Stony Range RBG FloraBanksia serrata Bird’s Nest Fern Boronia mollis x fraseri Broad-leaved Drumsticks Cabbage Tree Palm Cyathea australis Flame Pea Flannel Flower Fuchsia Heath Native Violet Pink Rock Orchid Pittosporum revolutum Staghorn
The Flannel Flower (Actinotus helianthi) is a common flower species native to the bushland region around Sydney, whose stem, branches and leaves are pale grey in colour, being covered in a downy hair (that is like flannel in texture).
A herbaceous shrub that grows up to 50 cm high, although there have been some found growing up to 1.5 m high. It has lobed leaves that are up to 10 cm long and 7 cm wide. It has daisy-shaped flowerheads that are between 5 to 8 cm in diameter. The bracts are cream to white in colour.
The Flannel Flower is also attract a number of insects and spider species. Following is the Pittosporum Leaf Beetle (Lamprolina impressicollis).
The following photo is the Red-tipped Crab Spider (Sidymella rubrosignata). You can see more photos of the spider on the Flannel Flower in our Stony Range Regional Botanic Garden section.
The Flannel Flowers grow in sandstone heathland in coastal New South Wales and Queensland region, common around the Sydney basin, with flowering occurring in spring, although they can be profuse after bushfires.
- Scientific classification
- Kingdom: Plantae
- Class: Equisetopsida
- Subclass: Magnoliidae
- Superorder: Asteranae
- Order: Apiales
- Family: Apiaceae
- Genus: Actinotus
- Species: Actinotus helianthi
Stony Range Regional Botanic Garden, Dee Why NSW
Footnote & References
- Actinotus helianthi Labill., Flannel Flower, Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://id.biodiversity.org.au/node/apni/2895645
- Flannel flower, National Parks & Wildlife Service, https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/plants-and-animals/flannel-flower
Stony Range RBG FloraBanksia serrata Bird’s Nest Fern Boronia mollis x fraseri Broad-leaved Drumsticks Cabbage Tree Palm Cyathea australis Flame Pea Flannel Flower Fuchsia Heath Native Violet Pink Rock Orchid Pittosporum revolutum Staghorn
Stony Range Regional Botanic GardenStony Range RBG Fauna Stony Range RBG Flora
New South WalesBarunguba Montague Island Bourke Blue Mountains Bundeena Central Coast Kosciuszko National Park Mount Kaputar National Park Lower North Shore Northern Beaches Sapphire Coast Snowy Mountains Region South Coast Stony Range Regional Botanic Garden Sydney