Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Westringia fruticosa

Flowering stems. Photographer Don Wood, Eurobodalla National Park south of Narooma

Flowering stem and leafy stem. Photographer Jackie Miles

Flowering shrub. Photographer Jackie Miles

Common name

Coastal Rosemary, Native Rosemary

Family

Lamiaceae

Where found

Coastal foreshores, dunes, cliffs, and elsewhere near the sea. Extensively planted in the Sydney area.

Notes

Shrub to 1.5 m high. Stems hairy with appressed hairs. Leaves slightly aromatic when rubbed, in whorls of 3-5, 1–3 cm long, 3–5 mm wide, upper surface hairless or moderately to densely hairy on the basal half, lower surface densely hairy with white more or less appressed hairs, margins entire, and curved to rolled down, often with only the midrib visible. Flowers white with purplish or brownish dots, 10–14 mm long, tubular, 2-lipped, with 5 lobes. Calyx tubular, with 5 lobes, appearing whitish because the outer surface is densely covered with white, appressed hairs. Flowers single at the bases of the leaves, in elongated leafy clusters. Flowering: throughout the year.

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Westringia~fruticosa (accessed 11 February, 2021)