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Bauera rubioides

river rose

Cunoniaceae Southeastern Australia and Tasmania

SunFull Sun – Part Shade

Overview

Bauera rubioides is a wiry evergreen shrub of variable form, ranging from a low straggling mat 30 cm (12 in) high to an upright bush 1-2 m (3-6.5 ft) tall, with slender tangled reddish stems. The small stalkless leaves are arranged in opposite pairs but each divided into three leaflets, so they appear as whorls of six narrow segments 5-15 mm (0.2-0.6 in) long around the stem. Through much of the year, peaking in spring, it carries solitary nodding flowers 1-2 cm (0.4-0.8 in) across on thread-like stalks, each with six to ten petals in white through pink to deep rose, surrounding a tuft of pale stamens. It grows in wet heath, swamp margins, stream banks, and moist forest from sea level to subalpine zones in southeastern Australia and Tasmania, often in peaty acidic ground. The wiry scrambling stems can knit into dense thickets. It needs reliably moist acidic soil and will not tolerate dry, limy conditions.

Native Range

Native to southeastern Australia, including New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania, in wet heath, swamp and stream margins, and moist forest from the coast to subalpine elevations, usually on peaty acidic soils.

Suggested Uses

Grown in bog gardens, pond and stream margins, moist rockeries, and native heath plantings, and as a low scrambling cover on damp banks. Its moisture needs suit wetland-style gardens rather than dry borders.

How to Identify

A wiry tangled shrub whose leaves appear as whorls of six narrow segments around the stem, carrying nodding six- to ten-petalled flowers in white to deep pink on thread-like stalks. The reddish wiry stems and damp heathland setting help identify it. Flower colour varies between plants from white to rose.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height1' - 6'6"

Width/Spread1'6" - 5'

Colors

Flower Colors

Foliage Colors

Fall Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~12 weeks

Spring Summer

Nodding pink to white flowers appear over a long season, mainly in spring but scattered through much of the year in mild, moist sites. Each flower sits singly on a slender thread-like stalk and lasts well. Peak flowering brings a haze of pink over the foliage.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

White, pink to deep rose

Foliage Description

Green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun SunPartial Shade

Requires 3-10 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range4.0 - 6.0(Acidic)

357912

Soil Types

peat sand loam

Drainagemoist

Water & Climate

Water Needs

High

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Grows in part shade to full sun in permanently moist to wet, acidic, peaty or sandy soil, and tolerates boggy ground that defeats many shrubs. It must not dry out at the roots and declines in alkaline or sharply draining soil. Cool roots, steady moisture, and a mulched surface keep it healthy. It withstands frost and grows in cold districts. In hot dry positions the foliage browns and the plant thins.

Pruning

Tolerates trimming to shape and can be cut back after the main spring flush to stay dense. Light, regular tip-pruning prevents the wiry stems from becoming straggly. It reshoots from older wood.

⚠️ Toxicity Warning

Unknown