Xerochrysum bracteatum 'Princess of Wales'
This cultivar grows into a compact, dense shrub 0.6m tall by
0.6m wide. The leaves are mostly glabrous though the midrib is covered with
a fine mantle of silky hairs. Some scattered silky hairs occur also along
the leaf margins. The younger stems are covered in a dense coat of similar
silky hairs which diminish as the stems become older. The leaves average
between 5 and 9cm in length. The flower heads average 5 to 1.5cm long while
the rays of the inner bracts average 1 to 1.5cm long. Both are a rich gold
in colour. The stigmas are orange colour when they emerge. The flowers are
on long stems that emerge well above the foliage. The flowering season in
Canberra is from October to April but occasional flowers may be found all
year round. The flowering period should not be markedly different in other
parts of Australia.
Diagnosis:
This cultivar may be distinguished from the presumed parent
forms by the following features. The cultivar has the perennial habit of
Xerochrysum 'Dargan Hill Monarch' but lacks the greyish appearance provided
by the fine silky hairs. This perennial habit differs from the annual habit
of the other presumed parent form. The main distinguishing characteristic
is in the cultivar's flowering habit. As flowers die the stem withers and
the whole flower stem and dead flowerheads disappear into the lower foliage
of the plant. At the same time new growth emerges from lower on the plant
and extends above the foliage again. These new stems then bear new
inflorescences. The cultivar is also very free flowering.
Other notes:
The free flowering habit together with the growth habit of
"hiding" the spent flower heads make this a very desirable plant for
cultivation. The cultivar is named in honour of her Royal Highness the
Princess of Wales on the occasion of her visit to the Australian National
Botanic Gardens on 7 November 1985. The cultivar is frost hardy and
moderately drought hardy. The cultivar must be propagated by vegetative
means to preserve the cultivar form.
Xerochrysum bracteatum 'Pink Sunrise'
A dense perennial with a width of 60 cm and height of 30 cm.
The pink buds open to cream with an orange centre.
Diagnosis:
Xerochrysum 'Pink Sunrise' is similar to Xerochrysum 'Diamond
Head' but flower colour differs. Xerochrysum 'Diamond Head' is 0.2 m x 0.5
m with 3 cm flower heads held well above narrow green foliage; flowers
yellow with an orange centre.
Brachyscome 'Ramboreef'
The vibrant purple pink flower colour is a striking feature of this new brachyscome. Has a compact suckering growth habit and divided foliage. Good accent plant for garden, and great for containers for patios, courtyards and poolside.
Callistemon 'Reeve's Pink'
The cultivar forms a dense shrub to a height of about 3m with an equal or slightly wider spread. The leaves are entire and about 45mm long by about 8mm wide. The new tip growth is pink and densely covered in silky hairs. The flowers are produced in dense "bottlebrush" clusters which
are themselves often grouped into bunches. Individual "bottlebrushes: are pink and about 70mm long and about 40mm wide. The stamens are the colourful part of the flower.
Diagnosis:
This cultivar is different from its possible parent in its slightly more spreading habit and pink flower colour. The usual colour of Callistemon citrinus is red or lemon.
Xerochrysum bracteatum 'Cockatoo'
This cultivar forms a bush that is compact and very dense and grows to plus/minus 1m tall x plus/minus 1m wide. The leaves are covered with fine hairs which gives them a greyish bloom. They are oblanceolate in shape and vary from 6 to 12cm in length. The stems are also covered in fine
hairs. The inflorescence is large, averaging 7cm in diameter. The ray florets are very numerous and are plus/minus 21.5cm long. They are a light lemon yellow in colour, with odd flowers showing mottled ray florets of a deeper yellow colour. The disc florets are a golden orange. The flowers are
displayed well on long stems held some 12-15cm above the foliage. The flowering period is spread over spring, summer and autumn but some flowers are found all year round.
