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Proteaceae
Waratah
Telopea speciosissima
Beauty, courage, the Australian bush.
- Family
- Proteaceae
- Genus
- Telopea
- Native to
- Eastern Australia
- Bloom season
- Spring
- Type
- evergreen shrub
- Height
- 3–4 m
- Sunlight
- Full sun to partial shade
- Soil
- Acidic, well-drained, low phosphorus
- Water
- Moderate
- Hardiness
- 9–10
- Lifespan
- Perennial
Did you know
- The waratah is the floral emblem of New South Wales, Australia, chosen for its bold, unmistakable presence.
- The genus name 'Telopea' comes from the Greek 'telopos' (seen from afar) — the brilliant red blooms are visible across the bushland.
- A single waratah head is actually a dense cluster of up to 250 individual tubular flowers.
- The Eora people of Sydney, who named the plant 'waratah,' used the nectar as a sweet drink.
- Like most Proteaceae, waratahs require very low-phosphorus soil and can be killed by ordinary garden fertilizers.