See one of the stars of the Botanic Garden!

Qualup Bell, Pimelea physodes, is a remarkable shrub that always attracts attention in winter and spring, during the Noongar Makuru and Djilba seasons.

The flower head closely resembles a cream and pink tulip hanging down from the tip of a leafy shoot with attractive narrow grey-green leaves. The coloured parts are not petals, but large cream-green bracts that enclose and protect a tight head of small, tubular 4-petalled green-yellow flowers.

This flower head structure of Qualup Bell closely resembles that of distantly related species of Darwinia such as Gillam’s Bell (Darwinia oxylepis), and Diplolaena such as Dampier’s Rose (Diplolaena dampieri).

In the wild, Qualup Bell is restricted to the south coast of Western Australia, mainly within the Fitzgerald River National Park where it is locally abundant. One of the best places to see it is at coastal lookouts along the scenic drive at the eastern (Hopetoun) end of the Fitzgerald River National Park.

Qualup Bell is the most unusual member of the genus Pimelea, the rice flowers and banjines, which contains around 150 species in Australia and New Zealand. Historically, large amounts of Qualup Bell were harvested from the wild to supply the cut flower trade, seriously depleting the natural populations.

Until recently, it was considered impossible to propagate from seeds or cuttings.  However, the discovery by Kings Park horticulturalists that it can be successfully grafted onto the roots of the related coastal banjine or pink rice flower, Pimelea ferruginea, has protected it in the wild, as well as making it a prized addition to native gardens.

See the beautiful Qualup Bell in the Botanic Gardens, flowering now  in the Mound, near the Botanic Garden entrance, in the South Coast garden and around Zamia Café. Ask our friendly Guides in the Visitor Information Centre if you are not sure where to find it.