Calothamnus quadrifidus

Calothamnus quadrifidus, commonly known as one-sided bottlebrush, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. The common name alludes to the arrangement of the flowers in the inflorescence which line up on one side of the stem. It is a shrub with grey-green, pine-like foliage covered with soft hairs and red, four-part flowers in spring. Widely cultivated because of its attractive foliage, colourful, unusual and prolific flowers, it grows in a variety of habitats and soils. In 2010, Alex George published a review of the species based on recent research and described a number of new subspecies. (In 2014 Craven, Edwards and Cowley proposed that the species be renamed Melaleuca quadrifida.)

Description

Calothamnus quadrifidus is a shrub which sometimes grows to a height of 5 metres (20 ft) although usually much less and it sometimes has a lignotuber. Its leaves are variable, depending on subspecies, but usually 10–50 millimetres (0.4–2 in) long and 0.8–10 millimetres (0.03–0.4 in) wide, sometimes circular in cross section but in some subspecies flat.

The flowers are usually red, although there are white and yellow forms, with the red flowered form most commonly seen in cultivation. The flowers are arranged in clusters, usually on one side of the stem amongst the older leaves. There are four petals, each 3.5–4 millimetres (0.1–0.2 in) long which fall off soon after the flower opens.