Festive Flowers: Western Australia’s Christmas Tree Nuytsia floribunda.

Each year in Perth, the Christmas season is heralded by the flowering of Nuytsia floribunda, the Western Australian Christmas Tree. Nuytsia floribunda is a member of the Loranthaceae family of parasitic mistletoe shrubs. The trees grow by attaching themselves to host plants by the roots. A tree’s host plant can live up to 150 metres away from the tree. Nuytsia floribunda trees are common in the Jarrah forest of the Possum Valley region in Perth's Hills. 

Nuytsia floribunda trees after a bush fire at Whiteman Park, Perth, WA.

Nuytsia floribunda typically grows to a height of between seven and ten metres and flourishes best in a bushland setting. The trees produce golden flowers for several months through summer and are a rich source of nectar for birds. They also attract insectivorous birds who feast on the range of insects drawn to the flowers. 

Bowl made from the wood of Nuytsia floribunda, by Marion Blackwell (in Woodhams, 2015).

Nuytsia floribunda grows only in Western Australia, being found in the coastal and inland region between Geraldton, Perth and Esperance. Unfortunately the numbers of Western Australian Christmas Trees have declined by 90% in the urban areas of Perth during the last thirty years due to land clearing and housing development (Wynne, 2014). Livestock and horses also destroy the trees, chewing the sweet, starchy tissues of the trunks and compacting the ground around the base of the trees with their hooves (Australian Native Nursery, 2015).

The Christmas Tree is of great importance to Aboriginal people living in Western Australia. A number of Noongar words are associated with the tree, including the name Mooja. The bark of the tree was used to make shields and the roots and gum are sweet and can be eaten raw. Nuytsia floribunda is also associated with the afterlife and it is believed that the spirits of the dead sit in the trees until they flower. The spirits then ‘move on to the spirit world, in conjunction with the easterly winds and fire, which take the spirit out over the sea’ (Ryan, 2015). 

Flowers of the Flame Tree and Yellow and Black Twiner (c. late 1800s) by Marianne North.

Nuytsia floribunda is named after Pieter Nuyts (1598-1655), a Dutch explorer of South Western Australia. He sailed the Gulde Zeepard (Golden Sea Horse) to Australia in 1627 and mapped the coast from Albany in Western Australia to Ceduna in South Australia (Ryan, 2015). The name also incorporates the Latin word floribundus, which means ‘profusely flowering’, a reference to the abundant golden flowers of the plant.

Historical documents from the 1830s reveal that the tree was known as a ‘fire tree’ by the Swan River Colonists. In the 1880s, botanical artist and biologist Marianne North referred to it as a ‘flame tree’ in her paintings.  The flowers of the tree were likely incorporated into the Christmas celebrations of West Australian colonists as they searched for substitutes for the English flowers they had traditionally used to decorate their homes during the festive period. 

Study of the West Australian Flame Tree or Fire Tree (c. 1880) by Marianne North.

It is difficult to grow the West Australian Christmas Tree in gardens and it is often not cultivated due to the challenges faced in propagation.  Botanist and seed collector Georgiana Malloy (1805-1843) recalls trying to collect seeds from Nuytsia floribunda in her diary. The seeds ‘ripened so suddenly and burst so fiercely it was almost an impossible task’. She lay bedsheets beneath Christmas Trees in an attempt to catch the seeds as they fell (Barry, 2015). 

Today, seeds and seedlings can be purchased from WA nurseries, however the seedlings require a host plant to survive. This may be achieved by growing grasses near the seedlings, but with time a larger host, such as an Acacia tree, will be required. If you have a bushland block, farm, or a larger garden with existing native Western Australian plants you may have a greater chance of growing your own Christmas Tree successfully. If you want to try, seeds can be purchased online from Kings Park at:
http://www.aspectsofkingspark.com.au/garden-and-outdoors/wildflower-seeds-western-australian-christmas-tree-543.html 
or through the Mr Fothergills online store:  
http://www.mrfothergills.com.au/seeds-flower/wildflower-seeds/west-australian-christmas-tree-wildflower.html . 
The birds of Perth will thank you.

 

Referenced Material and Further Reading: 
-Australian National Herbarium. Information about Australia’s Flora: Cultural History of Native Plants. Australian Christmas Plants. Online: http://www.anbg.gov.au/christmas/ 
-Australian Native Nursery. 2 December 2015. WA Christmas tree. Online: http://www.australiannativenursery.com.au/2015/12/02/wa-christmas-tree/ 
-Australian Native Plants Society (Australia). Nuytsia floribunda. Online:  http://anpsa.org.au/n-flo.html 
-Barry, Bernice. 13 May 2015. Georgiana Malloy and Nuytsia floribunda. Online: http://georgianamolloy.com/nuytsia-floribunda-west-australian-christmas-tree/ 
-Briggs, Jonathan. 23 December 2014. Jonathan’s mistletoe diary: The mistletoe that’s also a Christmas tree.  Online: https://mistletoematters.wordpress.com/2014/12/ 
-Corrick, M.G., & Fuhrer, B.A. 2009. Wildflowers of southern Western Australia. Rosenberg Publishing.
-Kew Royal Botanic Gardens. Maryanne North Online Gallery. Online: http://www.kew.org/mng/gallery/764.html 
-Ryan, John Charles. 2015. Griffith Review: Looking West. Essay: A very striking parasite. Online: https://griffithreview.com/articles/striking-parasite/ 
-Woodhams, Renae. 2015. WA Museum: 12 Days of WAM Christmas. Online: http://museum.wa.gov.au/community/groups/content/twelve-days-wa-museum 
-Wynne, Emma. 19 December 2014. Native mistletoe, Western Australia’s Christmas tree, declining in urban areas. Online: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-18/native-australian-mistletoe-trees-in-decline-in-perth/5976080