About Conospermum taxifolium C.F.Gaertn.
Conospermum taxifolium, commonly known as variable smoke-bush, is an erect shrub with rod-like branches that typically grows up to 1.5 metres (4 feet 11 inches) in height. Its leaves are spreading to erect, twisted, and shaped from narrow elliptic to narrow egg-shaped with the narrower end at the base. The leaves measure 5–30 mm (0.20–1.18 in) long and 1–3 mm (0.039–0.118 in) wide.
Flowers of this species are arranged in panicles 10–30 mm (0.39–1.18 in) wide, borne at the ends of branches or in leaf axils on peduncles 10–30 mm (0.39–1.18 in) long. The flowers are sessile, with a bluish bract around 3 mm (0.12 in) long at their base. They are tube-shaped, with white to cream-coloured tepals 6–7 mm (0.24–0.28 in) long that are hairy on the outside. The upper lip of the flower is sac-like, while the lower lip has three lobes. Flowering occurs between August and November, and the fruit is a hairy nut 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) long.
Conospermum taxifolium grows in heath and woodland on the coast and adjacent nearby ranges, and sometimes occurs further inland. It has a widespread distribution, ranging from southern Queensland through eastern New South Wales to the far eastern corner of Victoria.
