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Lechenaultia formosa
Red leschenaultia is a small Western Australian shrub or subshrub, typically 20 to 40 cm tall, prized for its scarlet to orange-red flowers. It needs very good drainage and good air movement to avoid fungal disease.
Lechenaultia formosa, commonly known as red leschenaultia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Goodeniaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a prostrate or erect shrub or subshrub with crowded, narrow, fleshy leaves and scarlet or orange-red to pale orange flowers.
Renowned for its bright red, orange or yellow flowers, Lechenaultia formosa is widely cultivated in Australian gardens. It was first grown in the United Kingdom in 1824. Many cultivars were sold in the 1960s that are no longer available. It grows best in well-ventilated locations with very good drainage; otherwise it is prone to fungal disease, in particular grey mould (Botrytis cinerea) of the branches and soil-borne Phytophthora and Pythium, and is often short-lived. It is propagated readily from cuttings of semi-hardened wood.
Lechenaultia formosa can be grown in hanging baskets or rockeries.
Red leschenaultia grows in heath, scrub, mallee and woodland and is found across a wide swathe of Western Australia, from the Geraldton sandplains south through to the southwestern corner of the state and east along the southern coast. It grows on granite-, laterite- or clay soils, where it is found on hills, and in flat areas and gullies.
Lechenaultia acutiloba · Lechenaultia aphylla · Blue Leschenaultia · Lechenaultia brevifolia · Lechenaultia chlorantha · Lechenaultia floribunda
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Lechenaultia formosa 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.
