General Description:

Dasymalla is a small genus of five species all of which are found naturally in Western Australia with one of these extending into the Northern Territory. All are small to medium shrubs which were previously classified in the genus Pityrodia.

Dasymalla terminalis (previously Pityrodia terminalis) is an erect shrub, 0.5-1 metre high and 0.3-1 metre wide.  It has attractive felt-textured grey leaves which are egg-shaped and covered with woolly hairs.  The white, pink or red flowers occur in the leaf axils towards the ends of the branches.  The white flowering forms occur in the southern portion of the plant’s range and the pink and red forms occur further north.  The flowers are tubular shaped, about 20 mm long and appear  from late winter to spring.

This is a very attractive and colourful plant that would be a feature in any garden. It is adaptable to a wide range of soils and it prefers a sunny position in areas of low summer humidity.  It responds to light pruning after flowering to maintain a bushy growth habit and is tolerant of extended dry conditions once established.

Propagation can be carried out from cuttings of firm, current season’s growth. Germination from seed is unreliable.