| New South Wales Waratah | |
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| Scientific classification | |
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| Species: | T. speciosissima
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| Binomial name | |
| Telopea speciosissima | |
Telopea speciosissima, commonly known as the New South Wales Waratah or simply Waratah, is a large shrub in the Proteaceae family. It is endemic to New South Wales in Australia and is the floral emblem of that state. It is renowned for its striking large crimson inflorescences (flowerheads) in spring, each made up of hundreds of individual flowers.
Description
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. These are followed by large seed pods which eventually turn brown and split open revealing winged seeds inside.
Distribution and habitat
The species is found on the Central Coast, South Coast and nearby ranges in New South Wales. It usually occurs as an understorey shrub in open forest on sandy soils in areas with moderately high rainfall.
Taxonomy
The New South Wales Waratah was first described by botanist James Edward Smith in his 1793 A Specimen of the Botany of New Holland, from "very fine dried specimens sent by Mr. White". He gave the species its original binomial name of Embothrium speciosissimum. It was given its current name of Telopea speciosissima by botanist Robert Brown in 1810.[1] The specific epithet is derived from the Latin word speciosus meaning 'beautiful' or 'handsome'.[2]
Embothrium had been a wastebasket taxon at the time, and Robert Brown soon suggested the genus Telopea in 1809, which was published in 1810. Salisbury published the name Hylogyne speciosa in 1809, but Brown's name was Conserved.[3]
The common name of waratah was first applied to this species before being generalised to other members of the genus Telopea and, to a lesser extent, Alloxylon. It is derived from the Eora Aboriginal people, the original inhabitants of the Sydney area. Mewah is another aboriginal name.[3]
Former common names include native tulip, from around 1900, possibly derived from Telopea.[3]
Cultivation
The New South Wales waratah was a popular garden plant at the beginning of the 20th century. It had been introduced early (1789) into the United Kingdom, and was reported flowering for the first time in 1809 at Springwell, the villa of one E. J. A. Woodford Esq.[3] The Royal Horticultural Society awarded it an Award of Merit in 1914, and a First Class Certificate in 1922.[3]
Although they grow naturally on deep sandy soils, the species has proved adaptable to other deep, well-drained soils, especially where natural slopes assist drainage. Despite their natural occurrence in woodland, waratahs flower best in full sun,[4] although they tolerate the dappled shade of eucalypts.[3]
Waratah blooms attract birds to the garden.[3]
They are a popular cut flower and are grown commercially in Australia north of Sydney and in the Dandenong Ranges near Melbourne. They are also grown commercially in New Zealand, Hawaii and Israel.[2]
Cultivars
A number of natural forms have been selected for cultivation as follows:
- Telopea 'Corroboree' - form with extended styles, it has compact inflorescences measuring 12 cm (5 in) high and wide, and is a vigorous grower. It was selected in 1974 by Nanette Cuming of Brittern, Victoria and registered with the Australian Cultivar Registration Authority in 1989. It is grown principally for the cut flower industry.[5]
- Telopea 'Fire and Brimstone' is a vigorous form with large inflorescences selected by waratah grower and author Paul Nixon of Camden, New South Wales. It is a shrub which may reach 3-4 m tall and 2 m wide, with large leaves more heavily toothed margins. Each flowerhead has up to 240 florets. The stigmas are tipped with white. The cultivar is thought to be tetraploid.[6]
- Telopea 'Olympic Flame' is a form with prominent bracts around the flowerheads. It has large leaves with toothed margins and flowers in early spring. Also known as 'Sunburst', it arose as a seedling in a breeding program conducted by Cathy Offord, Peter Goodwin and Paul Nixon under the auspices of the University of Sydney.[6]
- Telopea 'Sunflare' is an early-flowering form. It has large leaves with toothed margins and flowers in early spring. It also arose as a seedling in a breeding program conducted by Cathy Offord, Peter Goodwin and Paul Nixon under the auspices of the University of Sydney[6]
- Telopea 'Wirrimbirra White' - white colour form from Kangaloon near Robertson. It was brought into cultivation in 1972 by cuttings from the original plant which grew on water catchment property. It has pale greenish buds which open to a cream-white inflorescence. J. H. Maiden had previously found a white waratah near Kurrajong.[3] It is less vigorous than the parent species and vulnerable to borers.[7]
In addition, a number of interspecific hybrids have also been produced, including the following:
- Telopea 'Shady Lady' is a larger shrub which may reach 5 m high and 2 or 3 m wide. A hybrid of T. speciosissima and T. oreades, it arose by chance in a Melbourne garden. The flowerheads are smaller and lack the bracts of the speciosissima parent. As its name suggests, it tolerates more shade.[6]
- Telopea 'Shady Lady White' - white colour form.
