Mountain devil fact sheet | Field of Mars EEC

What are mountain devils?

Mountain devils are native flowering plants found only in New South Wales. Their scientific name is Lambertia formosa. They belong to the Proteaceae family, the same plant family as banksias, grevilleas, waratahs and spider flowers.

Mountain devils have stiff, narrow leaves with sharp tips and bright red to pink tubular flowers. After flowering, they produce hard woody seed pods with horn-like points. These seed pods give the plant its common name because they can look a little like a tiny devil’s head.

Mountain devils grow in heath, shrubland, dry sclerophyll forest and sandstone bushland. They are common in Field of Mars Reserve and also grow in other Sydney sandstone bushland areas, including Lane Cove National Park.

A mountain devil flower.

Mountain devils can grow in dry forest and heath on sandy or sandstone soils.

Where do mountain devils grow?

Mountain devils grow along the coast and nearby ranges of New South Wales. They occur from northern NSW through the Sydney region and south towards the Braidwood district. They are often found in heath, shrubland, dry sclerophyll woodland and dry sclerophyll forest.

Mountain devils are common in Field of Mars Reserve, where they grow in dry sandstone bushland with thin, sandy soils. They can be seen in the shrub layer with other native plants such as eucalypts, banksias, wattles, kunzeas and grevilleas. They also grow in other Sydney sandstone bushland areas, including Lane Cove National Park.

Mountain devils grow in open heath and dry bushland on well-drained soils.

How are mountain devils used by Aboriginal Peoples?

The Australian National Botanic Gardens Aboriginal Plant Use Trail records that mountain devil flowers were sucked for their nectar. The flowers can produce a lot of sweet nectar, which is why mountain devil has also been called honey flower.

This information should be treated as a small part of broader Aboriginal cultural knowledge about plants, places and seasons. Plant use can vary between Aboriginal groups, families and places. Students should not taste, pick or collect wild plants unless they are learning with an appropriate Aboriginal educator, teacher or land manager and have permission.

Mountain devil flowers contain nectar and are part of Aboriginal cultural knowledge in parts of south-eastern Australia.

What animals use mountain devils?

Mountain devil flowers provide nectar for honeyeaters and insects. Honeyeaters can feed from the tubular flowers, and insects may also visit the flowers for nectar. As animals move between flowers, they can help move pollen from one plant to another.

Small birds and other animals may also use the prickly branches and leaves for shelter. When mountain devils grow with other native plants, they help form the shrub layer of bushland habitat between the tree canopy and the ground layer.

Honeyeaters can feed from mountain devil flowers and help move pollen between plants.

What is the life cycle of mountain devils?

Mountain devils grow from seeds. Mature plants produce clusters of red to pink tubular flowers. Flowering can happen across much of the year, but it is often strongest in spring. Birds and insects visit the flowers for nectar and can help with pollination.

After pollination, the flowers develop into hard woody follicles. Each seed capsule usually contains two seeds. When seeds are released and conditions are suitable, they can germinate and grow into new plants.

The woody fruit of mountain devil has horn-like points and protects the seeds.

What adaptations do mountain devils have to help them survive?

Mountain devils are adapted to dry, well-drained bushland soils. Their stiff narrow leaves have sharp tips, which can make them harder for some animals to eat. Their woody seed pods help protect developing seeds.

Mountain devils also have a lignotuber, which is a woody swelling at the base of the plant. After fire damages the stems above the ground, new shoots can grow from the lignotuber. This helps the plant recover after bushfire when conditions allow.

Mountain devils can reshoot from a lignotuber after fire.

Why are mountain devils important?

Mountain devils are important nectar plants in NSW bushland. Their flowers can feed honeyeaters and insects, and these animals can help pollinate plants as they move through the shrub layer.

Mountain devils also help build habitat structure. Their branches and sharp leaves can provide shelter for small birds and other animals. Their flowers, seeds, leaves and fallen plant material help support bushland food webs and nutrient cycling.

Mountain devil flowers provide nectar for birds and insects in NSW bushland.

How can you help mountain devils?

You can help mountain devils by staying on marked tracks, leaving flowers and seed pods on the plant, and not trampling seedlings or low plants. Fallen leaves, bark and woody material should be left in place because they help protect soil and provide habitat for small animals.

Protecting local bushland also helps mountain devils. Keep dogs on leads where required, take rubbish home, clean shoes and equipment after walking through weedy areas, and join local bushcare activities where appropriate. In gardens near bushland, choose local native plants from reputable nurseries rather than collecting seeds or cuttings from reserves.

Staying on tracks helps protect mountain devils and other sandstone bushland plants.

Related fact sheets

More plant fact sheets

• Plant fact sheets – Explore more native plant fact sheets from Field of Mars EEC.
• Spider flowers fact sheet – Compare another Proteaceae plant with nectar-rich flowers.
• Hairpin banksia fact sheet – Learn about another nectar-rich plant found in Sydney bushland.
• Old man banksia fact sheet – Explore another Proteaceae plant with woody seed structures.
• Kunzea fact sheet – Learn about another flowering plant that supports insects and birds.

Habitats and ecosystems

• Field of Mars Reserve fact sheet – Learn about the local bushland where mountain devils and other native plants grow.
• Eucalypt forest fact sheet – Explore the forest ecosystem where shrub layer plants can grow.
• Shrub habitats fact sheet – Find out how shrubs provide nectar, shelter and nesting places.

Animals that use flowering plants

• Eastern spinebill fact sheet – Discover a small honeyeater that feeds from tubular flowers.
• Red wattlebird fact sheet – Learn about a larger honeyeater that visits nectar-rich native plants.
• Insects fact sheet – Explore insects that visit flowers, pollinate plants and support food webs.

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