For non-botanists, it was an important find for two main reasons. One, it could be among the first of a botanical treasure trove lying dormant in the soils of our suburbia. Two, the key to unlocking those treasures might be fire. That would, of course, involve planned burns – right next door to tens of thousands of homes.

For City of Whittlesea conservation field officer Andrew Foudoulis the botanical find was vindication of years of effort and the pioneering of what some might consider radical land management at the site.

Because of the threat of plant thieves, Mr Foudoulis has to keep its exact location a secret.

What he can say about the site is that it is somewhere in Mill Park and it is not a conservation reserve. Scattered among its sporting fields and playgrounds are patches of native grassland, tiny remnants of the once-vast basalt plains over which Melbourne sprawls.

When Mr Foudoulis took over the site about eight years ago a war against weeds was waged there, as in many parks and reserves, with the indiscriminate use of herbicides, slashers and mowers.

When it is not in flower, Mr Foudoulis describes the broad-leaf early nancy as “pretty much like two blades of grass”.

So even for a trained eye, it can be extremely difficult to spot.

“You can imagine going through and spraying Roundup in these areas to manage the weeds, you're always going to have off-target damage,” Mr Foudoulis said.

The conservation field officer promptly cut back and made the use of herbicides far more discriminate.

But it was the regular, highly-controlled burns which he credits as being the game-changer for the patches of native plants scattered through the suburban sports reserve.

He said the fire had opened up “inter-tussock” space between the grass, allowing room for dormant herbs and flowers to bloom. The fire consumed weeds, reducing the use of herbicide by half every year, he said. New species returned, and existing flora became healthier.

“There’s a lot more orchid species now — sun orchids, blue grass lily, curved rice flower, clustered everlasting daisies,” Mr Foudoulis said.

He hopes the floral bounty will help locals overcome any skepticism about the burns and discover the under-appreciated world of native grasslands.

Those wanting to find their own wurmbea this spring will have to be lucky. As its name suggests, early nancy are among the first wildflowers to bloom, starting in August and running for just a few weeks.

But Mr Foudoulis said he had no doubt that stories like those of the broad-leaf early nancy could be repeated all over Melbourne.

“With more intensive management, with a lot more burning and less herbicide use, there would definitely be a lot more hidden treasures come up,” he said.