Kalbarri Beaufortia or Beaufortia aestiva

The vibrant orange-red flower heads of the Kalbarri Beaufortia, Beaufortia aestiva, are a drawcard for visitors to Kings Park and for pollinating birds such as honeyeaters. A form with orange-yellow flowers also grows in the Botanic Garden. The peak flowering period is Spring, but flowers can be seen in all seasons. The plant is a compact, densely-branched shrub around 2 m high and wide.

The compact tufts of upright flowers with long stamens are borne at the tips of stiff branches that carry many small, close-packed dark green leaves. Grey seed capsules can be seen along the stems amongst the leaves.

In Kings Park, the red flowered form grows in the Mound, around the Botanic Garden entrance and at Zamia Café, while the orange-yellow form is most abundant in Roe Gardens.

Beaufortia aestiva is a member of the Beaufortia genus which has 22 species, all endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. In the wild, the main distribution of this species is in the sandplains between Geraldton and Kalbarri.

The Beaufortia genus is one of only four genera of Western Australian plants named after women. The others are Hardenbergia, Josephinia and Drakaea. The Beaufortia is named after the Duchess of Beaufort (1630-1714) who maintained botanical gardens at Badminton and Chelsea and had a large collection of drawings of flowers. The word aestiva means summer flowering.

Beaufortia aestiva is now recognised as a Kings Park Favourite due to its attractiveness, hardiness and reliability as a plant for home gardens. Join a free guided walk and spot these and other Kings Park favourites or check in the Visitor Information Centre for where you might find them.