Coastal Rosemary

Description:

Westringia fruticosa, commonly known as coastal rosemary, native rosemary, or coastal westringia, is a shrub of the family Lamiaceae, the same family as mint and sage. It is native to eastern Australia. The flowers are white, hairy, and have the upper petal divided into two lobes (2nd photo). They also have orange-to-purply spots on their bottom half. The plant is tolerance to a variety of soils, and the neatly whorled leaves and all-year flowering make it very popular in cultivation.

Habitat:

Bouddi National Park on the NSW Central Coast. The park has mixed vegetation, but this area was mostly windswept heathlands. Coastal cliffs and rock platforms, so exposed location with full sun, salty air and sandy soils. It seems to thrive in this environment.