Actinotus helianthi
Flannel flower
Flannel flower
Common name: Flannel flower
Conservation status: . . .
Etymology:
Its generic name, meaning "furnished with rays", is derived from the Greek stem aktin-/ακτιν- "ray" or "spoke of a wheel" or "sunbeam"
Its specific epithet is derived from its resemblance to the genus Helianthus
Flowers:
The attractively lobed leaves are up to 10 cm long and 7 cm wide
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
Fruit:
Leaves:
Stem & branches:
The stem, branches and leaves of the plant are a pale grey in colour, covered in downy hair (rather like flannel in texture)
Roots:
Habit:
It is generally a herbaceous shrub growing up to 50 cm high, although rare specimens can be found to be 1.5 m high
Habitat:
Bushland and sandstone heathland
Distribution:
A common species of flowering plant native to the bushland around Sydney
in coastal New South Wales and Queensland, and are commonly seen around the Sydney basin in spring
Additional notes:
An iconic Sydney plant, its floral display has horticultural appeal which has seen limited use in the home garden and cut flower industry
It is an iconic Sydney plant and has been used in imagery and art since colonial times
It grows alongside the related lesser flannel flower
Despite its appearance, it is not a member of the daisy family but rather a species of the Apiaceae family, the same family as the carrot
Taxonomy
It was named and first described by the French botanist Jacques Labillardière in his Novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen the first general flora of Australia
According to historian Edward Duyker Labillardière could not have collected the type specimen personally and might have received it from Jean-Baptiste Leschenault de La Tour botanist on the expedition of Nicolas Baudin or another early French visitor to NSW
Cultivation
Plants may be propagated by seed or cutting and grow in a well-drained sunny position,
Are suitable for use in a rockery or cottage garden
The Mount Annan Botanic Garden has been involved in selecting and breeding cultivars for the home garden and the cut flower industry
One selection was named Actinotus 'Federation Star', and was chosen to be the NSW floral emblem for the Centenary of Federation (1901–2001)
Sources of information: