Telopea speciosissima. The New South Wales Waratah, one of the most spectacular of all the flowers. Unfortunately it is also under pressure for the same reason. In the past there was a lot of pressure on wild populations with people cutting the flowers, now loss of habitat seems to be the main threat.

The New South Wales Waratah is a large erect shrub up to 3 or 4 metres (10-13 ft) in height with one or more stems. It has dark-green leaves which are alternate, usually coarsely-toothed and range from 13 to 25 cm (5-10 in) in length. The inflorescences, which appear in spring, are large and crimson coloured. They consist of a 7-10 cm (3-4 in) diameter domed flowerhead ringed by bracts which are 5 to 7 cm (2-3 in) long.

Location: Kariong, NSW
Image Size: 3543 x 5315 Pixels

Photographer: Scott Douglass