Species introCountry intro
Wedding bush (Ricinocarpos pinifolius
Ricinocarpos pinifolius is the most widespread member of the genus and is a conspicuous member of coastal Heath and woodland communities when it is in flower during spring. It is usually found on sand dunes or on sandstone derived soils. It is a small to medium shrub , rarely exceeding 1.5 metres in height with narrow , linear leaves about 30 - 40 mm long. The pure white male and female flowers can be distinguished by the mass of yellow stamens . There is usually one female flower to three to six males. The flowers are followed by the fruit, which is a rough , globular capsule which splits when ripe to release 5 shiny seeds. The fruit resembles the fruit of the castor oil plant.
( Text from Australian Native Plant Society)
''Ricinocarpos pinifolius'' is a plant of the family Euphorbiaceae native to Eastern Australia. It was first described by French botanist René Louiche Desfontaines. Its showy fragrant white flowers are a familiar sight to bushwalkers in the spring, and are used locally in flower arranging. This plant is also called a "wedding bush" because it's white leaves represent it. On each flower, there are 5 pecks of leaves on them.