- Telopea 'Braidwood Brilliant' - is a frost-tolerant hybrid between a male T. speciosissima and female T. mongaensis. Dr R. Boden began investigating this hybrid in 1962, and it was registered in 1975 by Richard Powell. It is a ligntuberous shrub to 3 metres (10 ft) high and has oblanceolate leaves to 20 cm (8 in) long. The red blooms are 6-8 cm (2.4-3.2 in) in diameter, intermediate in size between the parent species.[3]
- Telopea 'Shade of Pale' - a hybrid between T. speciosissima and T. oreades. It is less vigorous than the parent plant. It wasinitially promoted as 'Light Shade of Pale' but there can only be three words in a registered cultivar name.
- 'Shady Lady Crimson', 'Shady Lady Red' and 'Shady Lady Pink' – crimson, red and pink flowering hybrids between T. speciosissima and T. oreades.
- Telopea 'Bush Glow' is a PBR registered cultivar three way hybrid between T. speciosissima, T. oreades and the yellow-flowered form of T. truncata. It has been propagated and sold as 'Shady Lady Yellow'.
Symbolic and artistic references
The New South Wales Waratah featured prominently in the folklore of the Darug and Tharawal people in the Sydney basin and Gandangara people to the southwest.[8] An Dreamtime legend from the Eora tells of female Wonga Pigeon searching for her husband who has been lost while out hunting. A hawk attacks and wounds her, and she hides in a waratah bush. Her husband calls and as she struggles in the bush her blood turns the white waratah blooms red.[9]
The striking form of the New South Wales Waratah became a popular motif in Australian Art in the early part of the twentieth century and was incorporated in art nouveau designs of the time. Matchboxes, paperweights and especially tins have been decorated with the flower. Arnott's often used the waratah as an alternative to their parrot logo on biscuit and cake tins from the early 1900s.[10] Shelleys soft drinks, established in 1893 in Broken Hill, also displayed it on their label.[10]
In 1925, artist Margaret Preston produced a hand-coloured woodcut depicting waratahs. The species also appeared on an Australian 3 shilling stamp in 1959 designed by botanical illustrator Margaret Jones and a 30c stamp in 1968.[2]
It was proclaimed as the official floral emblem of New South Wales in 1962.[2] Since that time, the species has also been adopted by others, including the New South Wales Waratahs rugby union team since the 1880s,[10] and the former department store Grace Bros in the 1980s.[10]
Contemporary clothing designers Jenny Kee and Linda Jackson used the waratah in the 1970s during a resurgence of Australian motifs.[11]
See also
References
- ^ "Telopea speciosissima". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government, Canberra. Retrieved 2008-03-27.
- ^ a b c d Bowden Anne. "Floral Emblem of New South Wales". Australian National Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 2008-03-27.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Wrigley, J. (1991). Banksias, Waratahs and Grevilleas. Sydney: Angus & Robertson. pp. 538–41. ISBN 0-207-17277-3.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ "Growing Waratahs commercially". Retrieved 2008-03-27.
- ^ Australian Cultivar Registration Austhority. "Telopea 'Corroboree'". ACRA: Descriptions of Registered Cultivars. Australian National Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 13 February 2010.
- ^ a b c d Stewart, Angus (2001). Gardening on the Wild Side. Sydney: ABC Books. pp. 132–138. ISBN 0-7333-0791-4.
- ^ Australian Cultivar Registration Austhority. "Telopea 'Wirrimbirra White'". ACRA: Descriptions of Registered Cultivars. Australian National Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 13 February 2010.
- ^ Nice, Rosie (ed.) (2000). State of the Waratah: The Floral Emblem of New South Wales in Legend, Art & Industry. Sydney: Royal Botanic Gardens. p. 6. ISBN 0-7347-2024-6.
- ^ Mudrooroo (1994). Aboriginal mythology : an A-Z spanning the history of aboriginal mythology from the earliest legends to the present day. London: HarperCollins. p. 142. ISBN 1855383063.
- ^ a b c d Nice, p. 54
- ^ Nice, p. 56