Photo: division, CSIRO, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

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Albany Daisy

Actinodium cunninghamii

Also known as Albany Daisy Bush, Cunningham's Actinodium, Swamp Daisy

At a glance

Family

Myrtaceae

Type

Woody flowering shrub

Parts used

Flowering stems (ornamental and cut-flower use only)

Size

A small, twiggy shrub, generally 0.5 to 1.5 meters tall and about as wide

Bloom

Late winter through spring, roughly August to November in its native Western Australia

Habitat

Seasonally damp sandplains, heath, and swampy flats in the far southwest corner of Western Australia, especially around Albany, the Stirling Range, and the Fitzgerald River area

Acquisition

Grow or buy

This plant in HerbSense

Key benefits

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Showy daisy-like blooms

Draws native bees and insects

Thrives in damp, boggy ground

Excellent long-lasting cut flower

Traditional uses

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Actinodium cunninghamii carries no documented history as a medicinal or culinary herb, and none should be assumed or invented for it. Its real story is a botanical one: it belongs to the myrtle family, yet it evolved a flower head so convincingly daisy-shaped that early botanists and collectors were charmed and puzzled in equal measure. It was named for the Scottish botanist Allan Cunningham, who explored and collected extensively along the Australian coast in the early nineteenth century. In more recent generations, growers in Western Australia's wildflower districts have prized it not for the medicine chest but for the vase, cutting its papery, everlasting-style blooms for florists and gardens that want a touch of the southwest bush.

Growing guide

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Sun

Full sun to very light, dappled shade; flowering is best and stems stay compact in open, bright sites.

Soil

Sandy, acidic, low-phosphorus soil that holds moisture, mimicking the seasonally wet sandplains it comes from. Good drainage in summer paired with reliable moisture in the cooler months suits it best.

Water

Likes consistent moisture and tolerates periods of waterlogged, boggy ground far better than most shrubs. Established plants cope with dry spells, but they sulk if left bone dry for long.

Planting

Set out tube stock in the cooler part of the year so roots can settle before summer heat arrives. It suits a Mediterranean-style climate with wet winters and dry summers, and does well massed at the front of a native or wildflower bed where its low, twiggy habit and pale blooms can be appreciated up close.

Fresh to dried

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Harvest

Cut flowering stems once the daisy-like heads are fully open but still fresh and firm, choosing morning hours when stems are well hydrated.

Drying

Bundle a few stems together and hang them upside down in a dark, airy spot; the papery bracts hold their shape and color well, in the same way many other Western Australian everlasting flowers do.

Storage

Keep dried stems in a cool, dry, dark place, away from humidity and direct light, to preserve their color for arrangements.

Best forms

Fresh as a cut flower, or air-dried for long-lasting floral arrangements; there is no established food, tea, or extract form.

Pairs well with

✦Kangaroo paw (Anigozanthos)
✦Banksia
✦Featherflower (Verticordia)

Substitutes

✦Strawflower (Xerochrysum)
✦Paper daisy (Rhodanthe)

Choose it when

“For the gardener who wants a piece of Western Australia's wild southwest, blooming like a daisy but rooted, quite literally, in myrtle.”

Did you know?

Despite its name and daisy-like look, Actinodium cunninghamii is not a daisy at all. True daisies belong to the Asteraceae family, but this plant is a myrtle, and what looks like a single flower is actually a tight cluster of tiny true flowers ringed by colorful petal-like bracts, a striking case of two unrelated plant families arriving at the same charming disguise.

Safety

Albany Daisy has no established history of being eaten or used medicinally, so it isn't taken internally.