Telopea Speciosissima (Waratah)

Rare c.19th lithograph of the Waratah the floral emblem of New South Wales.

Modern binomial name: Telopea speciosissima
First described;: James Edward Smith 1793
Distribution: NSW, Found in the coast and mountain districts of New South Wales, from the Hunter River in the north to the Clyde and Braidwood district in the south.

Smith noted; in his account, A Specimen of the Botany of New Holland, “very fine dried specimens sent by Mr. White”. He gave the species its original binomial name of Embothrium speciosissimum. Robert Brown suggested the genus Telopea for it in 1809, which was published in 1810.

From L’Illustration horticole : journal spécial des serres et des jardins, ou choix raisonné des plantes les plus intérressantes sous le rapport ornemental, comprenant leur histoire complete, leur description comparée, leur figure et leur culture.