Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority

Common name: Scarlet Feather Flower

Family: MYRTACEAE

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Origin of Scientific Name

Verticordia – (Latin) an epithet of Venus, the Turner of Hearts, to whom the myrtle was sacred (plants from the Myrtaceae family are commonly known as “myrtles”).

grandis – (Latin) great or large, referring to the flowers, leaves and height of the plant.

Description

Verticordia grandis is a hardy but fairly open, slender shrub, usually one to two metres in height, but can grow to 3.5 metres. It naturally occurs in the northern sandplains south of Geraldton in Western Australia, and is best viewed in the Badgingarra National Park.

V. grandis has rounded leaves that are greyish-green, somewhat stem-clasping and highly aromatic when crushed. But the beauty is in the flowers which are very large for Verticordia, arranged in a spike, and varying from brilliant scarlet to a deep red. It flowers intermittently all year, peaking from August to January and is a good plant for attracting nectar-feeding birds into your garden.

V. grandis has been known to survive for up to 100 years in the wild, due to its underground rootstock (lignotuber), from which regrowth will sprout following fire, physical damage or soil disturbance.

Horticultural tips

Like most Verticordia species, it is typically difficult to grow successfully. It is possible to grow it from seed sown in Autumn, but it will not flower for several years. It is best propagated successfully from cuttings, but this depends greatly on the type of cuttings and the season.
V. grandis is often slow to establish.
Plant in a warm position with full sun in well-drained, sandy soil.
It will display the most attractive habit and prolific flowering if planted individually and given plenty of airspace.
Tip-prune young plants to promote new growth and multi-stemming, established plants will tolerate relatively hard pruning.
Check local nurseries for hardier, grafted varieties.

For more horticultural tips view our Plant Notes section.

View in Kings Park

Visit Kings Park and Botanic Garden to see Verticordia grandis in Roe Gardens and below the Two Rivers Lookout where the giant Boab is growing (refer to map).