Common name: Australian Bluebell      Synonym: Sollya heterophylla, fusiformis

Florabase

FAST FACTS

• Billardiera fusiformis has soft green shiny foliage covered in attractive shades of blue, bell shaped flowers over a long period, with the best displays in spring and summer. There are also colour variants of white and pink, as well as variagated forms.
• A quick growing twining plant that can be used as a hedge, a container or cascading plant, as a shrub, or planted to twine over other plants to gain support - the sturdy stems scramble over the ground, twining into the surrounding vegetation; its older stems are reddish-brown while newer stems are greenish in colour. It is a perennial and grows around 2 - 5 metres tall but can be pruned to size.
• Can be planted in a variety of soils including sand, and on the coast, and is shade tolerant.
• Attracts butterflies, birds, and insects for insectivorous birds; reptiles including bobtails and king skinks eat the mature fruits; provides cover for animals.
• A bush tucker plant: fruits are edible when they turn translucent (glassy).
• Self seeds readily.

Janette Gathe from Augusta has produced a wonderful floral tribute to Georgiana Molloy with her 2021 calendar, and she explains:

During 1997 to 2021 I coordinated many Regional Botanic Groups collecting, identifying and documenting native plant species across much of Western Australia. The enthusiasm, hard work and local knowledge of so many people contributed to the WA Herbarium Collection and Knowledge and also resulted in many Regional Herbaria, still functioning today. 

I now live in Augusta where Georgiana Molloy first developed her love and knowledge of the WA flora. She was one of this States’ first plant collectors but there has been little recognition of her contribution to the present day knowledge of our remarkable flora. 

Here's hoping this calendar will in some small way enable more people to appreciate the importance of her work, often done under very difficult conditions. 

Calendar Size 34 x 24 cms;

There is some historical background; and with each month a species is illustrated together with interesting information.

Sample calendar page: each month page has selected entries from the Molloy Diaries and important dates in the life of Georgiana Molloy of Augusta.

The cost of the calendar is $20, including postage
Contact: Janette Gathe on (08) 9758 0224 to order, or leave your name, phone no. and you will be contacted asap.