Bruce Rann, the photographer of today's images, writes:

"...I live in Sydney Australia. I work as a horticulturist and arborist for Woollahra Council which is just east of the city. A friend put me onto your botany photo of the day website a few months ago and I am enjoying learning more about the plants of the northern hemisphere."

"I was recently bush walking with friends in the hills behind Gosford (about one hours drive north of Sydney) and came across some waratahs which I thought you might find interesting. The waratah or Telopea speciosissima is a member of the Proteaceae and is the floral emblem of New South Wales. It occurs in forest situations on sandy soils in coastal New South Wales and is much loved by Australians but unfortunately very difficult to grow in the garden."

"The plant flowers terminally on the end of canes arising from a woody lignotuber. The flower heads are up to 15 centimetres (cm) wide with a dense cluster of bright red flowers surrounded by red bracts. Leaves are up to 15 cm long and 4 cm wide, stiff and leathery with toothed margins. Waratahs growing near the coast flower in September and October and in October and November in the blue mountains behind Sydney."

Ruth adds:

Telopea speciosissima has been the official floral emblem for New South Wales since 1962. Bruce wrote that the canes arise from a lignotuber: a lignotuber is similar to a bulb or tuber in that it is a storage system. The purpose of a lignotuber is to guard against forest fires, animal or insect attack. If the above ground part of the plant were to suffer a trauma such as a forest fire, the lignotuber would allow the plant to re-grow from the stump. The wild type flowers are always red or pink although a cultivated variety, Telopea speciosissima 'Wirrimbirra White', produces white flowers.

Thanks again to Bruce for contributing today's photographs as well as much of the information in today's write up!