Christmas Bush

General Description/History

While Christmas Bells are a focal flower, Christmas Bush is the perfect Australian filler, with its green foliage and the red calyx lobes that make up what looks like a star-shaped flower. There are 5 calyces that look like petals while the centre is yellow. Christmas Bush grows to the size of a small tree (up to 4 m) and there are many ‘flowers’ per branch. The calyces expand and redden after the real cream-coloured flowers, which come out in spring, die off.

Christmas Bush is grown as a field crop. Most are grown in NSW

What to look for

  • Buy when the ‘flowers’ are fully open and flexed back;
  • ‘Flowers’ should have strong red/yellow colouring;
  • Avoid branches with dark, purple-coloured flowers.

Flower Care

  1. Keep cool at all times.
  2. Strip leaves from the bottom half of each stem.
  3. Recut at least 2 cm off each stem and place in water immediately.
  4. Do not bash or split branch ends.
  5. Always use a preservative as this will help keep open flowers looking fresh.
  6. Replace vase water with fresh preservative every day.
  7. Misting is a great idea as branches can take up water through the leaves.

Interesting Facts about this Flower

The name Ceratopetalum comes from two Greek words meaning horned-petal, (one species has petals resembling stag’s horns).

Botanical Name: Ceratopetalum gummiferum

Common Names: Christmas Bush, Festival Bush

Stem Length: 30 to 80 cm

Country of Origin: Australia

Available Colours: Cream, Red

Season: Summer,Spring

Availability: January,November,Decemeber