Wikipedia:Today's featured article/October 6, 2011



Telopea speciosissima, commonly known as the New South Wales waratah, is a large shrub in the Proteaceae family. Endemic to New South Wales, it is the floral emblem of that state. T. speciosissima grows as a shrub to 3 to 4 m (10–13 ft) high and 2 m (7 ft) wide, with dark green leaves and several stems rising from a pronounced woody base known as a lignotuber. It is most renowned for its striking large red inflorescences (flowerheads) in spring, each made up of hundreds of individual flowers. These are visited by the eastern pygmy possum (Cercartetus nanus), birds such as honeyeaters (Meliphagidae), and insects. Telopea speciosissima has featured prominently in art, architecture and advertising, particularly since federation. Commercially grown in several countries as a cut flower, it is also cultivated in the home garden, although it requires good drainage, yet adequate moisture, and is vulnerable to fungal disease and pests. (more...)

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