top of page
AQUATIC & SEMI-AQUATIC HERBS OF HEPBURN SHIRE AND THE WOMBAT FOREST
(listed in order of botanical name)
Alternanthera denticulata |
Lesser Joyweed
A semi-aquatic herb. Stems trailing, often red in colour. Elongated oval-shaped leaves. Flowers in spherical spikes, pale pink, held in leaf-axils. Scattered occurrences on boggy ground and ephemeral creeks throughout Hepburn Shire. Absent or almost so within the Wombat Forest.
Centella cordifolia |
Swamp Pennywort
Creeping herb occurring on boggy ground. Soft, thick leaves heart-shaped with wavy margins. Small insignificant flowers.
Centipeda cunninghamii |
Common Sneezeweed
Small herb typically to 20cm high. Toothed leaves, sticky and pleasantly fragrant. Stems and leaves with cottony hairs on close inspection. Yellow-green flower-heads, round, stalkless, held in leaf axils. Was an important medicine plant for First Nations peoples, used in the treatment of various ailments, including skin conditions. Scattered throughout Hepburn Shire, often on seasonally exposed soils at the edge of waterbodies. Uncommon in the Wombat Forest.
Centipeda elatinoides |
Elatine Sneezeweed
A fleshy, prostrate groundcover occurring on boggy or seasonally inundated soils. Glabrous stems and leaves (C. cunninghamii cottony) with a mild pleasant odour when crushed. Leaf margins with 6 or so conspicuous teeth. Uncommon within Hepburn Shire, usually found on open disturbed ground.
Crassula helmsii |
Swamp Stonecrop
Fast-spreading succulent herb. Pale green, fleshy, pointed leaves around 1cm in length. Tiny, insignificant white flowers with 4 petals. Occurs in boggy soil on edges of water-bodies and within shallow water. Scattered throughout the Hepburn Shire wetland environments. Uncommon within the Wombat Forest.
Cycnogeton procerum |
Water Ribbons
A fleshy monocot that occurs within waterbodies. Long, glossy, bright green leaves that float on or protrude from the waters surface. Flowers in spikes, often bearing hundreds of cream and green flowers. Roundish fruits spread on currents. The tubers of this species were occasionally eaten raw or roasted by First Nations peoples. Occurs throughout Hepburn Shire and the Wombat Forest, particularly in deep, slow moving pools within waterways.
Epilobium pallidiflorum |
Showy Willow-herb
A herb to 1m occurring in or alongside swamps and waterways. Leaves and stems often with red pigmentation. Leaves lance-shaped, openly spaced teeth on margins, strongly folded at midrib. Flowers mauve to pink, ten-cent piece sized. Followed by long cottony seed-capsules. Uncommon, largely confined to waterways and swampy sites in higher rainfall parts of Hepburn Shire. Sparse occurrences in the Wombat Forest.
Glossostigma elatinoides |
Small Mud-mat
A mat-forming succulent herb occurring in shallow water or wet soils. Leaves spoon-shaped, held in pairs along trailing stems. Flowers pale blue-mauve, five-lobed. Few formal records throughout the region, however this species does occur at lakes and reservoirs throughout Hepburn Shire.
Gratiola peruviana |
Austral Brooklime
A soft, fleshy herb typically to 20cm, occurring on wet soils and in shallow waterbodies. Light green leaves opposite, egg-shaped with small teeth on margins. Pale pink trumpet shaped flowers. A common species throughout Hepburn Shire. Common within the Wombat Forest, even colonising puddles on fire trails.
Gratiola pubescens |
Hairy Brooklime
A small herb of shallow water or swampy sites. Fleshy leaves with noticeable hairs and toothed margins. Regionally uncommon with a few sparse occurrences across Hepburn Shire, mostly in the Creswick-Clunes area.
Isotoma fluviatalis |
Swamp Isotome
A matting herb occurring on wet soils usually adjacent waterbodies. Leaves around 1cm long, slightly toothed on margins. Flowers white to pale blue, darker blue banding on lower 3 petals. Sparsely scattered throughout Hepburn Shire. Uncommon in the Wombat Forest (superficially similar Lobelia pratioides and L. pedunculata).
Isotoma tridens |
Hypsela
A low-growing plant of wet soils and seasonally inundated ground. Similar to I. fluviatalis but with narrow leaves with trident-like tip. Recorded at Bullarto Reservoir. Uncommon or absent elsewhere within Hepburn Shire and the Wombat Forest.
