Wedding Bush

Ricinocarpos pinifolius

Location:  Near entrance to car park.

This small to medium size shrub has conspicuous white flowers which are unisexual. There are usually 6 male flowers with prominent stamens to each female flower. The linear leaves are 4cm long. The fruit has a rough and globular capsule which splits when ripe to release 5 seeds.

There are 15 species in the Genus. They are found in the sand dunes of the coastal heathlands of all Australian states. This particular species is native to Eastern Australia.

George Raper, an artist who accompanied the First Fleet made a watercolour picture of Wedding Bush in 1788. It was then known as Native Clematis. Ricinocarpos refers to the fruit being like Ricinus, the castor oil plant. Pinifolius describes the similarity of the foliage to that of the Genus, Pinus.

(Source: Wikipedia;)

“And then I ran to get away, but when I stopped and turned to see, the tree was bending to the side and leaning out to look at me.” (Elizabeth Madox Roberts).