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Actinotus helianthi
Flannel flower is a grey, downy native Australian herb or small shrub in the carrot family, prized for its daisy-like white flowerheads. It needs a sunny, well-drained spot to thrive.
Actinotus helianthi, known as the flannel flower, is a common species of flowering plant native to the bushland around Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. It was named and first described by the French botanist Jacques Labillardière in his Novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen the first general flora of Australia. According to historian Edward Duyker Labillardière could not have collected the type specimen personally and might have received it from Jean-Baptiste Leschenault de La Tour botanist on the expedition of Nicolas Baudin or another early French visitor to New South Wales.
Despite its appearance, it is not a member of the daisy family but rather a species of the Apiaceae (formerly Mackinlayaceae) family, the same family as the carrot.
Plants may be propagated by seed or cutting and grow in a well-drained sunny position, and are suitable for use in a rockery or cottage garden. The Mount Annan Botanic Garden has been involved in selecting and breeding cultivars for the home garden and the cut flower industry. One selection was named Actinotus 'Federation Star', and was chosen to be the New South Wales floral emblem for the Centenary of Federation (1901–2001).
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Actinotus helianthi by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
