Actinotus helianthi
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 Actinotus helianthi at Henry Head Track, Botany Bay National Park
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| Actinotus helianthi Labill. |
Actinotus helianthi, popularly known as the Sydney flannel flower, is a common sight in Sydney bushland in the spring. Despite its appearance, it is not a member of the daisy family but rather a species of flowering plant of the Apiaceae family, the same family as the carrot. Its generic name, meaning "furnished with rays", is derived from the Greek stem aktin-/ακτιν- "ray" or "spoke of a wheel" or "sunbeam",[1][2] while its specific epithet is derived from its resemblance to the genus Helianthus.[3] An iconic Sydney plant, its floral display has horticultural appeal which has seen limited use in the home garden and cut flower industry.
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[edit] Description
The flannel flower is generally a herbaceous shrub growing up to 50 cm (18 in) high, although rare specimens can be found to be 1.5 m (5 feet) high.[2] The stem, branches and leaves of the plant are a pale grey in colour, covered in downy hair (rather like a flannel in texture). The attractively lobed leaves are up to 10 cm long and 7 cm wide, with daisy-shaped flowerheads around 5 or occasionally 8 cm in diameter. The bracts are cream to white in colour. Flowering occurs in spring and may be profuse after bushfires.[3]
Flannel flowers grow in sandstone heathland in coastal New South Wales and Queensland, and are commonly seen around the Sydney basin in spring.
[edit] Cultivation
Plants may be propagated by seed or cutting and grow in a well-drained sunny position, and are suitable for use in a rockery or cottage garden. The Mount Annan Botanic Garden has been involved in selecting and breeding superior cultivars for the home garden and the cut flower industry.[4] One selection developed thus far has been named Actinotus "Federation Star", and was chosen to be the New South Wales floral emblem for the Centenary of Federation (1901-2001).
[edit] References
- ^ Liddell & Scott (1980). Greek-English Lexicon, Abridged Edition. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. ISBN 0-19-910207-4.
- ^ a b Blombery, Alec (1965). "The genus Actinotus". Australian Plants 3 (22): 63-65. ISSN 0005-0008.
- ^ a b Eliot, Rodger W. & Jones, David L.. (1982). "A-Ca". Encyclopaedia of Australian Plants suitable fro cultivation 2: 1-507. Ed. Eliot, Rodger W. & Jones, David L.. Lothian Publishing. ISBN 0-85091-143-5.
- ^ von Richter, L. and Offord, C. (1998). Flannel flowers. In The New Rural Industries. (Ed. K.W. Hyde). p505-511. (RIRDC: Canberra)
