Westringia fruticosa (Willd.) Druce
Australian rosemary, coastal rosemary
Australian rosemary is native to southern New South Wales in Australia. It is not found in the wild in North America. Westringia is named for 18th century Swedish physician J. P. Westring, and fruticosa means shrubby or bushlike.
Plants: This irregular shrub is 3–6′ tall ⨉ 5–10′ wide (91–182 cm ⨉ 1.5–3 m).
Leaves: Opposite, whorled leaves are green to gray-green, and needle-like, with white undersides.
Flowers: White, hairy five-petaled flowers, with pink spots, are about ¼″ (8.3 mm) across. The petals are fused at the base.
Fruits: Small mericarps or ‘nutlets’. A cluster of 4 is produced at the base of each flower after pollination. They are 1/32–1/16″ (1–2 mm) long.
Habitats: Very close to the ocean, on coastal cliffs and sand dunes as well as hills. It is often found on sandstone and sand but can be found on heavier shale-enriched soils and forms part of Coastal shrublands and heathlands as well as dune forests and woodlands.
From the Australian National Botanic Gardens. 
Online References:
9/7/2010 · New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, Boylston, Massachusetts · ≈ 1½ × 1′ (52 × 34 cm) 
9/7/2010 · New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, Boylston, Massachusetts · ≈ 17 × 12″ (44 × 29 cm) 
9/7/2010 · New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, Boylston, Massachusetts · ≈ 9 × 6″ (22 × 14 cm) 
| Parents | Unknown | Genus is not in the current taxonomy |
| Genus | Westringia | For 18th century Swedish physician J. P. Westring |
| Species | fruticosa | From the Latin frutex, “a shrub,” therefore, shrubby, bushy |
Westringia fruticosa description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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