Crikey! This week’s FOTW hails from the land of shrimps-on-the-barbies-on-the-beaches, Australia (if you’re disappointed in the lack of anything but the most basic cultural cliché to describe one of the largest land-masses in the world then you can blame my chronic fear of creepy crawlies for never wanting to visit a place that is also renowned for its truly gruesome array of spiders and whatnot).
If I’d dug a little deeper, however, I’d have learnt that Australia – specifically ‘south western Western Australia’ – is the endemic home of the chamelaucium, or wax flower. These woody, evergreen shrubs range anywhere from 15cm to 3m tall with spriggy little leaves that often exude a lovely lil aroma when crushed (thanks to the oil glands they contain). It’s the flowers that we’re all here for though, right? Well… they’re waxy.
Okay there’s slightly more to them that, of course! Like, for example, the fact that even though they’re small, they’re also kind of spunky, fanning out in all manner of colours across the fourteen species currently recognized within the genus. The Geraldton wax is probably amongst the best-loved, known primarily for its ivory petals tinged with mauve.
Symbolically, the wax flower, with its long-lasting blooms, is often associated with riches and enduring wealth – the perfect gift for when your step-brother’s bitcoin investment finally (“definitely, definitely”) comes through!
