Actinotus helianthi

Scientific name: Actinotus helianthi

Author: Labill.

Common name: Flannel Flower

Family: Apiaceae

Location

You can see Flannel Flowers growing in our Lakeside beds.

This beautiful iconic plant with its felty flowers and foliage is a wonderful addition to any garden. It is a native of south-eastern Queensland and the coast and ranges of New South Wales, and is common in the National Parks around Sydney. In your garden it does best in well-drained soils in dappled shade or partial sun, but will tolerate full sun as long as the root system has protection provided by other plants, boulders or logs etc

If you have clay soils, don’t despair. You can still grow Flannel Flowers in raised beds, or they make excellent potted plants.

Mount Annan Botanic Garden has developed a range of Flannel Flowers called Federation Stars. This range includes Starbright and Parkes Star which are perfect for your garden or potted collection. We have recently released Lucky Star which is a long-stemmed variety for the cut flower trade. Lucky Star will help to stop the bush-picking which is depleting the wild populations by providing a consistent, high quality product to the flower markets.