Wahlenbergia stricta
Encyclopedia
Wahlenbergia stricta, or Australian Bluebell, Tall or Austral Bluebell, is an Australia
n wildflower from the Campanulaceae
family. It is considered the most commonly encountered of the Wahlenbergias. It is found in all Australian states but not the Northern Territory. It is often seen growing by the side of the road, enjoying the extra runoff.
W. stricta is a perennial herb flowering mainly in spring or summer with pale blue bell-like flowers. The leaves are long and linear, 5–70 mm (0.196850393700787–2.8 ) long. The five-petalled flowers are erect on long, slender stems and about 6–20 mm (0.236220472440945–0.78740157480315 ) in diameter. It forms thin, carrot shaped tubers.
There are a number of common cultivars, including various shades of blue from a saturated blue similar to #00f through to white. Various double forms are available. To maintain a cultivar propagation must be by vegetive means (division or cuttings).
Once established W. stricta is very hardy - the pot can be dried out completely and the plant reduced to a tuber, yet it will reshoot when the rain comes. It is hardy in a range of soils from sand to gravel, clay to humus.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n wildflower from the Campanulaceae
Campanulaceae
The family Campanulaceae , of the order Asterales, contains about 2000 species in 70 genera of herbaceous plants, shrubs, and rarely small trees, often with milky non-toxic sap...
family. It is considered the most commonly encountered of the Wahlenbergias. It is found in all Australian states but not the Northern Territory. It is often seen growing by the side of the road, enjoying the extra runoff.
W. stricta is a perennial herb flowering mainly in spring or summer with pale blue bell-like flowers. The leaves are long and linear, 5–70 mm (0.196850393700787–2.8 ) long. The five-petalled flowers are erect on long, slender stems and about 6–20 mm (0.236220472440945–0.78740157480315 ) in diameter. It forms thin, carrot shaped tubers.
Cultivation
Australian bluebells are generally easily propagated by division or root cutting. The seed is a very fine, black powder. It germinates readily in a few weeks and is best directly sown into tubes or cells as the seed and plant are very small and hard to separate and prick out.There are a number of common cultivars, including various shades of blue from a saturated blue similar to #00f through to white. Various double forms are available. To maintain a cultivar propagation must be by vegetive means (division or cuttings).
Once established W. stricta is very hardy - the pot can be dried out completely and the plant reduced to a tuber, yet it will reshoot when the rain comes. It is hardy in a range of soils from sand to gravel, clay to humus.
See also
- Wahlenbergia gloriosaWahlenbergia gloriosaWahlenbergia gloriosa, or Royal Bluebell, is an Australian wildflower from the Campanulaceae family. It grows in high rainfall areas in the Australian Alps, in environs ranging from shady roadside cuttings on Mount Hotham to full sun herbfields on the main range.W. gloriosa has small dark green...
, although the gloriosa is the ACT flower, the stricta is more commonly seen and often misidentified as gloriosa.