Episode: #12 18/11/06
Presenter: Trevor Cochrane

One of Australia?s most beautiful and sought after tree is the Western Australian Christmas Tree (Nuytsia floribunda), a rare and unusual parasitic plant.

It?s December and January flower display is spectacular with masses of golden yellow flowers, turning the tree into a feature. The challenge for home gardeners wanting to grow this beauty is that it is slow growing and incredibly difficult to propagate, taking as long as 40 years to flower when grown from seed.

It has never been successfully transplanted and in recent years populations have suffered as tens of thousands of trees have disappeared as a part of land clearing. The good news is that this is one Aussie beauty that won?t disappear forever, thanks to the efforts of a Canadian.

Tom Gordon developed a transplant technique for the successful relocation of WA Christmas Trees.

If you want a real Aussie Christmas Tree then you can get more detail by visiting www.grasstrees.com.au