Eriostemon - Philotheca

The genus  Eriostemon, also known as  Philotheca, includes approximately 45 species of the Rutaceae family, closely related to Boronia and related to citrus trees. Still not widely spread in our gardens, eriostemons are starting to be known by gardeners through the Philotheca myoporoides or its variegated form 'Gold Touch', two beautiful evergreen bushes with a gentle habit that resemble orange trees. The Philothecas are bushes with single leaves, arranged alternately on the branches, aromatic when crushed, producing small star-shaped flowers with 5 petals. All species are endemic to Australia. To decorate the garden or terrace, there are some pretty horticultural selections such as 'Winter Rouge', more compact, with deep pink flower buds that open into white-pink stars, or 'Profusion', vigorous and very floriferous, capable of flowering for a good part of the year. It is a plant that requires non-calcareous soil, similar to heath soil. Philotheca myoporoides is the hardiest species in the genus, down to -10 °C in extreme cold. It tolerates sandy and dry soils in summer, as well as sea spray, making it a good plant for the Atlantic coast.