Diagnosis:
The cultivar differs from its parents in the colour of its inflorescence and the size and shape of the shrub. Its perennial habit is the same as for both parents.
Xerochrysum bracteatum 'Barleythorpe'
This cultivar grows into a dense shrub plus/minus 60cm tall by
up to 1m wide. The leaves are similar in size and shape to X. 'Dargan Hill
Monarch' but lack the dense tomentum of that cultivar. The inflorescence is
much the same size as X. 'Dargan Hill Monarch', being some 7-9cm in
diameter. X. 'Barleythorpe' has inner involucral bracts that are narrower
and more numerous than in B. 'Dargan Hill Monarch'. The inflorescence is
golden yellow in colour and the flowering season extends from spring to
autumn.
Diagnosis:
Xerochrysum 'Barleythorpe' can be distinguished from B. 'Dargan
Hill Monarch' by the more numerous and narrower inner involucral bracts and
the less tomentose leaves.
Comparators:
Xerochrysum 'Dargan Hill Monarch' CBG 8006644.
Xerochrysum bracteatum 'Golden Bowerbird'
Xerochrysum 'Golden Bowerbird' forms a shrub plus/minus 40cm
tall by 70cm wide and has foliage very similar to both parents. The foliage
is grey in appearance due to the heavy tomentum covering the leaves. The
inflorescences of the cultivar are carried plus/minus 10cm above the
foliage and are up to 10cm across, through more commonly are 9cm across.
They are larger than the inflorescences of both the parents. The bracts are
numerous, averaging 300 per inflorescence, compared with 80 in Bracteantha
'Dargan Hill Monarch' and 200 in Xerochrysum 'Cockatoo'. This gives a
"doubled" appearance to the inflorescence. The buds are brown in colour and
open to reveal clear yellow bracts and golden orange disc florets. The
florets are plus/minus 2.5cm in diameter.
Diagnosis:
Xerochrysum 'Golden Bowerbird' is easily distinguished from both
the parent forms by its much larger inflorescences, the far more numerous
ray florets, and the bush is smaller and more compact than either of the
parents. It is also a much brighter gold in colour than Xerochrysum
'Cockatoo'.
Comparators:
Xerochrysum 'Dargan Hill Monarch' CBG 8006644;
Xerochrysum 'Cockatoo' CBG 7911034.
Xerochrysum bracteatum 'Dargan Hill Monarch'
It is a low growing, rounded, soft wooded evergreen shrub growing to a height of 0.6-0.8m and about 1.5m in diameter. The leaves are grey and woolly and are 100-120mm in length at their widest point which is beyond the midpoint. The midrif is prominent although depressed whilst the
margins are slightly recurved. The flower heads are lustrous golden-yellow and between 70-90mm in diameter and are borne on long stems about 300mm in length. The ray florets are papery and remain on the plant for some months.
Diagnosis:
This cultivar is different from other known forms of B. bracteata in that of the grey foliage and flower size. The typical X. bracteanthum has green foliage and flower heads about 50mm in diameter.
Xerochrysum bracteatum 'Diamond Head'
Owing to the exposed position this plant grows in, it has developed a stable prostrate habit which reduces its height to
approximately 8cm. Flower heads are held above the level of the plants
adding about 8cm to its height during the flowering season which begins in
early November and continues through to mid February. Overall height,
therefore, is approximately 16cm. Individual plants will grow to
approximately 60cm across and are perennial. Leaves green, approximately
7cm long and about 5mm wide. They are rough to the touch due to a covering
on both upper and lower surfaces of short stout hairs. Flowers bright
yellow, approximately 3cm across. The ray florets are papery and remain on
the plant for some months. The centre of each flower head is orange.
DIAGNOSIS:The main feature which distinguishes this cultivar from other
forms of <X. bracteatum> is that of its height and perennial habit.
Chamelaucium uncinatum 'Local Hero'
A rounded shrub with waxy pink flowers growing to approximately 2m high x 1.5m wide.