I discovered this unusual large native shrub in Cranbourne Botanical Gardens on my visit last year. I have never heard of it before but it instantly struck me with its deep purple flowers and small hairy leaves. It was planted as an understorey back drop shrub in one of the garden beds under the canopy of large Eucalyptus species.

It is a tall shrub found growing in shaded valleys and on rainforest edges and in moist well drained gullies. The distribution of Howittia trilocularis is quite large from coastal New South Wales, eastern Victoria and a small area of western Victoria, it can also be found in the south eastern tip of South Australia.

Howittia trilocularis can grow quite large to around 3 metres high to 4 metres wide, in these images it was clipped to a neat medium shrub size of about 1.5 metres and frankly looked perfect!

The deep purple flowers appear in Spring and can last through into Summer and have been recorded to attract butterflies and pollinating insects.

The flower colour can apparently change depending on the environment, from deep pink through to a dark mauve as shown in these images. The leaf shape and colour too can be quite variable, ranging from broad, lobed or lanceolate with a brown or white underside. I am quite besotted with this shrub and it is another species which would mix in easily with exotics, I am keen to give it a try.