I was sorting through some boxes of books (some I'm only just getting to three years after moving from England), and one of them was a book I had found in Mum & Dad's loft after they had both passed on. I have little idea how it came to be there; no family connections, etc. The book is in excellent condition, and called 'Wild Flowers of Western Australia', by C. A. Gardner, 1935. The first image below is the cover, which has a lovely hint of art deco about it. The second image is the frontispiece, which explains what the book it about. I wonder if any of you are familiar with it?
In particular I mention it because some of the plants featured are suited to mediterranean gardening. And let me focus on one that I had never heard of - Nuytsia floribunda, known as the Christmas tree. See 3rd photo. It looks spectacular in that illustration. Some of the images you can find on the internet are also
quite impressive. It is interesting because it is a root parasite, related to mistletoe.
This article goes into some detail.
It seems (with its agressive roots) like it could become a problem, so I can't suggest growing it outside its native range. But I wanted to share it with you.
