Many Australian plants have adapted to their dry native environment
with sparse growth and with leaves reduced in size or modified into spines.
The similarity of Australian plant and leaf forms is relieved by the brilliant
colors and unusual shapes of the flowers.
More than 700 species of eucalyptus are native to Australia; over 150 of
them are represented at the Huntington. Eucalyptus macrocarpa is
the low-spreading shrub with blue-gray leaves which grows along the roadway
and bears large flowers and seed pods most of the year.
The bottle brushes (Callistemon), named for their red brushlike flowers,
are relatives of the eucalyptus. In late spring and early summer, the kangaroo
paws (Anigozanthos) bear exotic-looking flowers in shades of red,
orange, yellow, and green. The acacias, which produce yellow blossoms in
the winter, are members of the pea family.
The Australian
Garden