Beard Heath

Image: Kevin Thiele

Hairy flowers!

I love hairy flowers! We've seen a few before but they've always been stink-pots who attract carrion-eating beetles and flies to do their pollinating. In that case, the hair helps to convince the hapless scavengers that they're visiting a fresh lump of steak. Extra rare. Slightly mouldy around the edges.

Image: Clare Snow
Leucopogon parviflorus

Beard Heaths are different. They attract good, ol' bees!

Image: John Tann

But they're so incredibly tiny...

Image: Jean and Fred

That they get utterly dwarfed by their visitors.

There are more than 150 species of Beard Heath, all belonging to the Leucopogon genus. Most of them are found in Australia, others live in New Zealand and various Pacific islands.

Image: Kevin Thiele

Most are white...

Image: Kevin Thiele
Leucopogon oxycedrus

Some are pink...

Image: Kevin Thiele
Leucopogon polymorphus

All are hairy!

Image: sunphlo
Leucopogon rufus

The rest of the plant is usually a shrub or small tree, often with long, pointy leaves. Sometimes the flowers are rather sparse...

Image: John Tann

Other times there's loads of them...

Image: Jean and Fred

And they're hairy!

Image: Kevin Thiele
Leucopogon plumuliflorus

The hairy flowers are really the star of the show, if you ask me. Not for the first time, either.