In between documenting the native flowers on the property month by month, I’m pausing to post a flower we have open right now. It is a tiny plant – not much taller than lichen – and it is growing in only one spot on our dam bank, as far as I can tell. I’ve looked through my field guides, and I’m pretty sure it is Victoria’s floral emblem, Common Heath. [Note: Update to this post below – this is actually Cranberry Heath]
According to the field guide, this plant can have pink or scarlet flowers, and very very rarely, white flowers. It can grow to one metre in height, but I think ours is struggling to get to five centimetres in height. The flowers certainly meet the description, as being tubular, with five pointed petals opening out at the end of the tube. The short spiky leaves also match the description.
With such a dearth of colour in the bushland at the moment, the bright scarlet colour of the flowers is so cheerful.
Update: 14 June 2013.
Yesterday, in a comment, BJ kindly pointed out that this was Cranberry Heath, which doesn’t appear in my field guides. A Google search on Cranberry Heath took me to a page on Dave’s Garden site, which shows photos that exactly look like mine! Today I visited a State Park which actually does have Common Heath flowering right now, so I will post information and photos related to that tomorrow.
Fifteen Acres 
Lovely… Cranberry Heath!
Thanks BJ. Is Cranberry Heath another species, or a different name for the scarlet version of the Common Heath? Either way, Cranberry Heath is not in any of my field guides. I need to find one that has a larger focus on Victorian plants.
Lisa, here are some links you might find useful for local plant identification:
http://www.vicveg.net.au/vvHome.aspx (search for species found in Corangamite CMA);
http://www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Residents/Trees_Vegetation/Yarra_Ranges_Plant_Directory/Yarra_Ranges_Local_Plant_Directory (a different catchment and bioregion but you will still find many plants in common);
http://www.banjorah.com (for Victorian orchids).
good luck
Excellent! Thanks so much! I’ll have a look. There are other photos of plants I am yet to identify, so any help is gratefully accepted!
I’ve just had a five minute look at VicVeg search engine to identify plants by photograph… this is brilliant! I have already identified three flowers I didn’t know, and I now feel able to continue with the month by month list of native flowers. In fact, after dinner tonight I will post Part 3 of October wildflowers. Woo hoo! What a find! Thanks again for the links.
Lisa