Lomatia ferruginea

Description

Lomatia ferruginea is a beautiful evergreen shrub, or small tree with wonderfully ferny foliage held on orange, fuzzy stems.  The foliage is leathery with pinnate leaves up to 20cm long in shades of zingy green.  During the summer months, in warmer areas, wonderfully exotic looking racemes of pale yellow flowers with pink throats will appear.  Lomatia ferruginea requires a sheltered position in full sun or semi shade, out of cold drying winds and frost.  Being a member of the Proteaceae family, like Grevillea, please refrain from being too kind to your Lomatia – feeding it may prove fatal!  Members of this family thrive in poor but free draining soils and dislike chalk and phosphate is an enemy!