Victorian Christmas Bush Nuytsia Tasmania/Flickr

Victorian Christmas Bush

Did You Know?

  • Known by Indigenous Australians as Coranderrk (Wurrundjeri) and its flower stems were used as fire sticks
FactBox Image

Evergreen shrub or small tree. Grows 1 – 6 m high.

Leaves

Bright yellow-green to dark green and paler underneath. They are 4 – 15 cm long and 1 – 3 cm wide, and generally have a toothed or curved edge. The leaves have a minty smell when crushed.

Flowers

Funnel-shaped and white, or pink to pale mauve, with purple and orange spots inside. They are about 2 cm long and grow in clusters at the end of branches. They are slightly scented.

Fruits/Seeds

Known as a mericarp, it is 2 mm long and contains one seed which is about 1mm long.

Field Guide

Improve your identification skills. Download your Victorian Christmas Bush field guide here!

Species: WhatToObserve Image

What to Observe

  • First fully open single flower

  • Full flowering (record all days)

  • End of flowering (when 95% of the flowers have faded)

  • Seeds dropped to the ground (record all days)

Species: WhenAndWhere Image

When and Where

When To Look

  • From late spring through summer
  • Flowers appear from November to March
  • Fruit appears after flowering

Where To Look

  • In coastal and sub-alpine areas, from southern Queensland to Tasmania
  • In rainforests, forests and woodlands, commonly along watercourses and in moist gullies
  • Also found in urban areas, particularly in gardens
Species: WhatElse Image

What Else?

Similar Species

Another Prostanthera species (mint bush) won’t have fine hairs on the inside and outside of the flowers, which can be seen with a magnifier on the Victorian Christmas Bush.