Callistemon

Callistemon saligna is a common bottlebrush on our site. It grows into a substantial tree with a paperbark-covered trunk. It has cream coloured flower heads, followed by seeds that are held within the dry fruits until the branch dies. The seeds are easily gathered by laying branches on newspaper. After a few days, the seed pods open and liberate thousands of tiny brown seeds. The resulting seedlings are so tiny that you would be hard put to identify ones that come up naturally. But they are easy to germinate spread on the surface of damp compost.