Verticordia – Featherflowers

Did you know name Verticordia comes from the Latin ‘verto cor’, translated as 'the turner of hearts'?  It’s a reference to the ancient Roman goddess Venus, who was regarded as the goddess of beauty and love and considered to have had the power to bewitch, enslave and turn the hearts of her suitors.  Her sacred flower was the Myrtus, or Myrtle, which belongs to the family Myrtaceae, as does Verticordia.

There are nearly 50 species of verticordia found in Western Australia, and are collectively known as featherflowers, due to their deeply divided fringed calyces.  Each bloom has masses of small cup-shaded flowers forming a ‘plume’ at the top of each branch with small piney leaves often poking out the side.

Most species make excellent cut flowers, and dried flowers will retain their color for a year or more.