Straw Flower

This beautiful white Straw Flower was in bloom at the Reader Rock Garden on 14 August 2013. I love seeing these flowers - they always look as if they had been meticulously cut out of paper. The petals aren’t true petals at all, but in fact are modified leaves called bracts, that come in many colours, including yellow, orange, cream, pink, white, and purple.

"Xerochrysum bracteatum, commonly known as the golden everlasting or strawflower, is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae native to Australia." From Wikipedia.