Verticordias – turn heads and hearts

The Botanic Garden has a variety of Verticordias flowering now. Some are bright and showy like the bright red Verticordia grandis and others are more subtle, such as the creamy-white Verticordia albida.

The name Verticordia means turner of hearts and refers to Venus, the goddess of love, to whom the myrtle was sacred. The Verticordia is a type of myrtle and was named after Venus due to the beauty of the flowers.

Verticordias are also known as feather flowers because each flower has a fringed petals and/or sepals, giving the flower an attractive feathery look. One of the species is called Verticordia blepharophylla, meaning eyelashes.

There are over 100 species of Verticordia, nearly all of which are native to Western Australia, where they favour sand plains and heathlands. Flower colours include red, yellow, orange, pink, purple and white. One Verticordia flowering in the Conservation Garden is Verticordia dichroma (two-coloured). This is a a Priority Three species because it is only found in a few locations.

In the past the Verticordias have been over-picked from the wild to be sold as cut flowers. Growers are now cultivating Verticordia species for the both cut flower trade and home growers. Verticordia  plant species are often available at the Friends of Kings Park Native Plant Sales.

You can see Verticordias in flower now in the Conservation Garden and the Verticordia bed near the Gija Jumulu (Big Boab). Check with the Guides in the Visitor Information Centre where to find them or join a free Guided walk in the Botanic Garden.