Flannel flower voted Australia's favourite wildflower after 70,000 votes cast — as it happened
Australia's favourite top 10 wildflowers have been revealed after 70,000 of you voted in our poll, launched in honour of National Science Week.
Catch up on how it all unfolded below.
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Thank you for joining us today!
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Scroll back through the blog below to see how the competition unfolded, or head over to ABC Science for more to read on wildflowers.
Thanks for voting and following along!
Key Event
A recap of our top 10
By Nelli Saarinen
By Nelli Saarinen
#1: The flannel flower (Actinotus) with 16,567 votes
#2: The flying duck orchid (Caleana) with 14,370 votes
#3: The mulla mulla (Ptilotus) with 10,342 votes
#4: The murnong or yam daisy (Microseris) with 7,171 votes
#5: The triggerplant (Stylidium) with 5,409 votes
#6: The underground orchid (Rhizanthella) with 5,281 votes
#7: The star flower (Calytrix) with 5,007 votes
#8: The Richea scoparia (Richea scoparia) with 3,676 votes
#9: The creamy candle (Stackhousia monogyna) with 2,889 votes
#10: The blue bladderwort (Utricularia caerulea) with 2,036 votes
We ❤️ all of our wildflowers
By Nelli Saarinen
By Nelli Saarinen
Thank you for this little sojourn of joy. I am surprised by how invested I was in the results! They’re all winners in my book
- Juliette
Hard agree, Juliette. Thanks for following along!
Sydney Botanic Garden's beautiful blooms
By Jacinta Bowler
By Jacinta Bowler
The folks at the Botanic Gardens of Sydney told us they were "waiting with bated breath" to see the results of our poll!
Check out this beautiful photo of their paper daisies, which recently burst into flower at their Mount Annan site, just before a Science Week community day that's happening at the gardens tomorrow.
Key Event
Hype for our winner, the flannel flower 👑
By Nelli Saarinen
By Nelli Saarinen
Ruth
That's my absolute favourite flower! So pleased with that result!
Natty
Well done flannel! 🤍
Drawing the most amazing wildflowers
By Jacinta Bowler
By Jacinta Bowler
Cheryl Hodge is a nature artist who has long been drawing Australia's native wildlife.
When she saw the 10 options for Australia's most amazing wildflower, she realised she had painted four of them!
She shared her drawings with us — this one is a type of bladderwort (Utricularia dichotoma).
The people want the wreath flower!
By Nelli Saarinen
By Nelli Saarinen
Cathryn
I was hoping to vote for the wreath flower 🌼 🌸
Barrie
Western Australian Wreath Flower
Key Event
Australia's flowers' complicated relationship with fire
By Jacinta Bowler
By Jacinta Bowler
Some of the flowers in our top 10 list, including the flannel flower, thrive after wildfire has gone through an area.
But even when fire is needed for plants, too much can cause unintended consequences.
Some love for Sturt's desert pea
By Nelli Saarinen
By Nelli Saarinen
Sharon Lennon
I think Sturt Pea is extra special!!Catherine
I was very disappointed that the Sturt’s Desert Pea was not included in the list when I was going to vote for it. Why wasn’t it?
We explained the selection process for our top-10 in more detail earlier today.
And as for Sturt's desert peas, they sure are cute little fellas!
And while they didn't make our top 10 wildflowers, they are featured in our wildflower quiz.
Watch your feet around wildflowers!
By Nelli Saarinen
By Nelli Saarinen
Pedantic much? Flying Duck, not duch 😁. Such a cute photogenic species with a fascinating pollination story. These are super hard to find as they're not only fragile and tiny, their colouring is similar to their surroundings. Take care when looking at orchids, as future generations are negatively impacted by foot traffic, soil born disease, poaching & weed incursion. You don't want to be the one inadvertently responsible for their local extinction.
- Shell
Great points there Shell, both on my spelling and on taking care around wildflowers.
The flying duck orchid (Caleana) really is so very photogenic!
Australia's own botanical artists
By Jacinta Bowler
By Jacinta Bowler
Philippa Nikulinsky's artistic pursuits, scientific drawings and incredibly detailed field notes provide a rich record of Western Australia's floral history.
"I very seldom just do single, pretty pictures … they're actually a record of time and place."
She's part of a long history of women who have illustrated Australia's wildflowers.
