianum 

Pink fountain triggerplant

The flowers of this rosetted herb bloom pink or purple from October to December. The plant can grow between 15 - 70cm tall, topping the scape (stalk) with its distinctively clustered bunch of small flowers.

Stylidium calcaratum book triggerplant 14 WEB

Stylidium calcaratum 

Book triggerplant

The tiny book triggerplant grows between 2-20cm tall. It flowers from July to January, with the blooms of the rosetted herb showing in a very cute pink and white combination. The flower is usually just under two centimetres across, with the smaller top lobes sporting a distinctive three-toothed crown.

These are some of the most common triggerplants in Whiteman Park's bushland, sitting proudly on the Swan Coastal Plain sands.

Stylidium piliferum common butterfly triggerplant 07 WEB

Stylidium piliferum 

Common butterfly triggerplant

The creamy yellow and white blooms of this butterfly triggerplant flower from September to November. This species has very rounded petals and flowers with multiple blooms off the central stalk of the rosetted herb. The plant grows between 10-50cm tall. 

Stylidium repens matted trigger plant 6 WEB

Stylidium repens

Matted trigger plant

These dainty blooms are some of the smallest triggerplants found in Whiteman Park, growing to just 10cm high. The flowers themselves are less than a centimetre wide and can bloom white to pink, with red markings. The plant itself forms a wildly matted network of roots above the soil, which is what gives this species its name.

Stylidium schoenoides cow kicks trigger plant 01 WEB

Stylidium schoenoides 

Cow kicks

The largest triggerplant flowers can be found on the delightfully named cow kicks, which blooms from August to November. It grows between 15 – 50cm tall, with the flowers topping the end of the hairy scape (stalk).

References

  1. Judy Wheeler, Neville Marchant and Margaret Lewington. 2002. Flora of the South West: Bunbury - Augusta - Denmark. Australian Biological Resources Study and Western Australia Herbarium in association with University of Western Australia Press.
  2. Western Australian Herbarium (1998–). Florabase—the Western Australian flora. Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. https://florabase.dbca.wa.gov.au/
Starflowers
Wattles
Whiteman Park acknowledges the Wadjuk Noongar people as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work, learn and play and acknowledge the significance of Korndiny Karla Boodja (Bennett Brook) at the heart of the Park.