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March 12, 2007 : Calothamnus villosus
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Keywords: Myrtaceae | Calothamnus villosus R. Br. | Huntington Botanical Garden #86244
I've reason to start another series on Australian plants, and the why of that will be revealed later this week.
The Australian Garden at the Huntington Botanical Garden in San Marino, California isn't as impressive as the Desert Garden, but that's merely a statement of how exceptional the Desert Garden is. Still, it was memorable. I took this photograph in the company of a dozen of my closest friends. After all, who but your closest friends will serenade you with a chorus of hums? I must admit, though, that I suspect the hummingbirds would've done the same for anyone near this silky net-bush.
Calothamnus, as noted by the Flora of Western Australia, means “beautiful shrub”. Villosus means “covered with soft hairs”, and this is apparent if you take a close look at the needle-like leaves in the upper left. In floristry, the branches are used as cut foliage.
If you followed the link to the Flora of Western Australia, you'll note that the genus Calothamnus is distributed throughout Western Australia, but concentrated in the southwest. Calothamnus villosus, however, is restricted to a narrow band along the southern coast of the state.
One last link: Calothamnus villosus as drawn by George Loddiges in 1817.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at March 12, 2007 12:00 AM
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Posted by: Ken at March 12, 2007 12:42 AM
Beautiful tree & flowers, wonderful photograph, thanks! Are they monoecious?
Posted by: ingrid at March 12, 2007 6:44 AM
Sorry, just read the link 'Flora of Western Australia' & it explains that the flowers are hermaphrodite, so answering my question!
Posted by: ingrid at March 12, 2007 6:53 AM
Calothamnus villosus - Z9 - RHS Index of Garden Plants, Griffiths
Posted by: Beverley at March 12, 2007 9:34 AM
THIS LOOKS LIKE A CONIFER. WILL IT GROW IN NORTH AMERICA?
Posted by: JOE at March 12, 2007 2:16 PM
Hello Joe - it is growing in California (see the written accompaniment). No, it's not a conifer, though if you only saw the foliage, you might mistake it for such. The flowers, however, confirm that it is otherwise.
Posted by: Daniel Mosquin 
at March 12, 2007 4:40 PM
This has the look of a bottle brush.
Posted by: yousatonmycactus at March 12, 2007 7:23 PM
Yes, very similar looking to bottle brush. In fact, another common name is “one-sided bottle brush”
Posted by: Daniel Mosquin at March 13, 2007 10:52 AM
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There are simple reasons for the distribution. In Western Australia, the south-west gets the winter rains, the north the summer rains and elsewhere not much rain at all, divides the state neatly into 3 regions.