12 radiant Australian native plants with red flowers
Red in the Australian flora is almost exclusively a bird signal. Insects see poorly at this end of the spectrum, which means red flowers are effectively invisible to most of them. This is a deliberate exclusion.
A honeyeater on an umbrella tree — one of the birds whose colour vision has shaped the red palette of the Australian flora.
These plants have evolved their colour to communicate with honeyeaters, spinebills and in one remarkable case, a marsupial. They are not just visually striking but play an ecologically precise role.
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1. Waratah (Telopea spp.)
The waratah flower head can contain up to 250 individual tubular flowers packed around a central cone and surrounded by modified bracts that are not petals, but perform the same visual function. It is one of the most architecturally complex flower structures in the Australian flora and the red is one of the most saturated produced by any native plant.
A red wattlebird on a waratah — the large flower heads are engineered to deliver pollen to visiting birds.
Three species are worth knowing for garden use: Telopea speciosissima (NSW waratah, the floral emblem of NSW), which produces the largest and most dramatic flower heads in full sun on well-drained acidic soil; Telopea truncata (Tasmanian waratah), which is smaller, more compact and considerably more adaptable to cool temperate gardens in VIC and TAS; and Telopea oreades (Gippsland waratah), which suits the cool temperate highland gardens of eastern VIC.
Tasmanian waratah (Telopea truncata) in bloom — a more compact and adaptable species than the NSW waratah, suited to cool temperate gardens in VIC and TAS.
In the garden
Plant in free-draining, acidic soil in full sun to part shade. Waratahs are sensitive to phosphorus so always use a low-phosphorus native fertiliser. Prune immediately after flowering with sharp secateurs, cutting back to a node to encourage the following season's growth. See our waratah growing guide for a full overview.
2. Red flowering gum (Corymbia ficifolia)
Red flowering gum is native to one of the smallest natural ranges of any flowering tree in Australia, restricted to a small area of the south coast near Walpole and Denmark in southwestern WA. But it is one of the most widely planted street and garden trees on the continent, which means we have seen it without knowing where it actually comes from.
Red flowering gum (Corymbia ficifolia) in summer flower — native to a tiny area of coastal WA, now one of the most widely planted street trees in Australia.
In summer the entire canopy erupts in red staminate flowers simultaneously. The woody gum nuts that follow are ornamental in their own right. In its natural range it is pollinated by honeyeaters and red-tailed black cockatoos, which prize the seeds. Grafted forms including 'Summer Red' and 'Summer Beauty' stay considerably more compact than the straight species and are well suited to suburban gardens.
In the garden
Plant in full sun in free-draining soil. Water consistently through the first two summers using ollas to establish a deep root system. It tolerates moderate drought once established and suits temperate and Mediterranean-climate gardens across WA, SA, VIC and NSW.
3. Christmas bells (Blandfordia grandiflora)
The flowers of Christmas bells are large, waxy, red-to-orange bells with yellow tips that hang in clusters of four to ten from slender stems around Christmas, which gives the plant its common name. The bell shape and colouring are classic honeyeater signals in their natural coastal heathland habitat.
Christmas bells (Blandfordia grandiflora) — the waxy, downward-hanging bells are a classic honeyeater flower form, flowering around the summer solstice in coastal NSW and QLD heathland.
The plant grows from a fibrous-rooted rhizome in wet, acid, nutrient-poor soils. This is what makes it perform poorly in rich garden conditions. It is closely related to Blandfordia cunninghamii, which is the inland form and suits a slightly drier position.
In the garden
Plant in full sun to part shade in very free-draining, acidic, sandy soil kept consistently moist. It suits bog-edge conditions and performs well alongside plants that tolerate wet soil.
4. Crimson grevillea (Grevillea wickhamii)
Crimson grevillea is one of the best red-flowering natives for dry and tropical climates, producing vivid crimson toothbrush flower spikes from late autumn through winter and spring. It grows naturally across a wide range of country in NT, WA and QLD and tolerates the combination of heat, drought and intermittent heavy rain that characterises those environments.
Crimson grevillea (Grevillea wickhamii) — toothbrush flower spikes that deposit pollen at a precise point on the honeyeater's head with every visit.
The toothbrush arrangement of the flower spikes is the same precision pollen delivery system described across the grevillea genus. Each style tip deposits and collects pollen at a specific contact point on the honeyeater's head. It is one of the most important nectar sources for the black-throated honeyeater, the banded honeyeater and the red-headed honeyeater.
The red-headed honeyeater (Myzomela erythrocephala) — one of the primary pollinators of crimson grevillea in tropical northern Australia.
