Babingtonia pelloeae Rye & Trudgen
Babingtonia pelloeae (Pelloe’s Babingtonia) is a shrub growing to 0.3–0.6 m high, usually with an open habit and erect slender stems bearing numerous short lateral branchlets. The flowers are medium pink inside, deep pink outside in bud and appear mainly from December to January.
This species extends from Moore River south to Roleystone, growing on the Darling Scarp and Range in lateritic habitats in Jarrah and Marri open woodlands.
Pelloe’s Babingtonia was named after Emily Harriet Pelloe (1877/8–1941) who first collected this species in Kalamunda in January 1925 and helped bring south-western Australian wildflowers to public attention through her wildflower paintings, articles and books. This year commemorates the centenary of the publication of her seminal book Wildflowers of Western Australia.
Photo: R. Davis