Ricinocarpos 
bowman ii 
Ricinocarpos bowmanii is a delightful 
small shrub which is ideally suited to. 
growing in a rockery, as a specimen plant, 
or against a background of taller shrubs. 
In spring and early summer the whole 
bush is conspicuously laden with clusters 
of starry white or pale pink flowers which 
have inspired the name of ‘pink wedding 
bush’. 
This plant is a member of the large 
family Euphorbiaceae which has a world 
wide distribution. It is an extremely 
variable family and includes many species 
of commercial importance. Products such 
as rubber, dyes and oils are derived from 
some of its members. 
There are about sixteen species in the 
genus Ricinocarpos with the majority 
occurring in Western Australia. R. bow¬ 
manii is common in woodlands and on 
hillsides west of the Great Dividing Range 
in Queensland and New South Wales. It 
is a stiff rounded shrub growing to 1 m 
high by 1 m across with slender branches. 
The narrow olive-green leaves are alter¬ 
nate, to 20 mm long, with margins which 
are usually recurved to the midrib. The 
undersurfaces of the leaves are paler with 
closely matted short hairs. 
The flowers have 5 spreading petals and 
are unisexual having separate male and 
female flowers on the same plant. The 
male flowers are produced in terminal 
clusters of 3 to 6 whilst the female flowers 
are borne alone or within the male 
clusters. The fruit is a globular capsule 
which splits open when ripe to release 3 
mottled seeds. 
This desirable plant is hardy, drought 
resistant and moderately frost resistant. 
For successful cultivation it requires a 
sheltered, well drained position in full sun 
or part shade. Plants which are thriving 
in the Australian National Botanic 
Gardens have been planted in the Rockery 
in a mixture of coarse river sand and 
Australian peat moss, but they also grow 
in the natural soil. 
R. bowmanii may be propagated from 
seed and cuttings. However, seed germi¬ 
nation can be erratic and it is advisable 
to use fresh seed. Some success has been 
achieved by immersing the seeds in almost 
boiling water prior to sowing. Tip cuttings 
of half-ripened wood should be taken 
between January and March and can take 
up to eight weeks to strike. Cuttings 
should be treated with a rooting hormone* 
such as 500 ppm IBA (indole butyric acid) 
and 500 ppm NAA (naphthaleneacetic 
acid). 
An application of a complete fertiliser* 
in spring and autumn will increase the 
vigour of the plant and light pruning 
throughout the plant’s development will 
help to retain its bushy habit. A light mulch 
composed of leaf litter is also beneficial. 
■ See Appendix 
339 
M. FAGG 
