[1] The New South Wales waratah was considered alongside the wattle Acacia pycnantha, although lost out to the latter in 1912.
The economist and botanist R. T. Baker proposed that the waratah's endemism to the Australian continent made it a better choice than the wattle, as well as the prominence of its flowers.
[3] The Cooktown Orchid (Vappodes phalaenopsis), was the official floral emblem of Queensland since 19 November 1959.
[8] This led to the Tasmanian Branch of the then SGAP promoting the attractive flower Eucryphia lucida as an alternative in 1966.
[9] The Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha) was officially proclaimed the Floral Emblem of Australia on 1 September 1988.