Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Howittia trilocularis

Flower and leaves. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Peter Ollerenshaw, unknown site

Flowering branches. Photographer Don Wood, Buckenbowra State Forest, west of Batemans Bay

Flower and backs of leaves. Photographer Steve Burrows, Bournda Education Centre south of Tathra

Common name

Howittia, Blue howittia

Family

Malvaceae

Where found

Forest, shrubland, and along streams. Coast, ranges, and the eastern edge of the tablelands.

Notes

Shrub usually to 3 m tall, stellate hairy (needs a hand lens or a macro app on your phone/tablet to see). Leaves alternating up the stems, 2-12 cm long, 10-80 mm wide, bases often cordate, margins entire, toothed, scalloped or shallowly lobed, undersurface white or yellow. Flowers pink to purple or whitish, with 5 petals each 10-25 mm long, not spreading widely. Flowers single. Flowers Sep.–Jan.

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Howittia~trilocularis (accessed 19 January, 2021)