Richea dracophylla
Ericaceae
pineapple candleheath
Tasmanian endemic
Usual habitat/distribution:
Rainforest, wet forest, montane and sub-alpine in the South East.
Status:
Not listed
Flowering:
August – November
Description:
Up to 5m tall, woody, multibranched heath. Flowers in terminal spikes that look like little grains of rice individually, the inflorescence is about 25cm long, so they are fairly bif and pretty hard to miss. Brownish bract which which hang on for a while and then fall when the flower is mature. Seeds are contained in a hard brown capsule.
Leaves are clustered, arranged spirally, 15-30sm long with a sheathing base. Leaves are usually found along the ends of the branches, and you can see a distinct scar where the old leaves have fallen off.
Around now (which is mid Novmber) you can see a fantastic display of these along the Milles track on Mount Wellington. You need to go along for about half hour or so until just before you hit the junction to the Snake plains track. They are awesome.
