Darwinia procera

Darwinia procera

Family: Myrtaceae
Distribution: Open forest on sandstone in a restricted area north of Sydney
Common Name: No generally accepted common name
Conservation Status: Not currently listed as threatened under the EPBC Act^*. Regarded as rare, but not currently endangered or vulnerable, and classified as 2RCa under the ROTAP * system
Derivation of Name: Darwinia; after Dr Erasmus Darwin, grandfather of Charles Darwin.
procera; From Latin, procerus, tall, presumably referring to the growth habit of the plant

General Description:

Darwinia is a genus of about 70 species which are found only in Australia. The majority are found in the south of Western Australia.

Darwinia procera is an erect shrub up to about 3 metres tall but usually 1 to 1.5 metres in cultivation. The leaves are about 10 – 20 mm long by 2 mm wide, curving upwards and tapering to a point. The small flowers occur in clusters of 4 and have a white floral tube surrounded by reddish bracts. The flowers usually occur in late winter and spring.

D.procera is reasonably well known in cultivation and is generally hardy in well drained, sandy soils with some protection from direct summer sun. It will not tolerate boggy conditions but does appreciate extra watering during extended dry periods.

Seed of Darwinia species, generally, is not easy to germinate. The species can, however, be grown fairly easily from cuttings of firm, current season’s growth.