Austral Toadflax (Thesium australe)
Photo: Michael Bedingfield
Description
- The Austral Toadflax is a small, pale green or yellow-green perennial herb with thin stems and tiny white flowers.
- It grows up to 40 cm tall and has no hair on its stems.
- It blooms in spring and summer.
- It gets some of its water and nutrients by attaching its roots to other grass plants such as Kangaroo Grass (Themeda triandra).
Find out more about the Austral Toadflax on Canberra NatureMapr.
Where to find them
The Austral Toadflax is found in coastal and tableland areas of south-eastern Australia. In the ACT, it’s found in nature reserves and suburbs, including:
- Mulligans Flat
- Kambah Pool
- Tidbinbilla
- Namadgi National Park
- Stromlo
- Point Hut Crossing
- Bullen Range
- Paddys River
- Murrumbidgee River
- Tennent.
The plant grows in different types of soil and at various altitudes in grasslands and grassy woodlands.
Conservation threats
Threats to the Austral Toadflax include:
- overgrazing by stock, rabbits, kangaroos and grasshoppers
- over-growth of thick, grass, shrub or tree cover
- loss of habitat due to building development and agriculture
- invasion by weeds.
Conservation status
- National – Vulnerable (Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999).
- Australian Capital Territory – Vulnerable (Nature Conservation Act 2014)
Conservation actions
Conservation aims to maintain known populations of the Austral Toadflax, including to:
- keep the areas where they grow open and free of dense vegetation
- manage grazing by kangaroos and rabbits
- check the species’ health in places where it might grow, such as grassy woodlands with Kangaroo Grass
- support research that helps protect the species.