WA native Christmas tree
Nuytsia floribunda
Whiteman Park is home to hundreds of specimens of the fascinating WA native Christmas trees.
These trees bloom in spectacular fashion, with masses of brilliant orange/yellow flowers. They give the bushland canopy a fiery blanket of colour around the festive season, typically best from November to December. It is because of the timing of these showy blooms that the moodjar got its common name of the 'WA Christmas tree'.
Also known locally by their Noongar name, 'moodjar', these trees are considered sacred to the Noongar people, holding special spiritual significance as the keeper of spirits who have passed. For this reason, it is important to never pick the flowers of this tree, no matter how spectacular we find them to be!
The moodjar is also believed to be the largest member of the mistletoe family. It is a hemiparistic tree, meaning it can photosynthesise itself, but also attaches itself to the roots of other trees and vegetation around it to ‘feed’.
Images:
(L) The festive blooms of the WA native Christmas tree; (R) what the mistletoe looks like for the rest of the year.
| INFORMATION | |
|---|---|
| Family | Loranthaceae |
| Scientific Name | Nuytsia floribunda |
| Noongar name | Moodjar |
| Common name | WA native Christmas tree |
| Growth | shrub or tree |
| Height | up to 10m |
| Conservation status | Not Threatened |
