flannel flower

Dictionary of Australasian Words Phrases and Usages by Edward E. Morris

n.


an Australian flower, Actinotus helianthi, Labill., N.O. Compositae. It ranges from Gippsland to SouthernQueensland, but is particularly abundant in New South Wales.Sometimes called the Australian Edelweiss. For thereason of the name see quotation.

1895. J. H. Maiden, `Flowering Plants of New South Wales,'p. 9:

«We only know one truly local name for this plant, and that isthe `Flannel Flower' – – a rather unpoetical designation, but areally descriptive one, and one universally accepted. It is,of course, in allusion to the involucre, which looks as if itwere snipped out of white flannel. It is also known to a fewby the name of Australian Edelweiss.»

Related Words