Wow!!! 2 of the top 4 or 5 genii on this site stumped? I don't think Coprosma. I agree similar type of growth, but just doesn't seem to match any other criteria I see on the web. This one, apart from anything else, is not far short of 3m tall Back to my reference books for futher inspiration - I hope

Certainly a Banksia - but what you actually seem to have is not a seed at all, but a dead flower-head, cut before the seeds have formed. I am sure a bit of searching on the internet would find you a picture of a seedhead, for comparison. Trish

It's always worth a try. Some plants though will only rot if kept watered during the dry season. The factors behind going dormant are variable. With annuals flowering and seed production often produces chemicals that instruct the plant to shut down all its functions and die. Some plants with tubers (which includes many Droseras) need that break for important processes within the tuber to be carried out. It's all part of a required cycle for them, basically built into the system. I have a moss on some trees that during the dry season appears dried and dead. If watered it becomes green again. It would probably work in a terrarium. On the other hand Adiantum philippense flourishes in the wet season of rock faces but during the dry season dies back and is barely noticeable. I put some in a pot in the garden where it got water all year. Over a couple of wet seasons the plants have thinned out to where only a few remain now. I think the dry season watering is doing more harm than good. If you're thinking of growing the Petiolaris-complex Droseras, they like very high heat. Check some when there's a bit of a break in the monsoon, after a couple of sunny days the water they're in is quite hot, yet they thrive. Other plants would keel over. You'd have to try and replicate those conditions in the dry season. And then it might not work if they're also geared to day length, or will just automatically shut down after a certain fixed length of time. You'd be on a steep learning curve with this, but there's only one way you'll find out whether it'll work for any particular plant, or not. Good luck with it.

I've only just returned to this forum, robfearon, so there's a long delay between your post & my response. Sorry, but I hope you get this. You might want to try two books, both by the Australian Plant Study Group: Grow What Small Plant & Grow What Where. The first of these books contains lots of information about plants for courtyards, rockeries & garden beds so I guess pots would fit in there somewhere. The second of the books has a section on plants suitable for container plants & hanging baskets. One type of Australian plant which is often overlooked for small gardens & pots is creepers. There's a variety of these including Hardenbergia violacea Native Lilac. Other plants you might want to seek out for your pots are Epacris impressa Common Heath, Tetratheca pilosa Pink-eyed Susan, Dianella caerulea Poroo Lily or Flax Lily, Grevillea chrysophaea Golden Grevillea & Grevillea dimorpha Flame Grevillea. Hunting for these in native nurseries & on line can be fun if you're that way inclined. I hope you get this information.