Lambertia formosa Mountain Devil Endemic
Although it can open out, most of the time the flowers stay in this half closed form and can be quite pale pink or bright red. The Mountain Devil common name arises because of the shape of the fruit which resembles a devil's head. Another common name for this plant which endemic to new South wales, is Honey Flower and early explorers told how they picked the flowers to suck the honey from the base. The colour and abundance of nectar makes Lambertia formosa attractive to Honey Eaters (birds) which are pollinators.
The Lambertia genus which is a member of the Proteaceae family, is named after Aylmer Bourke Lambert (2 February 1761 – 10 January 1842) who was a British botanist friend of Joseph Banks and one of the first members of the Linnean Society.
LHS: Bradley's Head Near Sydney, Eastern Australia 20th October 2015 RHS Manley Bush, Eastern Australia 18th Oct 2015
Added on 10th November 2015