Lobelia pratioides |
Poison Lobelia
A matting herb occurring on wet soils usually adjacent waterbodies. Leaves around 2cm long, slightly toothed on margins. Flowers pale blue, bisymmetrical. Occurs mainly in the western parts of Hepburn Shire. Absent or almost so in the Wombat Forest.
Lycopus australis |
Australian Gypsywort
A tall herb typically to a height of 1m. Occurs within creeks and other waterbodies. Stems squarish in cross-section with ridges at corners. Leaves lance-shaped, around 10cm long, with conspicuous teeth on margins. Tiny white flowers clustered in leaf axils. Dies back in winter. Occurs within Creswick Creek, Wombat Creek (Daylesford) and Loddon River (Glenlyon). Not recorded within the Wombat Forest.
Lythrum salicaria |
Purple Loosestrife
A tall herb to 1.5m occurring on the margins of waterbodies. Stem clasping lance-shaped leaves held in pairs alternating at 90 degrees up stem. Pink to purple tubular flowers held in long spikes. Although broadly accepted to be native, the origin of this species remains unclear due to it's natural presence in Europe and Africa and it's ability to rapidly naturalise (as in the Americas). Occurs on waterways in the north and west of Hepburn Shire. Absent or nearly so in the Wombat Forest.
Montia australasica |
White Purslane
A prostrate spreading herb which colonises shallow water and wet soils. Fleshy leaves. Flowers with 5 slightly glossy white petals. Widespread throughout Hepburn Shire and the Wombat Forest, often occurring in shallow parts of watercourses.
Myriophyllum pedunculatum | Mat Water-milfoil
A fleshy mat-forming plant occurring in swamps. Roots at the nodes to colonise extensive areas under ideal conditions. Leaves linear, sometimes with 1 or 2 lobes (as pictured). Only recorded locally at Barkstead.
Myriophyllum crispatum |
Water-milfoil
An aquatic herb found in calm parts of waterways. Leaves held in whorls, typically with long fine teeth, particularly where submerged. Inconspicuous, male flowers red brown. Fruit red-brown. Scattered within waterbodies throughout Hepburn Shire. Uncommon in the Wombat Forest.
Ornduffia reniformis |
Running Marsh-flower
A herb of slow-moving water or permanently wet soils. Spreading via trailing stems (stolons). Leaves roughly heart-shaped, glossy green. Flowers bright yellow, approximately 3cm across. Petals often with finely notched outside edge. Sparsely scattered throughout Hepburn Shire and the Wombat Forest, usually within waterbodies.
Persicaria decipiens |
Slender Knotweed
A vigorous herb typically to 40cm, usually colonising the waterline on the banks of waterways. Leaves bright green, lance-shaped, usually with a dark brown patch near centre. Dense slender clusters of tiny pink flowers held in terminal spikes. Reasonably common in waterways throughout the Hepburn Shire. Sparse occurrences within the Wombat Forest.
Persicaria prostrata |
Creeping Knotweed
A prostrate herb of low-lying ground. Lance-shaped leaves, hairy on close examination, sometimes with dark blotches in centre of upper surface. Short, dense spikes of white flowers. Occurs on floodplains and adjacent lakes and watercourses. Often in agricultural or disturbed landscapes. Widespread throughout Hepburn Shire, some occurrences on waterways in the Wombat Forest.
Ranunculus amplus |
Lacy River Buttercup
A robust aquatic herb, rooting at the nodes. Stems emergent from water, reaching up to 50cm high. Rounded leaves large, up to 13cm diameter and deeply dissected. Flowers yellow with 8-16 petals. A critically endangered species at the state level, currently the only record within our region is in Spargo Creek.
Ranunculus inundatus |
River Buttercup
A low-growing plant typically to 20cm, growing in swamps or seasonally inundated ground. Round, lacy, deeply dissected leaves. Bright yellow flowers with 5-7 petals. Largely confined to the west of Hepburn Shire. Absent or almost so within the Wombat Forest.
Triglochin striata | Streaked Arrow-grass
A plant of swampy sites with grass-like, strappy, fleshy, upright leaves. Flowering stems to 30cm or so with many small flowers followed by oval seed capsules. Occurs predominantly in the west of Hepburn Shire, few records within the Wombat Forest.
bottom of page