We met in Halls Gap to carpool and followed Pea Experts -Shirley McLaran and FOGG members -Neil & Wendy Marriott in search of pea flowers. We had a list of 71 different peas found in the Grampians some of them found exclusively in the Grampians (endemics).
Stop 1 Wonderland Carpark and the walk to Splitter Falls
Our first pea was Dillwynia sericea with orange yellow flowers – without stalks – along the stem.
Our next pea and the object of our walk to Splitters Falls was Dillwynia oreodoxa, a Grampians endemic. Identifying features included leaves with a slight twist, a groove at the top side of the leaf and a pointy bit at the end. Stop 2 Sundial carpark.
Here we saw evidence of the recent January February 2025 bushfires.
We came here to see a Grampians endemic Pultenaea costata and found many of these pea plants with very large brown stipules. A distinguishing feature of this plant is the prominent ridges on the underside of the leaf, hence the name Ribbed Pea. It was not yet in flower. Photo taken later.
Stop 3 Boroka Lookout
There were many patches of Pultenaea scabra and on closer inspection we could see the little black stipules which are common with this genus. This pea is easy to identify from its heart shaped leaves.