General Description/History

There are a number of Conospermum species used as cut flowers, all of them native to WA. Smokebush is generally finely branched with tiny white or blue flowers. The Department of Agriculture – WA has been selecting new smokebush forms for several years now and the following descriptions come from their Farmnote # 110/99: “Conospernum eatoniae has leafless stems with masses of clusters of china blue flowers; it is sought after on Japanese markets. C. caeruleum has large flat leaves that remain on stems with fewer blue flower clusters than C. eatoniae. C. stoechadis has a grey/white flower panicle and narrow leaves and is a high stem producer. C. triplinervium comprises a number of species with broad leaves with various forms from weeping to strong upright stems. One particular form of C. triplinervium has heavy stems and white hairy flowers; it has been named the “elk” smokebush. C. incurvum is a smaller plant than C. triplinervium or stoechadis and has spikes of leafless stem covered in white flowers with a black tip to the perianth. C. crassinervium grows fairly slowly and produces flowers in a corymb forming a tassel. It flowers in summer but continues to flower over an extended period in cultivation.”

Smokebush are picked from plantations or bush-picked. Most are grown in WA.

Types: Conospermum amoenum, C. crassinervium, C. incurvum, C. stoechadis, C. eatoniae, C. caerulium, C. triplinervium.

What to look for

• Buy when flowers in a bunch are open and look ‘fluffy’;
• Avoid bunches with brown flowers, or with dried, curled leaf tips.

Flower Care

1. Keep cool at all times.
2. Strip leaves from the bottom half of each stem and wash thoroughly.
3. Recut at least 2 cm off each stem and place in water immediately.
4. Do not bash or split stem ends.
5. Always use a preservative as this will help buds open and keep open flowers looking fresh.
6. Replace vase water with fresh preservative every 2 to 3 days.

Interesting Facts about this Flower

From a distance, these plants look like a puff of smoke – hence the name.
They make a very good dried flower.

Botanical Name: Conospermum amoenum, C. crassinervium, C. incurvum, C. stoechadis,C. eatoniae, C. caerulium, C. triplinervium.

Common Names: Smokebush

Stem Length: 30 to 50 cm

Country of Origin: Australia: WA

Available Colours: Blue, White

Season: Summer,Autumn,Winter,Spring

Availability: January,May,June,July,August,September,October,November,Decemeber