Glischrocaryon roei – Globular Pop-flower

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Glischrocaryon roei – Globular Pop-flower

Although collected from coastal areas from Albany to Esperance, it is far more common in inland mallee regions, often growing after fire or soil disturbance. It is very long flowering (6 months), or at least having colourful flowers and inflated fruits, which can start in May and go continually until late November.

Glischrocaryon roei is a small WA endemic species, usually growing in clumps to a little over 30 cm (12”) in height and locally preferring gravel soil, or occasionally in a sandy loam over gravel or even clay. Besides the multi-stem example above, this species can often be encountered in small loose colonies consisting only of several separate stems poking above low mallee vegetation, where they might then reach ½ metre (20”) in height.

The flower colour is yellow, but as the fruits mature they often turn orange to red, making them quite ornamental. G. roei is also very easy to identify from other Glischrocaryon spp. by its globular fruits that have very narrow wings (less than 1 mm or 1/32”), other species have much larger wings (more than twice that width) and are not globular.

Although these plants are perennial, the flowering stems are annual and renew along with the flowers each year; the old stems die and fall over. The fruits are soft and easily squashed between finger and thumb and are much favoured by small children; they consist of a light aerated pithy interior with up to 4 small seeds.

Glischrocaryon is part of the Haloragaceae family, however species may be listed under the older genus name of Loudonia.

Glischrocaryon flavescens – Pale Yellow Pop-flower

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Glischrocaryon flavescens – Pale Yellow Pop-flower

These colourful plants (also known as Golden Pennants) are very common in the south of Western Australia particularly after fire or when soil has been disturbed, therefore are often seen growing along roadsides especially gravel ones. There are a total of 5 Glischrocaryon species (genus endemic to Australia) of which 4 reside in WA, the fifth along with some of the others are variously spread across SA, Victoria and NSW, although rarely in the latter.

The Pale Yellow Pop-flower mostly grows south of a line between Kalbarri and the Nullarbor, with outlying records from the Wiluna and Kalgoorlie districts. It also extends into SA as far east as the Adelaide Hills.

Glischrocaryon flavescens is the easiest species to identify as it is the most robust, growing to over a metre (4’) in height with thick stems in excess of 3 mm diameter. The pale yellow/cream flowers and fruits are another give-away, although these can be bright yellow when growing on quality clay/gravel soils. Generally, this and other species will tolerate a variety of habitats, but the Pale Yellow Pop-flower has a greater preference for well-drained loams over limestone, broken rock or gravel, especially on mounds, gentle slopes and hillsides.

The fruits expand during maturity, becoming dry, light and paper-thin that pop when squeezed. These fruits are as ornamental as the flowers, even looking like them from a distance thereby providing attractive displays for long periods, which depending on local weather conditions can be from August to February.

Glischrocaryon belongs to the Haloragaceae family.