According to D’harawal Elder, Aunty Fran, there was once a time when the sun was blotted out for a very long time, children who were trying to learn to walk became sickly, and the plants hadn’t flowered for a very long time.
A fire was lit by a little girl who was trying to fix the situation, and this melted the ice. Where it melted a plant grew that was covered in fur to keep it warm.
As the flower bloomed, it was also covered with fur, and it was a sign that the land was recovering—an Aboriginal story of learning from the land and returning that knowledge back into the land.
The stem, branches and leaves of this plant, Flannel Flower (Actinotus helianthi), are pale grey and covered in a downy flannel-like hair. The flowers are also surprising, as to me they look dried and hard, but when you touch them they are soft like the softest flannel you’ve ever touched!
The plant is iconic to the Sydney region of Australia, and much loved there.
The flowers have some interest in the cut flower industry, and the plants also are grown as ornamentals in some gardens.
Flannel Flower also contains phenolic acid, flavonoid glycoside (di-caffeoyl-quinic), and lignan, and is promoted for use in topical skin or hair care applications, such as anti-aging, skin repair, under eye repair, wound healing, antioxidant, and for anti-glycation.
#ethnobotany #flannelflower #aboriginal #Australia #Sydney
Photo by Casliber