Sweet Flower Tea.

"A Plant a Day"- Heath Banksia (Banksia ericifolia)-

 A favorite among Australia gardens for many years, the Heath Banksia is a large shrub (although dwarf forms also exist) that produces showy flower spikes in autumn with red, gold or orange (or variations of all three) inflorescences that can reach up to about 9 inches long. The shrubs are very hardy and make good screens or hedges. The flowers also have some use in trade as cut flowers. The flower spikes of this species (and most other Banksias) tend to be sticky with sweet nectar, and thus the use by the Aboriginal peoples of Australia is to soak the flowers in water to make a nicely sweet drink, or just to suck on the flowers themselves.

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Photo by fir0002flastaffotos [at] gmail.com