A flower a day ...

Tish said:
@MarkD your Fire-wheel tree is so similar to our Grevillea

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It does to me also.

Fire-Wheel Tree – Santa Barbara Beautiful
The firewheel tree (Stenocarpus sinuatus) is native to the rainforests of Australia, from the Nambucca River in New South Wales to the Atherton Tableland in Queensland. Definitely comes from down your way.
 

This is a large biennial flower, an Echium hybrid know as Mr. Happy. These two, photographed in April of 2017, were between 8 and 12 feet high but 16 to 20 feet isn't unusual. Of course that is the flower stalk that gets tall and the individual flowers are fairly small.

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These are fairly frequently subject to a condition known as cresting in which growth which is normally symmetrical around the growing tip instead emerges perpendicular from it forming ribbon like growth. Here is the most spectacular one of those I've grown.

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Did I hear "Feed me Seymore"?
 
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Tish said:
It mainly grows in Western Australia, it is so pretty.
I will call it The Sea Urchin Tree from now on. :D ;)
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Does this look like the same one. I saw it growing on the street in front of the house of a guy who has started a nursery for Australian plants called Waltzing Mathilda. I was just as impressed with the leaves as with the flowers.


 
T
Tish said:
They come in all colours over here, they are rather strange. :D

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These Are great and are popular in my area but I’ve always refrained from growing them. They just look awkward with most other plants. But I will start paying attention to how others are using them. As much as I like the sculptural quality of flowers I really need to find a spot. Love the black one which is new to me and the turquoise though I have seen that before and liked it.
 

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