Monotoca elliptica Tree Broom Heath Australian Endemic
We found this tree near Wineglass Bay in Tasmania but my best identification efforts led nowhere. Recently I've started to use some Facebook sources and so my thanks go to Lachlan and Beth on the Plant Identification Australia page for the correct identification. It is similar to the quite common Monotoca scoparia but according to my Australian friends is actually the less well known and less recorded Monotoca elliptica.
On our first, and so far only, Tasmanian tour, we had rented a chalet at Cradle Mountain. We were lucky enough to see Tasmanian Devils in a protected enclosure nearby and were allowed carefully to hold one. At the main dining area at Cradle Mountain we arrived to be greeted by a Wombat waddling along the low balcony. The next day we saw two Platypuses swimming in the little pool next to the dining area. Altogether we saw more wildlife in Tasmania than in the rest of our lives in UK.
However, we left early after it became very cold during the night. Everywhere was covered in several inches of snow by the morning. Snow might be fascinating to Australian citizens but as UK residents we wanted out as soon as possible. Our first stop was at the coast at Wineglass Bay where we found the Monotoca elliptica thriving in sensible Australian temperatures. Within a few days we had flown back to Western Australia and driven to Kalbarri National Park where I photographed various wonderful plants in temperatures of around 30 Celsius.
Monotoca elliptica is an Australian endemic shrub of the Ericaceae family.
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| Monotoca elliptica Tree Broom Heath | Cradle Mountain area 3rd September 2007 |
Wineglass Bay, Tasmania 5th September 2007
Added on 4th December 2025, updated and corrected 5th December 2025