Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Callistemon
Species: C. citrinus.
Binomial name: Callistemon citrinus
Synonyms: Metrosideros citrina, Callistemon lanceolatus, Melaleuca citrina
Common names: Crimson Bottlebrush, Red Bottlebrush, Lemon Bottlebrush.
Callistemon citrinus is a woody evergreen shrub native to the states of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria in Australia, occurring in the vicinity of rocky streams and near-coastal swamps or in areas which are prone to floods.
This hardy shrub is the best known of all the bottlebrushs and is widely cultivated. It grows to between 1 and 3 metres in height. Its leaves are 3 to 7 cm long and 5 to 8 mm wide. The word 'citrina' in its binomial name is because the leaves give off a fragrance of lemon when bruised.
The bright red flower-spikes vary from 6 to 10 cm in length and about 4 to 7 cm in diameter and appear in summer and autumn. The long, bright crimson filaments of the stamens are prominent and are tipped with versatile anthers.
The seed capsules appear in clusters along the stems, are woody, cup-shaped, and about 7 mm wide. Initially they are green but on maturity the become grey coloured.
The seed capsules
