Holly-leaved fuchsia

You might have seen it around lately, the holly-leaved fuchsia or Mt Blackwood holly (Graptophyllum ilicifolium) is in flower! This pretty native gets its common name from the fact that its leaves look like holly. To be honest I’m not sure about the fuchsia part. The flowers are fuchsia coloured I guess, but I can’t say they resemble real fuchsias at all. Whilst it is readily available in nurseries, this gorgeous shrub is actually classed as vulnerable and threatened with extinction in the wild. It is endemic to Central Eastern Queensland - mainly around the Mackay region. The flower is actually the logo for the Mackay Regional Botanic Gardens. There are 6 populations in that area, where it naturally grows in rocky creek beds, and one population reported further south in Miriam Vale.

Despite being a little lacklustre and scruffy in the wild, the holly-leaved fuchsia has taken off in horticulture and makes a lush small-large shrub. It can grow 3-4m tall but responds very well to pruning and hedging which keeps it nice and compact. It can be grown in full sun but prefers some light shade and it’s drought tolerant, but will look much much better if you water it (ahhh that old chestnut…).

The genus name Graptophyllum comes from the Greek graptos meaning written on, and phyllon, meaning leaf - which I think is less obvious in this species but if you’ve seen the “caricature plant” G. pictum you’ll appreciate the reference. Ilicifolium is in reference to its holly-like leaves (holly genus is Ilex). Despite looking prickly though it’s not so would make an excellent addition to your backyard.

There are other native bushes that are described as ‘native holly’ and have similar shaped leaves - an easy way of identifying the Mt Blackwood holly when it’s not in flower is that the leaves alternate between large and small. Other shrubs have consistent leaf sizes!

You can see the larger and smaller leaf pattern.