Across the first two parts of our ‘From Bush to Bottle’ series, we’ve travelled from Australia’s arid interior and tropical north to the rainforests and waterways of the east.

For the final stage of our journey, we’re heading south.

Here, sandy soils, coastal environments, open forests and elevated granite country reveal yet another collection of Australian native plants. We cross from southeast Australia to the distinctive botanical landscapes of the southwest before returning east to explore coastal forest and highland country.

Four Native Flora ingredients complete our journey: Emu Apple, Kangaroo Paw, Banksia Leaf and Strawberry Gum.

The Southern and South-Western Landscapes

Southern Australia encompasses an enormous range of environments, from coastal and sandy country in the southeast to one of the world’s most distinctive botanical regions in the southwest.

Two important Native Flora botanicals help tell this southern story.

Emu Apple: A Botanical from the South

Emu Apple, also known as Muntries (Kunzea pomifera), is native to southeastern Australia, occurring naturally in parts of South Australia and Victoria.

It is associated with sandy soils and can occur in areas where limestone is present.

The small fruit contains naturally occurring waxes as well as a broad range of antioxidant compounds. These characteristics are particularly interesting in skin and hair formulations, where Emu Apple extract is valued for helping support moisture retention while antioxidants help protect against environmental stressors.

Emu Apple is one of the most widely used Australian botanicals throughout our Botany Native Flora range, appearing across face, body and hair formulations.

Growing naturally across parts of South Australia and Victoria, these small fruits bring a combination of naturally occurring waxes and antioxidant compounds to Native Flora. Their moisturising and conditioning qualities make Emu Apple a versatile botanical across numerous formulations in the collection.

Kangaroo Paw: A South-West Australian Original

Cross the continent to south-western Australia and we meet one of the country’s most recognisable flowers.

Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthos flavidus) occurs naturally in moist areas of open forest in south-western Australia. The wider Kangaroo Paw group is strongly associated with southern Western Australia, making these remarkable flowers unmistakably connected with this part of the country.

Their distinctive shape and colour may attract most of the attention, but the plant also offers some interesting beneficial properties.

Kangaroo Paw flower and leaf extracts contain antioxidant compounds along with amino and organic acids. In skincare applications, the extract is valued for hydrating, soothing and antioxidant properties that can help support skin elasticity and protect against environmental stress.

Beyond their distinctive appearance, Kangaroo Paw’s flowers and leaves provide an interesting collection of naturally occurring compounds, making the extract an essential ingredient throughout our entire Native Flora range.

From Emu Apple’s southeastern origins to Kangaroo Paw in the southwest, these plants also demonstrate just how different the landscapes of southern Australia can be.

Forest, Coast and Highland

For the final destination in our journey, we return to Australia’s east.

Along the eastern coastline and adjoining ranges lies a mosaic of environments encompassing sandstone woodland, coastal forest and elevated granite country.

Here we find two Native Flora ingredients whose natural habitats demonstrate how dramatically growing conditions can change across comparatively short distances.

Banksia Leaf: Among Australia’s Coastal Forests

Banksia (Banksia serrata) is a familiar sight across parts of eastern Australia.

It commonly grows in dry sclerophyll forest and woodland, including coastal areas with well-drained, nutrient-poor sandy soils and consolidated dunes.

Those conditions can be challenging. Sandy soils drain rapidly and can hold relatively few nutrients, yet Banksia serrata is well established within these environments.

Banksia Leaf contains naturally occurring antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds and is valued in haircare for its moisturising and conditioning properties.

Within our Botany Native Flora Shampoo and Conditioner, it contributes to formulations designed to hydrate, nourish and help protect the hair and scalp.

With its distinctive leaves and unmistakable flower spikes, Banksia has become one of the most recognisable sights in Australian coastal bushland. Its leaf extract brings another element of this familiar Australian plant into the botanical blend behind our Native Flora haircare.

Strawberry Gum: From the Granite Highlands

Our final botanical takes us away from the coast and into the elevated country of northern New South Wales.

Strawberry Gum (Eucalyptus olida) has a remarkably restricted natural distribution. It occurs from the Timbarra Plateau to the Gibraltar Range, where it grows in dry sclerophyll forest and woodland on shallow, infertile soils derived from granite.

This elevated, rocky environment is notably different from the humid subtropical rainforest occupied by Davidson Plum, despite both occurring within northern New South Wales.

Strawberry Gum leaf extract is found in our Botany Native Flora Serum, where it joins other Australian native botanical extracts including Davidson Plum.

Growing within a relatively small area of northern New South Wales, Strawberry Gum demonstrates just how specialised Australia’s native flora can be. From elevated granite forests comes the final botanical in our journey across the landscapes represented within Native Flora.

Completing Our Journey

Across three parts, our journey has taken us through an Australia of remarkable contrasts.

We’ve travelled through arid and semi-arid inland country, explored the dramatic wet and dry seasons of the tropical north, entered the tropical and subtropical rainforests of the east and followed rivers and waterways through moisture-rich habitats.

We’ve then travelled south to discover plants from southeastern and south-western Australia, before finishing among the coastal forests and elevated granite landscapes of the east.

Along the way we’ve encountered Desert Lime, Quandong, Kakadu Plum, Lemon Aspen, Davidson Plum, Illawarra Plum, River Mint, Emu Apple, Kangaroo Paw, Banksia Leaf and Strawberry Gum.

What makes these plants so interesting isn’t that they come from one particular type of Australian environment. It’s their diversity.

Some grow where rainfall is scarce. Others favour rainforest, riverbanks or moist forest. Some occur across enormous areas of Australia, while others have remarkably restricted natural distributions. Together, they provide a glimpse of the extraordinary variety of plant life found across this great continent.

That diversity is an important part of the Botany Native Flora story.

By bringing carefully selected extracts from these Australian native plants together across our face, body and hair care formulations, Native Flora draws on botanical ingredients with origins stretching across the country.

From desert and rainforest to river, coast and highland, every landscape adds another chapter to the story.