Conospermum taxifolium: is a member of the Proteaceae family and is known as the Variable Smokebush.
Conospermum taxifolium is a variable, dwarf to small shrub. The slender branches are erect. Leaves are linear, flat, crowded, sometimes slightly twisted with silky hairs.
Flowers are tubular, about 1 centimetre long and carried in dense clusters on single or branched stems. They are white to cream, usually prolific and appear in spring.
The Variable Smokebush prefers well-drained soils in full sun or partial shade.
Conospermum taxifolium is not often cultivated but would make a colourful foreground shrub.
The species has a wide distribution and is found in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania.
The plant illustrated is growing in the Mount Alexandra Reserve, Mittagong in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales. The Variable Smokebush is one of the dominant understorey shrubs in the Mount Alexandra Reserve.
There are about 50 species in the genus. The majority occur in the south-west corner of Western Australia. Some of these western Conospemums are harvested for the cut flower trade.
Propagate from seed or cuttings.

Plants