Rose Kerr's story for National Science Week looks at why these illustrations are not just important for their beauty, but also for highlighting Australia's native flowers.
Key Event
Listen back to the hour of flower
By Jacinta Bowler
By Jacinta Bowler
Missed the chaotic countdown on Radio National?
It had it all... including a call with Costa on what his flower tattoo should be.
You can listen back at any time on What the Duck?! on the ABC listen app.
How to grow flannel flowers at home
By Jacinta Bowler
By Jacinta Bowler
Oh wow! Dr Karl loves flannel flowers too! I voted for them because they are so soft (as well as scientific!). But the Murnong (and Matt Preston!) would be my next vote (happy yellow flower AND delicious!) What are my chances of growing either of these at home?
- Lege Feliciter
We've got plenty of tips and tricks coming for how to grow natives in general. But what about flannel flowers (Actinotus) specifically?
Chantelle Doyle, a threatened plant conservation scientist at UNSW says:
"Community or council nurseries sell these, as well as some botanic gardens.
"They are not a listed threatened species, so are legally OK to grow and purchase. I recommend people check out the local council nurseries first because they are more likely local province.
"This means they have collected and grown from the local area and the plants in your garden will be helping with conservation as well."
What it takes to protect a vulnerable native flower
By Jacinta Bowler
By Jacinta Bowler
Earlier this month, I travelled about an hour's drive from Melbourne to witness the planting of hundreds of endangered orchids.
The rosella spider orchid (Caladenia rosella) is classified as critically endangered in Victoria and is found nowhere else in the world.
Dozens of volunteers, years of work, and a surprising amount of metal were needed to try to save it.
Key Event
Love wildflowers and want to see more of them ... maybe in your own backyard?
By Nelli Saarinen
By Nelli Saarinen
If this week has given you a newfound love of wildflowers, or even if you're a seasoned gardener wanting to mix things up, we've got something for you.
ABC Science has compiled the best tips and tricks to help wildflowers thrive in your garden.
From watering to fertiliser, upkeep and whether you need to use fire, Kings Park and Botanic Garden plant breeder Digby Growns has some great advice.
The key takeaway? Don't expect all natives to be low maintenance or require the same things, he says.
"It's horses for courses," he says.
What do these plants smell like?
By Jacinta Bowler
By Jacinta Bowler
What do these plants smell like?
- Asha
Good question, Asha. We're sure our orchid expert Belinda Davis has smelt plenty of orchids in her time.
Here's what she had to say:
"The underground orchid has a pretty unique smell, a heady mix of cinnamon, formaldehyde and magnolias. A scent only a fungus gnat could love!
Duck orchids have quite a faint smell of insects … close to crushed ants. I'm sure these pheromones are irresistible to male wasps."
⏱️ QUIZ TIME: What do you know about our native wildflowers?
By Nelli Saarinen
By Nelli Saarinen
Fancy yourself an expert on native wildlife? Or are you, like me, learning a whole lot of new, fun facts about our native flora this science week?
As the old saying goes, the more you know, the more you don't know.
How does the underground orchid get its energy? And is the Stuart's desert pea actually a pea?
Test your knowledge of all things wild blossoms with our quiz! 🌺
The flannel flower may have won, but the wildflower fun is not over yet!
By Nelli Saarinen
By Nelli Saarinen
What do you think of the winner? Who did you vote for and why?
We'll be here a bit longer to chat about all things flowers and to share some more answers to your wildflower questions from our experts.
But what about the numbers?
By Jacinta Bowler
By Jacinta Bowler
Jonathan Webb, ABC Science Editor and our National Science Week numbers guy, has this to say about the early polling results:
"Flannel flowers and flying duck orchids very quickly became the two front runners… and that was only entrenched when the social votes came in (more than 8,000 "likes" between them!)
Compared to the "underrated animals" science week poll in 2025, we had about 11,000 fewer votes through social media this year, but many many more votes from the website, including 17,000 on day one!
Overall, this means we ended up with 6,000 more votes this year than last year."
Key Event
And the most amazing native wildflower is... the flannel flower!
By Jacinta Bowler
By Jacinta Bowler
We did it!
It's a widespread, beautiful but tough-as-nails survivor that bursts into bloom by the billion after a bushfire.
At what feels like an uncertain and anxious time for the world, our winner is a symbol of hope in the face of disaster.
With a whopping 16,567 votes (22.8 per cent), it absolutely crushed it.
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