White Waratah

Description

Agastachys odorata, commonly known as the white waratah or fragrant candlebush, is the sole member of the genus Agastachys in the protea family. It is an evergreen shrub to small tree and is endemic to the heaths and button grass sedgelands of western Tasmania. Agastachys odorata is an erect, evergreen shrub that is endemic to Tasmania. A. ordorata can be variable in shape, though mature individuals are commonly found between 1-3 metres in height and 0.5- 1 meter in width. A. odorata displays many of the diagnostic characteristics of the proteaceae family it belongs to. The primary protea features A. odorata exhibit's are leathery alternate leaves and irregular woody floral structures. The leaves have entire margins with rounded tips. They are bright green in appearance with an almost leathery thick texture. The leaf looks like a football field stretched from one end, being classified as narrow-oblong to oblanceolate. The leaves lack hairs. The inflorescence flower spikes are the most obvious feature to distinguish A. odorata from other species by (see figure 2 below). The peak flowering times are during the early Australian summer months of December and January. Simply put the flower spikes look like fluffy white-to-creamy yellow candles, appropriate as one of the common names for A. odorata is fragrant candlebush. The flowers also resemble an erect, lighter coloured version of Tasmanian waratah (Telopea truncate), hence its other common name of white waratah. Masses of white-to-creamy yellow flowers are produced in erect flower spikes. The flower spikes are clustered on the ends of branches. The spikes range in height from 8 to 12 cm, hence can be noticed from a distance as the flower spikes pop above the canopy of the shrub. The flowers produce a floral odour which some describe as pleasant. Flowering is followed by the production of an inconspicuous woody winged nut. The morphology of the relatively large wings on the nut assist in seed dispersal by wind (anemochory). The nut is often a brown-ish colour.