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1. Every Friday post a photo that includes one or more flowers.
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Thursday 4 October 2012

FFF46 - LECHENAULTIA

The genus Lechenaultia is a group of twenty small woody or semi-woody plants endemic to Australia. Their range of colours and shades of blue, green, yellow, red and white make them highly prized for horticultural work. The correct spelling of the generic name, Lechenaultia, is open to some argument. It was named after Leschenault de la Tour, a botanist who visited Australia in 1802-3. However, when Robert Brown, an early botanist first published the name he spelt it Lechenaultia, omitting the 's'. The spelling without the 's' is considered valid by Australian taxonomists.

All but three of the species are endemic to Western Australia and the most famous of all is the Blue Lechenaultia - L. biloba.The flowers, which grow to 1.5 cm long by 2-3 cm in diameter, have a tubular corolla, split on one side, and surrounded by five sepals. The corolla has five lobes and when laid flat it resembles an open fan or a hand with spread fingers. In L. biloba the corolla lobes are again divided into two segments, from which the specific name is derived.

Flowering time is from late winter through to summer. The leaves are soft, blue-green in colour, 3-9 mm long to 2 mm across, crowded and heathlike.The plant occurs naturally in gravelly and sandy soils of southern and central Western Australia. In its natural habitat it forms an open spreading plant to 50 cm high.

Various shades of blue are the most common flower colour in L. biloba, but variants exist. One is a pure white form while another, a bicoloured form, has been registered as a cultivar. L. biloba 'White Flash' has a distinct white central portion within the flower and a deep blue outer area.

In cultivation it is essential that the plant is grown in a sandy, well-drained situation. Plants in heavier sites will generally not last a season. The plant is not a long-lived one, three to four years being its most probable life span. A suckering form of the species exists and this has great potential with a probable longer life.The species is easily propagated by cuttings taken at any time of the year with most success in late spring and summer.

The most important cultivation requirement is a perfectly drained situation, best achieved in rockeries, built-up beds or pots. L. biloba has been successfully cultivated in pots for many years in Europe. Minimal watering is required and the roots will penetrate deeply in a free-draining soil. Lechenaultia biloba can be allowed to straggle over rocks, or a more compact shape may be obtained by a light pruning after flowering. No injurious pests or diseases have been noted and the species is frost tolerant.

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19 comments:

  1. Very beautiful flowers! Love their deep blue color!
    I don't think I have ever seen them in France.
    Thanks for sharing;o)

    ***
    Hope you are having a fabulous week****

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  2. That electric blue pops right out of the screen! Such a beautiful picture, capturing the movement of the flowers!

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  3. Solch hübsche kleine Blüten...
    Liebe Grüße, Karin

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  4. How very pretty - and my favorite color. :)

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  5. What a lovely shade of blue! :)

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  6. Love the color of this flower.

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  7. The blue is so vibrant! Love these colors!

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  8. Such an intense shade of blue, dramatic en masse! Enchanting photo!

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  9. Very beautiful blue flower, I have never seen it here in Denmark.

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  10. wonder if the beautiful blue came over to NZ

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  11. What stunning blue flowers! Blue flowers tend to be rare in my area. These are just gorgeous! Thank you for hosting.

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  12. The blues are really spectacular, so bad we only have a few of them being in warm climate.

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  13. beautiful plant and such a vibrant/intense blue

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  14. I love this kind of blue -and cute little flower, Nick. Have a great weekend!

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  15. What an intense blue colour! Beautiful!

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