Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Lemon Bottlebrush Tree (Callistemon rigidus)



Lemon Bottlebrush Tree
Callistemon rigidus
(kal-lis-STEE-mon) (RIG-ih-dus)

Well I did go to the Orchid Show again today. I saw some flowers that I had missed the last time and overall it was very enjoyable. More on that tomorrow as I got a few good pictures. I was happy to see, in the show, one of my favorite trees that I can’t grow around here, since it is not hardy in these parts. When I saw the opportunity to photograph this tree in Florida it was real windy and they didn’t come out. One of the best things about this tree is its smaller size. Don’t get me wrong I love big trees but I am liking the smaller ones more and more. The foliage is nice and the color and fluffiness of the flower is great. Now that I am sitting here writing this I don’t think I have ever taken a detailed look at the bark, papery, if I remember right. Oh well I will have to report back on that. There are several species of Callistemon available. For the most part I have only seen this one, Callistemon rigidus and the outstanding but slightly less-hardy Weeping Bottlebrush Callistemon viminalis. This tree was growing in a huge pot and was about 6 feet tall (10’ with the pot). The color is not modified from the camera and it seems a lot redder than I have seen so it might be a cultivar.
Here is a link to some more information:

Australian National Botanic Gardens





Here is one Orchid from today. I didn’t get the name.

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