Crowea 'Poorinda Ecstasy'
This cultivar is a compact plant to 1m tall by 1m wide. The
foliage is light green in colour. The leaves are from 30 to 40mm long and 9
to 12mm wide, oblanceolate with a mucronate tip. The branches are angular
and very slightly winged. The flowers are pale pink and occur principally
from early summer to autumn. Occasional flowers occur at other times of the
year. The flowers which are from 25 to 25mm across have a short pedicel and
thus sit tightly in the leaf axils.
Diagnosis:
It is difficult to determine the origin of this putative hybrid
by examination of the cultivar. The cultivar resembles a broad-leaved form
of C. saligna which is believed to have come originally from Kariong near
Gosford, NSW and which saligna has the typical noticeable winged stems
right to the tips of the branches whereas Crowea 'Poorinda Ecstasy' does
not. The branches are angular in the cultivar, similar to those of C.
exalata, with a very slight "wing" lower on the stems. The cultivar differs
from Crowea 'Festival', a previously described hybrid Crowea, by its larger
leaves and its paler flower colour.
Crowea exalata 'Green Cape'
It is a prostrate plant reaching a height of about 150mm but
with a spread of about 800mm. The leaves are up to 20mm long by 3mm wide.
Oil glands are clearly visible on the underside of the leaves. The mauve
flowers are produced in the leaf axils on semi-mature growth. After
flowering the petals change colour to white then green. They remain green
and protect the seeds while they mature.
Diagnosis:
This cultivar is different from known normal forms of Crowea
exalata in its prostrate habit. The usual height attained is 1-2m.
Crowea exalata 'Bindelong Compact'
This cultivar is a form of Crowea exalata. It is a compact
shrub with a height of about 0.5m and a width of about 1m. It is very
floriferous, producing deep pink flowers which darken to a deep purple with
age. The flowers and leaves are in the smaller size range of the species
with the flower diameter around 1.7cm and the leaves about 1.2cm long.
Diagnosis:
C. 'Bindelong Compact' is more compact than the usual form of
C. exalata which grows to more or less 1m high. It flowers throughout the
year with the main flowering from December to April. Other forms of C.
exalata are usually most prolific from March to May. Other features of this
cultivar are as for C. exalata.
Crowea 'Cooper's Hybrid'
Note:
Also known as Crowea 'Starlight'
This cultivar is a dense shrub with erect branches and an
upright habit. The leaves are dark glossy green, 30mm to 35mm long by up to
4mm wide. It grows to 1.5m tall by 1m wide. The flowers occur from November
to May, though occasional flowers may be found at other times of the year.
They are a deep pink and up to 30mm across.
Diagnosis:
Crowea 'Cooper's Hybrid' can be distinguished from a similar
cross, Crowea 'Festival', by its more upright habit and paler pink flower
colour. The petals are narrower and more pointed. Crowea 'Poorinda
Ecstasy', a similar cross, has obovate leaves instead of the narrow
elliptical to elliptical leaves of the previously mentioned hybrids.
Crowea 'Pink Blush'
This cultivar grows to ca. 1m tall by 1.2m in width. The pink
flower buds open white and tinge pink as they age. The flowering season is
from November to June.
Diagnosis:
Other Crowea cultivars are quite distinct from this form.
Crowea 'Festival' has deep pink flowers, as does Crowea 'Coopers Hybrid'.
Crowea 'Poorinda Ecstasy' has pale pink flowers. The characteristic
difference between the above cultivars and Crowea 'Pink Blush' is that the
latter has pale pink flowers. The characteristic difference between the
above cultivars and Crowea 'Pink Blush' is that the latter has flowers that
open white and tinge pink as they age.
Crowea exalata 'White Star'
The habit is undefined. Branchlets terete and scarcely angled.
Leaves alternate, narrow oblong-spathulate and narowing gradually towards
the base, 8-15mm long and 1.5-3mm wide on slender petioles ca. 1-2mm long,
surface smooth, secondary nerves obscure. Central nerve usually raised
below and margins of leaves slightly recurved. Flowers star-like, solitary,
axillary or terminal on very short axillary shoots, 15-18mm across. Sepals
5, free, broadly ovate, ca. 1mm long, imbricate and reflexed. Petals 5,
free, overlapping, broadly ovate 8-9mm long, smooth but with very fine
longitudinal striations. Anthers reported to be yellow. Flowering spring
and summer.
Diagnosis:
Characterised by the "star-like" flowers. It differs from the
typical Crowea exalata in the smaller white rather than pale mauve or pink
flowers, narrower and much shorter leaves.
