The red bottlebrush is a common sight on road verges and in gardens all across my city in Spring. It is known by some by it’s Latin genus name, Callistemon, and is a plant belonging to the Myrtle family, the Myrtaceae.
These ‘brushes’ are around 20cm (8in) long and 8cm (3 in) in diameter and bees cannot get enough of them; the tree in the second photo was literally humming.
(Click on image to open in a new window and click again to expand)
The fully opened flower spike is side by side with the yet to open spike on the right.
.
A beautiful specimen in nearly full bloom next to a six-lane highway. The somewhat over-dressed lady underneath it is my 87 year young mother, and no, she does not dye her hair, that’s it’s natural colour! 🙂
.
The time has come – at last! Starting tomorrow it’s Poppy Week! where i can finally showcase the glorious variety of poppy flowers this year’s crop has brought to my garden so far.
.
link to:
Cee’s Flower of the Day – September 28, 2019 – Echinacea
.
love.
What a flower. It’s almost sea creature like. Just to make myself completely clear because I know what your like. I am referring to the tree. Your mum looks lovely.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hmmm… i’m becoming predictable….
Must try to do something about that – he knows too much…
Wait? Did i say that out loud??
D’OH!!!
I’ll pass on the compliment!
(Where do you think i get all my loveliness from? It wasn’t Dad’s side of the family. 😉 )
LikeLiked by 1 person
We have something similar here, but I’ve never seen such a full tree of brushes! Lovely!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Australia is their natural home, but they have gone to many other countries. This is what they should look like! 🙂
( Well, maybe not right next to a highway and bus stop?? 😉 )
LikeLike
When I lived in Boston in the 70s there was one of these in the backyard. No one could figure out why it grew there except to suggest it had something to do with the electrical substation behind us.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve heard they do very well in California, but Boston would really be out of their ‘comfort zone’. Maybe you had a special micro-climate??
LikeLike
What a cool flower!
LikeLiked by 1 person
We have yellow and red ones, but they are in the wrong places to be allowed to grow that big. Your mother looks in excellent shape
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yellow ones are not common around where i live.
She’s pretty good for her age I have to admit. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person