Happy Tuesday! Our plant of the week is the Bottlebrush, a vibrant shrub famous for its bright, brush like red flowers.
Callistemon, commonly known as the Bottlebrush, gets its unique name because its blooms look just like brushes used to clean old bottles. They are so closely related to Melaleuca plants that many scientists believe they belong to the same group!
Did you know? The fluffy red parts aren’t petals, they are hundreds of tiny, colorful pollen producing stamens! Indigenous Australians used the nectar rich flowers to make sweet drinks and the leaves for medicine. Plus, these tough plants are exceptionally fire resilient and can re-shoot fresh growth from under their bark after a fire.
What do you think of this unique, vibrant plant?