Dianella longifolia 'Peninsula Perfection'
This cultivar is like the species. It grows to 0.3m - 0.8m x 0.5m. Flowers appear from November to March and are pale blue. It has high tolerance to both drought and frost.
Diagnosis:
The distinguishing feature of this cultivar is the variegated leaves.
Dianella caerulea 'Goddess'
A large strappy leaved clumping perennial with mid green foliage, growing to a metre tall.
Anigozanthos 'Unity'
Anigozanthos 'Unity' has flower stems to ca. 1.5m tall, mostly
glabrous with a few scattered plumose purple hairs becoming more dense
towards the flowers. The flowers are in simple racemes on pedicels to ca.
6mm long. The woolly hairs on the ovary are red with some black tips. The
hairs become less dense towards the perianth lobes allowing equal dominance
of yellow green hairs. The perianth tube is ca. 40mm long, glabrous inside
above the middle and with simple hairs below the middle some of these with
sellate tips. The perianth lobes are ca. 10mm long with plumose silvery
grey hairs inside. The anthers are about the same length as the filaments,
the connective tipped with a small gland-like appendage. There are ca. 5
ovules per locule.
Diagnosis:
The flowers of Anigozanthos 'Unity' are similar in shape to A.
rufus but are longer with a slightly more prominent ovary. The flowers are
a much darker red than A. rufus and less uniform in colour with the upper
half of the tube showing yellow green hairs more the colour of those in A.
flavidus. Unlike A. flavidus, the stems of Anigozanthos 'Unity' are hairy
but the hairs are darker and there are more of them than in A. flavidus
and they are fewer than in A. rufus. There are two other cultivars form the
same hybrid cross. Anigozanthos 'Red Cross' and Anigozanthos 'Velvet
Harmony'. Anigozanthos 'Red Cross' is of a similar height with individual
flowers ca. 30mm long. It is most easily distinguished from Anigozanthos
'Unity' by the presence of a very distinct bright yellow patch at the base
of the flower. Anigozanthos 'Velvet Harmony' has flowers with a tube ca.
25-27mm long which appear a darker colour due to the thicker hairs on the
perianth. The flower stem is also more branched in Anigozanthos 'Velvet
Harmony'.
Anigozanthos 'Charm'
Note:
Formerly A. 'Elegant Charmer'
This cultivar is a neat 0.5m plant with glossy green leaves to
0.3 m. Flower stems are 1m and branched. Flowers are borne in September to
November and are reddish orange with cream anthers.
Diagnosis:
A.flavidus grows to 1.0m tall by 1.0m wide. Flowers from October to
February. Leaves are glabrous. The flower stems are 2.0m, branched and
smooth tubular, 3-4cm densely hairy. The lobes are not turned back, colours
are yellow-green, red, pink, yellow and green. Common in a wide range of
soils and climate but frost damage can occur. Moist light to medium soils
and partial to full sun seems best. Propagation is by seed or division.
A.preissii grows to 0.6m tall by 0.3m wide. Flowers from August to
November. Leaves are deciduous; sparse, nearly terete, finely pointed.
Flower stems are 1.0m long, tubular, 5-6cm woolly hairs. Two terminal
clusters , lobed but not reflexed. Claw-like in appearance, orange to
yellow and red colour.Cultivation is difficult, prefers moist and
well-drained soil in partial to full sun. Divide regularly to promote
vigorous growth. Does well in containers. Propagation is by seed or
division.
Anigozanthos 'Charm' is a manipulated hybrid growing to 0.6m in height.
Flowers from September to November. Leaves are glossy green, 0.3m in
length. Flower stems are reddish-orange and the anthers are cream. A
feature is the cultivar's resistance to snails and ink disease. Propagation
is by vegetative means only.
A. flavidus wild, lvs 1.0m h x1.0m w, fls Tubular; 3-4cm, densely hairy; lobes not turned back. Yellow-green, red, pink, yellow, green. Oct-Jan, scape height 2m
A. preissii wild, lvs 0.6m h x 0.3, fls Tubular 5-6m, woolly hairs; 2 terminal cluster; lobed but not reflexed.
Claw-like. Orange to yellow, red.Aug-Nov, scape height -
'Charm' manipulated hybrid, lvs 0.5m h, fls Reddish orange; cream anthers. Sept-Nov, scape height 1m
Note:
Sought registration as Anigozanthos 'Elegant Charmer' in September
1980.