Photo Credit: CC John Tann via Flickr Creative Commons
Christmas Bells ring out for Christmas Day in the Southern Hemisphere long before they do in the Northern Hemisphere. Day 22 of this Advent Botany blog switches to Australia for the appropriately named Christmas Bells. Read on for the strong University of Reading connection in the Northern Hemisphere.
Blandfordiaceae
The family Blandfordiaceae and the genus Blandfordia were named after George Spencer-Churchill, the fifth Duke of Marlborough and Marquis of Blandord (1766-1840). He was a noted collector. His plant collections and botanical interests connect him to the University of Reading. The Whiteknights campus was the original site for his mansion and botanical garden, before debts forced him to sell and move to the family seat at Blenheim Palace.
Christmas Bells, Blandfordia grandiflora. New South Wales, Australia
Photo Credit: CC John Tann via Flickr
Blandfordia
The genus Blandfordia contains just 4 species with photographs in this blog, for which we are indebted to photographer John Tann of Sydney, Australia in particular:
- Blandfordia grandiflora, Christmas Bells
- Blandfordia nobilis, Christmas Bells
- Blandfordia punicea, Tasmanian Christmas Bells
- Blandfordia cunninghamii, Mountain Christmas Bells
Blandfordiaceae Distribution Map
Attribution: Wlodzimierz [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons
Christmas Bells have a restricted distribution to Eastern Australian and Tasmania. They could be found in greenhouses in Britain during the 18th Century. They are called Christmas Bells because these summer flowers bloom at Christmas time in the Southern Hemisphere. Below, you can see the rough type of terrain in which this beautiful Christmas flower grows.
Photo Credit: CC John Tann from Sydney, Australia via Wikimedia Commons
Blandfordia grandiflora has a grass-like, linear leaf with a prominent mid-vein and rough margin (as shown below).
Photo Credit: CC John Tann from Sydney, Australia via Wikimedia Commons
The plant has a distinctive seed pod. According to Kew’s Plants of the World (2017), it splits into three.
Photo Credit: CC John Tann via Flickr Creative Commons
Photo Credit: CC John Tann via Flickr Creative Commons
Other Christmas Bells
Tasmanian Christmas Bells
Photo Credit: CC Ollie487 via Wikimedia Commons
Blandfordia punicea is known as Tasmanian Christmas Bells. It is an eye-catching plant that rises above its surrounding vegetation. Its tufted appearance with rush-like leaves made it an attractive plant even when not in flower. It featured on Australian stamps in 2007.
Distribution: It is native to Western Tasmania in Australia. It needs some shade and good drainage to grow well.
(Source: Australian National Botanic Gardens/Australian National Herbarium)
Christmas Bells, Blandfordia nobilis
Photo Credit: CC John Tann via Flickr Creative Commons
Blandfordia nobilis is also called Christmas Bells. It flowers late in the Australian spring to summer. The inflorescence is loosely racemose with 3 to 20 flowers.
Distribution: Grows in sloping sandstone country and swampy areas in coastal districts. Mainly found from Sydney to Milton and inland to Braidwood, New South Wales, Australia.
(Source: PlantNet: New South Wales’ Flora Online)
Mountain Christmas Bells
Photo Credit: CC Ibsut aka Ian Sutton via Wikimedia Commons
Blandfordia cunninghamii, is generally known as Mountain Christmas Bells.
Distribution: It grows in damp shallow sandy and peaty soils. It is often to located on sandstone cliff edges and is mainly found in the Blue Mountains and Illawarra areas.
Variation: Species variations resemble Blandfordia grandiflora in the more northern parts of its distribution. This species may hybridise.
(Source: PlantNet, New South Wales’ Flora Online).
Copyright Note
Karen does not seek or receive any commercial interest or advantage from this blog. She is not promoting any business venture. She simply loves to share fascinating facts about plants. These pages illustrate her love of plants, botany, biodiversity, gardens and creative expression. There is always so much to learn about plant diversity. This blog is designed as a showcase for photography, commentary on plants and wildlife, gardens and other places visited, horticulture and related topics. Viewpoints are her own, not those of her employer.
© Karen Andrews 2018 onwards. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Karen Andrews and BotanyKaren.net with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.