Flora
Tjulpun-tjulpunpa - flowers
Anangu call all the pretty ground flowers tjulpun-tjulpunpa. Daisies and other ground flowers bloom after rain and during the winter. Others such as the wattles bloom as spring approaches. Anangu collect wattle seed, crush and mix it with water to make an edible paste which they eat raw. To make damper, the seeds are parched with hot sand so their skins can be removed before they are ground for flour.
- Purar-purarpa (white foxtail - Ptilotis obovatus)
This plant belongs to a group of hair flowers we call pussytails. - alputati (showy foxtail - Ptilotis exaltatus)
Also part of the pussytail group, has a spectacular display of pink flowers. - Pukara (desert heath-myrtle - Thryptomene maisonneuvei)
In early June you might see this plant flowering near the Uluru sunset viewing area and the Resort. It is a small shrub with scale leaves and tiny pink and white flowers. - Paltu-paltupa (parrot-pea - Crotalaria cunninghamii)
Found on the sandhill crests in midwinter, it has very obvious big green flowers with dark stripes. Anangu mash the leaves and use them as a poultice on snake bites.
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