What is a waratah?
The waratah is a striking Australian shrub with large, bright red flower heads. The New South Wales waratah, Telopea speciosissima, is the floral emblem of New South Wales.
Each waratah flower head is made of dozens or even hundreds of small red flowers packed tightly together, surrounded by red leaf-like bracts. Heads can reach more than ten centimetres across, flowering in spring.
Waratahs grow naturally in sandstone country around Sydney and the Blue Mountains. There are five species of Telopea, found in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania.
Name and symbol
The name waratah comes from the Dharug language of the Sydney region. The scientific name Telopea means seen from afar, as the red flowers stand out in the bush.
The waratah was proclaimed the New South Wales floral emblem in 1962. The state's rugby union team, the New South Wales Waratahs, is named after it.
Waratah flowers are rich in nectar, attracting honeyeaters and wattlebirds. They regrow from a woody lignotuber after bushfires, and the Blue Mountains hold a spring waratah festival.
Did You Know?
Waratahs are part of the protea family, which also includes banksias and grevilleas.