The Eora people called this flower the waratah which in their language meant beautiful. "The generic name telopea is derived from the Greek 'telopos', meaning 'seen from afar', and refers to the great distance from which the crimson flowers are discernible. The specific name speciosissima is the superlative of the Latin adjective 'speciosus', meaning 'beautiful' or 'handsome'."
The waratah is a beacon in the bush, and it is tragedy that so many of these magnificent flowers are being stolen from National Parks to be sold. On Saturday we could only find a few specimens in Budderoo where usually there are many. It really is a wonderful sight to see a waratah flowering in the bush.
