31/12/2024
FAREWELL TO 2024
On this last day of 2024, we celebrate with one of the most loved Blue Mountains plants, the Mountain Devil (Lambertia formosa).
It’s known not only for the fiery beauty of its flowers but for its distinctive seedpods that are used to create an iconic tourist souvenir - miniature devil figurines whose heads are made from the horned, woody seed capsules of the plant. Arms, legs, tail, and a pitchfork are then added, crafted from pipe cleaners, and a scrap of red fabric is fashioned into a cape. See the Comments section below for a photo of the horned seed capsule and a Mountain Devil figurine.
Despite its devilish moniker, there’s nothing wicked about the Mountain Devil - on the contrary, this native shrub is full of virtues. It’s an important food plant for native fauna providing profuse amounts of nectar for honeyeaters and insects and seeds for cockatoos. The spiky foliage also makes it a great shelter plant for smaller native birds.
Mountain Devil is a shrub in the family Proteaceae that includes other tough plants such as Banksias and Grevilleas. It’s found in Blue Mountains heathland or open forest. Well-adapted to a harsh environment, the woody base of the Mountain Devil, known as a lignotuber, regrows after bushfire into a shrub up to 2 metres tall and wide, with stiff narrow leaves whose glossy surfaces shine attractively in the sunlight.
The Mountain Devil flowers mainly in the spring and summer but also throughout the year. The woodland track that leads to Evans Lookout near Blackheath is currently sporting plenty of Mountain Devils in flower.
FAREWELL TO 2024
On this last day of 2024, we celebrate with one of the most loved Blue Mountains plants, the Mountain Devil (Lambertia formosa).
It’s known not only for the fiery beauty of its flowers but for its distinctive seedpods that are used to create an iconic tourist souvenir - miniature devil figurines whose heads are made from the horned, woody seed capsules of the plant. Arms, legs, tail, and a pitchfork are then added, crafted from pipe cleaners, and a scrap of red fabric is fashioned into a cape. See the Comments section below for a photo of the horned seed capsule and a Mountain Devil figurine.
Despite its devilish moniker, there’s nothing wicked about the Mountain Devil - on the contrary, this native shrub is full of virtues. It’s an important food plant for native fauna providing profuse amounts of nectar for honeyeaters and insects and seeds for cockatoos. The spiky foliage also makes it a great shelter plant for smaller native birds.
Mountain Devil is a shrub in the family Proteaceae that includes other tough plants such as Banksias and Grevilleas. It’s found in Blue Mountains heathland or open forest. Well-adapted to a harsh environment, the woody base of the Mountain Devil, known as a lignotuber, regrows after bushfire into a shrub up to 2 metres tall and wide, with stiff narrow leaves whose glossy surfaces shine attractively in the sunlight.
The Mountain Devil flowers mainly in the spring and summer but also throughout the year. The woodland track that leads to Evans Lookout near Blackheath is currently sporting plenty of Mountain Devils in flower.
The red flowerheads are made up of seven individual tubular flowers, their bases covered by greenish and reddish bracts. Pollinated by birds, a cluster of flowers usually produces only one horned seedpod, although sometimes three or four "devils" can emerge.
Photos: Wild Blue Mountains
