R is for a RANGE OF VERY DIFFERENT PLANTS

I have to admit that Q beat me.  Maybe I should have cheated and kept the Quualep Bell (that beautiful Pemelea) for my Q but it's gone now so on to the R's of which I found rather a varied lot.

Rhodanthe condensata flowers look like the product of an origami class being white and looking so much like folded paper flowers.  It is one of the so-called everlasting flowers which can grow in their thousands if the conditions are right in spring.  It has a restricted range and is mostly found north of Geraldton, Western Australia and around Kalbarri close to the coast. although there are one or two inland sites dotted about.

Rhodanthe chlorocephala ssp rosea or pink everlasting can be white, pink or yellow and is found inland from Kalbarri towards the wheatbelt and extending into the desert beyond.  It is a favourite with gardeners as it can be more easily grown than many native species and will even seed itself from one year to the next.

I remember when travelling north to Carnarvon many years ago seeing acres of these beautiful everlastings on the roadside.  They are often grown in suburban Perth on road verges and the like and always look so lovely.

Ricinocarpos megalocarpus (Wedding Bush).  The large showy petals of this plant are amongst the most ornamental of the extremely varied Euphorbiceae family.

It is a very hardy species. thriving in strong salt laden winds and deep white non-calcareous sand.  It occurs from Esperance to Cape Arid 110km (70 miles) to the east where it can be very common, growing to 4 metres (12') in height and usually less than a kilometre/mile from the beach.  This plant is growing on the beach at Alexander Bay:

The areas where this species grows is frequently subject to very stormy weather and strong sandblasting winds, yet it is very much at home, often taking the full force of whatever nature delivers.

It produces male and female flowers, usually on the same bush, but at times with only a single gender. The plants are careful not to self-pollinate by producing female flowers first and once pollinated (by other earlier flowering plants), they produce the male flowers that far outnumber the females.  Flowers can be found at any time of the year except during extended dry periods, as new blooms are quickly produced after soaking rain, and flowers and the warty fruits can be found in all stages of development.
Immature and mature fruits:

It is mostly between October and late December when the flowers completely obscure the foliage:

Rinzia dimorphandra is found mostly to the east of Esperance to the Cape Arid region.  It needs regular bushfires to reduce competing vegetation, otherwise it is quickly smothered, so they are usually only around for a few years before disappearing to await another fire.

It usually grows to around 30cm (1') in height with a sparse twiggy structure and small leaves that are appressed to the stem making them virtually invisible to spot when not in flower.  When it does bloom, the flowers (to 1cm or 3/8") are a delightful pale, to deep pink, that demand your attention.   Normal flowering period is in October although they have been seen flowering at other times of the year.

Most Western Australians will recognise this one, it is a weed:  Romulea rosea (Guidford grass) is an alien from the South African Cape area and is a well established weed in Western Australia.   Romulea rosea can reproduce by seed or vegetatively through cormlets and as the leaves normally lie very flat to the ground it isn't easily disturbed by mowers or suchlike.  This is most probably var australis as it has a yellow centre and a white band.  It is also known as onion grass and Rosy Sandcrocus.  (I have only ever known it to be called Guildford grass and it has been around forever in my memory.  Its seed capsules we used to call 'puddings' and actually, if I remember correctly, as children we used to eat them but then kids do funny things.)  Here it is shown growing in rough ground at the edge of a well used path which shows how well it has adapted to the very similar Western Australian climate:

My thanks once again to "Esperance Wildflowers" and other sites for the information and photographs shown here.  I had to add the Guildford grass as it has always been so much part of my life since I was a child.  We have it growing on our verge but fortunately there is none in our garden.