Waratah

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Waratah (Telopea) is a genus of five species of large shrubs or small trees in the Proteaceae, native to southeastern Australia, from New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. They have spirally arranged leaves 10-20 cm long and 2-3 cm broad with entire or serrated margins, and large, dense flowerheads 6-15 cm diameter with numerous small red flowers and a basal ring of red bracts.

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;Species

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The five species all occupy distinct ranges with minimal or no overlap; listed from north to south:

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• Telopea aspera Crisp & P.H.Weston - Gibraltar Range Waratah or New England Waratah. Northeast New South Wales.
• Telopea speciosissima (Sm.) R.Br. - New South Wales Waratah. East New South Wales.
• Telopea mongaensis Cheel - Braidwood Waratah or Monga Waratah. Southeast New South Wales.
• Telopea oreades F.Muell. - Gippsland Waratah or Victorian Waratah. Southern Victoria.
• Telopea truncata (Labill.) R.Br. - Tasmanian Waratah. Tasmania.

The New South Wales Waratah is native to areas in the Sydney geological basin, Central and South Coast districts, and in the Blue Mountains; it grows to about 4 m tall. It typically grows in sandy loam soils along ridges and plateaus. It is the floral emblem of the state of New South Wales and several organisations in the state.

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Waratahs are popular ornamental plants in gardens in Australia; several hybrids and cultivars have been developed, including some with creamy-white and pink flowers as well as the natural red.

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The botanical journal Telopea is named after the genus.

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Waratah: External links ►



 

Shrub: :"Shrub" is also a derogatory nickname for United States President George W Bush....

Tree: :This article is about the biological organisms known as trees. For other meanings of the word see tree (disambiguation)....

New South Wales: New South Wales (NSW) is Australia's most populous and oldest state, located in the south-east, north of Victoria and south of Queensland. It was founded in 1788 and originally comprised much of the Australian mainland. During the 19th century large areas were successively separated to form the Brit...




Waratah related Images and Photos (experimental)

The Waratah Native Flower