Sweet Bursaria
Bursaria spinosa
Clouds of tiny cream flowers fill the air with honey scent in high summer. A vital nectar source for insects when few other plants flower. The spiny branches shelter small birds. Seedpods rattle in the hot wind—papery purses that give it the name 'Christmas bush' in some regions.
Seasonal indicator
Flowering during Biderap (Dry season).
When to look
Monthly flowering observations in Victoria. Data from iNaturalist.
Has the timing shifted?
Peak flowering has shifted approximately 4.5 weeks earlier since 2015 — from Early July to Early June.
Based on citizen science observations. Many factors affect timing — sample sizes are small and patterns may not reflect true phenological change.
Historical record
Earliest Victorian specimen: 1842, collected by Lemann, H..
Frontier violence
A period of frontier conflict, forced removals, and the destruction of traditional food sources. George Augustus Robinson served as 'Chief Protector of Aborigines' while overseeing policies that confined people to reserves.
Specimen data from the Atlas of Living Australia. The collection of botanical specimens occurred alongside — and sometimes in service of — the colonisation of Wurundjeri Country.