Many Australian native plants hide among a clutter of other vegetation and are inconspicuous for much of the year, and that includes riceflowers, Ozothamnus diosmifolius, which, when not in bloom, certainly don’t stand out from the crowd in their bushland environment. But it’s a different story in spring and summer when these often straggly and unkempt plants put on an impressive floral display.
Riceflowers are found in open woodlands, rainforest margins, and heaths from central Queensland to south-eastern NSW, and often grow on ridges or hillsides where the soil is well drained. Also known colloquially as sago or pill flowers, they are members of the Asteraceae or daisy family of plants, and although individual flowers are very small, they are produced in large clusters that create a more impressive sight.
The name of the genus Ozothamnus is derived from the Greek words ‘ozo’ – to smell, a reference to the plant’s mildly aromatic foliage that some people associate with the smell of curry, and ‘themnos’ – a shrub. The plant’s species name Diosmifolius refers to the fact that its leaves are of a similar appearance to those of a more familiar group of shrubs, the Diosmas.
There are more than 50 species of Ozothamnus, most of which are endemic to Australia, but O. diosmifolius is unquestionably the most well known, thanks to its increasing popularity as a cut flower. Large quantities of riceflowers were once harvested from the wild, but today the plants are cultivated commercially for their blooms that are in increasing demand by florists due to the fact that they are long lasting and add a delicate contrast to the larger flowers that often dominate a bouquet.
The plant is an evergreen shrub that grows to a height of 1.5-2 metres and a similar width, and that usually has a spindly, open form with numerous fine branches. These are covered with narrow leaves that are about 15mm long and that are light green when young and become darker as they mature.
The flower buds, which are similar in size and shape to grains of rice, are produced at the tips of the plant’s slender branches. They open to display small flowers in dense clusters of up to 100 individual blooms that range in colour from white to pale shades of pink, with the latter fading rapidly in sunlight and becoming white with age.
Once the flowers have died, a gentle breeze is enough to shake the spent blooms from their fragile stems so new ones can develop, and when the flowering process has come to its inevitable conclusion, the tiny seeds are dispersed by wind to create the next generation of plants.
When viewed from a distance, O. diosmifolius, even when in bloom, might seem very impressive, but a closer look reveals the delicate beauty of its masses of tiny flowers. It’s not only humans who value these wild beauties however, for nectar-loving birds, including wattlebirds and many species of honeyeaters, know a good thing when they see it too. With native bees and other insects also drawn to the plant’s multitude of flowers, birds such as wagtails, thornbills, and yellow robins are never far away either, and for anyone with a passion for bird watching, that means that some time spent in a corner of the bush that’s adorned with riceflowers will ultimately be well rewarded.