Australian Beauty

Australian Beauty

The floral emblem of Western Australia, the Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthos spp.) is an easy plant to identify and remember! The fun and beautiful fuzzy paw-shaped flowers are now available in many colors and grown in gardens around the world as several cultivars exist, which make excellent drought tolerant ornamentals. 

Kangaroo Paw also makes wonderful cut flowers that are long lasting, and the floral trade has taken notice, as they are available now in boutiques around the world. One of the Kangaroo Paw species (A. rufus) has red roots which have been used as a dye by the indigenous of the Northern Territory of Australia.

Kangaroo Paw has several other uses. For example, they possess starchy tuberous roots that have been a component of the diet for the Aboriginal people of the Yellagonga region of Western Australia. Kangaroo Paw is also used in a flower essence for people who are ‘socially green’. And now demand is booming for Kangaroo Paw extract, as it has been found to upregulate a cellular pathway within the skin to make collagen and elastin—so Vegan cosmetic demands are up! 

Photo by Eric Polk 

#MedicinalPlants #Ethnopharm #Ethnobotany #theethnobotanicalexplorer #Australia #kangaroopaw #collagen #Vegan #Aboriginal #anigozanthos

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