Australian Harebell

The Australian Harebell, Isotoma axillaris. 

Look what's available in the Peacehaven nursery this week: the Australian Harebell, Isotoma axillaris. 

It is one of my favourite wildflowers, flowering as early as October, right through to May.

Here are some tips from the Australian National Botanic Gardens website: It grows in damp crevices or shallow soil in rocky areas, and is particularly suitable for planting in rockeries, containers and native cottage gardens. Isotoma axillaris is easily propagated and requires minimal maintenance, yet flowers profusely and for many months. The plants thrive in well-drained, humus-enriched soil and full sun, but will tolerate dappled shade. They give lasting flower displays in return for very little work. http://www.anbg.gov.au/gnp/interns-2008/isotoma-spp.html  

Be careful when preparing cuttings. The stems exude a white latex that may cause irritation to sensitive skin. However the sap seems to be equally distasteful to potential herbivores.

Isotoma: from iso, meaning equal, and toma, meaning a section, referring to the equal lengths of the corolla segments, helping to distinguish Isotoma from the genus Lobelia.


axillaris: borne in the axil, referring to the position of the flowers in the axils of leaves.