Blandfordia cunninghamii facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Christmas bells |
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| Flowers near Blackheath | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Blandfordia
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| Species: |
cunninghamii
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Christmas bells are beautiful flowering plants, and Blandfordia cunninghamii is one of four types. This plant is a Christmas bell species that grows only in eastern Australia. You can find it in the Blue Mountains and Illawarra areas. It's a plant that lives for many years, growing in clumps like grass. It has long, thin leaves. Its flowers are large and hang downwards. They are shaped like bells or cylinders, usually red with yellow tips. Each plant can have between twelve and thirty flowers.
What Do Christmas Bells Look Like?
Blandfordia cunninghamii is a plant that grows in clumps. It has flat, grass-like leaves. These leaves can be up to 100 cm (39 in) long. They are usually 7–12 mm (0.28–0.47 in) wide. Sometimes, the leaves have tiny teeth along their edges.
The plant's flower stem grows straight up. It can be up to 80 cm (31 in) long and 10 mm (0.39 in) wide. This stem holds many flowers, usually between twelve and thirty. Each flower sits on a small stalk called a pedicel. This stalk can be up to 45 mm (1.8 in) long. At the base of each pedicel, there's a leaf-like part called a bract.
The flower itself is made of six parts that are joined together. These parts are three sepals and three petals. They form a tube shape. The flower is usually 30–60 mm (1.2–2.4 in) long. It is about 20–30 mm (0.79–1.2 in) wide at its widest part. The tube is narrow at the bottom, then suddenly gets wider at the top. The top part looks like a bell. It has six pointed tips, each up to 12 mm (0.47 in) long. The flowers are typically red with yellow tips.
Inside the flower tube, there are stamens. These are the parts that produce pollen. They are attached to the inner wall of the flower, about halfway up. Christmas bells usually bloom in summer. After flowering, the plant produces a fruit. This fruit is a capsule, which is like a seed pod. It can be about 90 mm (3.5 in) long. It grows on a stalk up to 40 mm (1.6 in) long.
How Christmas Bells Got Their Name
The scientific name for this plant, Blandfordia cunninghamii, was first officially written down in 1845. A botanist named John Lindley described it. He published his description in a book called Edwards's Botanical Register.
Where Do Christmas Bells Grow?
This type of Christmas bell plant likes to grow in wet, shallow soil. You can often find it near cliffs. It only grows in certain parts of New South Wales, Australia. These areas include the Blue Mountains and Mount Kembla in the Illawarra region.
It seems that heavy rainfall in September helps these plants flower. Also, if there was a bushfire the summer before, it can help the plants bloom more.