In the garden
Plant in full sun in free-draining soil. Keep fertilisers low in phosphorus. Prune lightly after flowering with sharp secateurs to maintain a compact form.
Why red flowers signal birds
Most insects see poorly at the red end of the colour spectrum. Honeyeaters and other nectarivorous birds, by contrast, have excellent red vision. This is not accidental but the result of millions of years of co-evolution between plants and their preferred pollinators. A red flower is not just a colour choice but a filtering mechanism, effectively saying to the surrounding insect world: this nectar is not for you.
5. Kangaroo paw (Anigozanthos manglesii)
The tube of kangaroo paw is covered in dense red hairs and the claw-like tips of the six lobes curl back to reveal the anthers inside. Honeyeaters cling to the stems and probe the tube, collecting pollen on their foreheads.
Kangaroo paw (Anigozanthos manglesii) — the dense red hairs lining the tube give the flower its distinctive texture and are part of the pollen transfer mechanism.
While it is primarily pollinated by honeyeaters, it is also visited by the honey possum or noolbenger. This tiny marsupial is found only in southwestern WA and climbs the stems to collect pollen on its head and snout. It is the only entirely nectarivorous mammal on earth that is not a bat.
The honey possum (Tarsipes rostratus) — the only entirely nectarivorous mammal on earth that is not a bat, found exclusively in southwestern WA.
In the garden
Plant in full sun in very free-draining sandy soil. It is the most demanding of the kangaroo paws in cultivation, preferring lean, acidic, sandy soils and resenting clay, waterlogging or rich fertilisers. For a full overview, see our kangaroo paw growing guide.
6. Swan River pea (Gastrolobium celsianum)
Swan River pea produces deep red pea flowers — a colour that is botanically rare in this family. The overwhelming majority of pea-family flowers in the Australian flora are purple, pink, yellow or white, colours that target bee pollinators.
Swan River pea (Gastrolobium celsianum) — red pea flowers are botanically rare; this WA endemic is among the few in the family that targets birds rather than bees.
Swan River pea is visited by honeyeaters that probe the flower for nectar while contacting the pollen-bearing structures. It is a WA endemic restricted to the jarrah forest margins and Mediterranean-climate heath of the southwest. It belongs to the same family as the wattles and nitrogen-fixing legumes and improves soil nitrogen through root nodule bacteria.
In the garden
Plant in full sun to part shade in free-draining, slightly acidic soil. It suits Mediterranean-climate gardens in WA and SA and tolerates moderate drought once established. Prune lightly after flowering with sharp secateurs to maintain a compact form.
7. Red lechenaultia (Lechenaultia formosa)
Red lechenaultia produces the same extraordinary two-lobed fan flower structure as its close relative blue lechenaultia. The five petals split into two distinct fan-shaped lobes that force every pollinator to approach from a controlled direction.
Red lechenaultia (Lechenaultia formosa) — the two-lobed fan structure controls the angle of approach of every pollinator, ensuring precise pollen transfer.
In spring it can cover itself in flowers so completely that the entire low mound turns red. It grows naturally on the sandplains and coastal heaths of southwestern WA alongside banksias, dryandras and other heath community species.
In the garden
Plant in full sun in very free-draining sandy or gravelly soil. Waterlogging at any point is fatal. It suits raised beds, gravel gardens and the tops of retaining walls where drainage is excellent. Use a hori hori to prepare planting pockets in sandy or rocky ground.
8. Scarlet kunzea (Kunzea baxteri)
Scarlet kunzea looks exactly like a bottlebrush but is not one. The distinction matters botanically: callistemons (now reclassified as Melaleuca) have long stamens that extend well beyond the petals, creating the bristle-brush effect, while kunzeas have shorter stamens and a fundamentally different floral structure.
Scarlet kunzea (Kunzea baxteri) — often mistaken for a bottlebrush, but botanically distinct with shorter stamens and a different floral structure.
The flowers of scarlet kunzea are a combination of brilliant scarlet petals and golden stamens, produced prolifically through late winter and spring. Honeyeaters are the primary pollinators and the plant is among the most bird-attractive WA natives available to gardeners outside the state. It also provides valuable winter nectar when few other plants are flowering.
In the garden
Plant in full sun in free-draining sandy or gravelly soil. It tolerates moderate drought and coastal exposure once established. Prune by one third immediately after flowering with sharp secateurs to maintain a compact, productive form.
