Thryptomene 'F.C. Payne' facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Thryptomene 'F.C. Payne' |
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| Species | Thryptomene saxicola |
| Cultivar | 'F.C. Payne' |
| Origin | Selected by F.C. Payne, South Australia |
Thryptomene 'F.C. Payne' is a special kind of Australian plant. It's often called Payne's thryptomene. This plant is a popular choice for gardens all across Australia. It's actually a selected version of a wild plant called Thryptomene saxicola, which originally comes from Western Australia.
What Does It Look Like?
Thryptomene 'F.C. Payne' is an open, evergreen shrub. This means it keeps its leaves all year round. It grows to about 1 metre (3 feet) tall and has a slightly drooping look, like its branches are gently weeping.
In winter and spring, this plant is covered in many small, pale pink flowers. These flowers grow on long stems and are very attractive to different insects, including beautiful butterflies! The leaves are small, only about 6 or 7 millimetres long, and they smell nice. They are narrow and get thinner towards the stem.
Where Did It Come From?
This special plant was first chosen by a person named F.C. Payne. He owned a plant nursery called "The Sanctuary" in Ashton, South Australia, near Adelaide. Mr. Payne was a big fan of Australian native plants and helped people use them in their gardens.
In 1959, a book called Handbook of trees and shrubs for the Southern Hemisphere mentioned Thryptomene paynei. It said this new plant was "raised by FC Payne of Adelaide." By 1967, this plant had become a "garden favorite" in Australia. It was even featured in a gardening guide in a popular magazine called The Australian Women's Weekly.
Over the years, this plant has been called by a few different names, like 'Paynei' or 'Payne's Selection'.
How to Grow Your Own
Thryptomene 'F.C. Payne' is a great plant for many gardens. You can grow it to make a low, informal hedge, or you can cut its pretty flowers to bring indoors.
This plant is quite easy to grow in most places. However, it likes soil that drains water well, meaning it doesn't stay too wet. It also prefers a spot that gets lots of sun or at least some shade. You can find this plant in most plant nurseries across Australia.
To make sure you get the exact same plant, it needs to be grown from cuttings. This means taking a small piece of the parent plant and helping it grow roots.
