The Burlingham sisters (Ann, Kathryn, and Gillian) and their extended family (spouses, children, mother, and aunt) have been on tour on the other side of the world, sending back (wonderful) Facebook reports on their travels. Along the way, a note on Callistemon flowers.
From Wikipedia:
Callistemon … is a genus of 34 species of shrubs in the family Myrtaceae, all of which are endemic to Australia.
… The obvious parts of the flower masses are stamens, with the pollen at the tip of the filament; the petals are inconspicuous … Flower heads vary in colour with species; most are red, but some are yellow, green, orange or white. [also purple and pink]
Beyond Australia, the plant is also also grown in other semi-tropical and tropical places: among them, India, Southeast Asia, and California (where it’s all over the place).
A common species, Callistemon viminalis:
On the name Callistemon, from OED2:
modern Latin …< Greek κάλλος , καλλι- beauty + στήμων warp, thread
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