9. Red pokers hakea (Hakea bucculenta)
Red pokers hakea's vivid red flower clusters emerge directly from the surface of old woody branches and stems rather than from new growth. They appear in dense cylindrical spikes that project outward from the branch at right angles. This phenomenon is called cauliflory, and it is rare in the Australian flora outside the tropical rainforest zone.
Red pokers hakea (Hakea bucculenta) — flower spikes emerge directly from old woody stems in a phenomenon called cauliflory, rare in the Australian flora outside the tropics.
The flowers attract honeyeaters and native bees in large numbers. It is a WA endemic restricted to the sandplains of the midwest and southwest, where it grows as a large upright shrub with narrow, pine-like foliage. For gardens in Perth and the southwest, it is one of the most striking large shrubs available.
In the garden
Plant in full sun in free-draining sandy or gravelly soil. It suits large Mediterranean-climate gardens in WA and SA where it has space to develop its full upright form. Use thorn-proof gloves when working close to the plant.
10. Scarlet banksia (Banksia coccinea)
Scarlet banksia produces a dense, cylindrical cone of scarlet that looks more painted than grown. The individual flowers, each tipped with a white style, are packed in precise rows, creating a pattern that has no equivalent in any other banksia species.
Scarlet banksia (Banksia coccinea) — individual flowers packed in geometric rows produce one of the most intensely coloured cones in the Proteaceae family.
It grows naturally in the coastal heath of southwestern WA, where it is pollinated by honeyeaters and, in its natural habitat, by the honey possum. The scarlet colouring is among the most intense produced by any Proteaceae species. It is a WA endemic that is challenging to grow outside its home climate but rewarding when the conditions are right.
In the garden
Plant in full sun in very free-draining sandy or gravelly soil in a Mediterranean-climate position. It is one of the more demanding banksias in cultivation, requiring excellent drainage and very low phosphorus conditions. For guidance on species selection and climate suitability, see the banksia growing guide.
11. Latrobe's emu bush (Eremophila latrobei)
Latrobe's eremophila is one of the most widely distributed native shrubs in the Australian interior. The vivid crimson tubular flowers are produced prolifically through winter and spring across all mainland states, providing a critical nectar source for honeyeaters at a time and in a landscape where nectar is scarce. It tolerates the combination of summer heat, winter cold and extended drought.
Latrobe's emu bush (Eremophila latrobei) — vivid crimson tubular flowers produced through winter and spring across some of Australia's driest landscapes.
Geoff Derrin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The plant is among the most reliably bird-attractive flowering shrubs available for dry garden conditions.
In the garden
It tolerates heavy clay in dry conditions, alkaline soils, extended drought and moderate frost. A light trim with sharp secateurs after flowering maintains shape.
12. Scarlet bottlebrush (Callistemon rugulosus)
Scarlet bottlebrush is one of the most intensely coloured of the callistemons and one of the least commonly planted. The flower spikes are a deep, saturated scarlet that is more vivid than Callistemon citrinus and considerably more drought and frost tolerant, making it the more sensible choice for gardens in SA, western VIC and inland NSW.
Scarlet bottlebrush (Callistemon rugulosus) — more intensely coloured and considerably more drought and frost tolerant than the commonly grown Callistemon citrinus.
John Jennings from Australia, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
It tolerates the combination of summer heat, winter frost and intermittent drought that defines those landscapes. Honeyeaters, lorikeets and spinebills are all attracted to the flower spikes, and a mature plant in full flower in late spring is one of the most reliably bird-productive shrubs in the dry garden.
In the garden
Plant in full sun in free-draining soil. Prune by one third immediately after flowering with sharp secateurs to maintain a compact, productive form. It is an excellent choice for gardens where more commonly grown callistemons have struggled.
Red in the Australian garden
Red is the most ecologically specific colour in the Australian flora. Every plant on this list has made the same fundamental choice — to direct its resources toward a pollinator that can see red clearly, to produce a signal that excludes most insects and targets birds.
A lorikeet on a Gymea lily — the towering red flower spike of Doryanthes excelsa is one of the most dramatic bird-attracting structures in the Australian flora.
The kangaroo paw grows dense hairs across its entire surface. The crimson grevillea arranges its toothbrush spikes for precision pollen transfer. The scarlet banksia arranges its cone in geometric rows. Latrobe's emu bush hangs its vivid red tubes from branches across the driest landscapes on the continent.
A lorikeet in a callistemon — relationships like this one between plant and bird have been refined over tens of millions of years.
What connects them is not just colour but intention — the accumulated result of millions of years of solving the same problem in a dozen different ways, all of them working.
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A Guide to Australian Native Gardening
How to plan, plant and care for a thriving native garden, whatever your experience level.
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