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Alyogyne huegelii 'White Swan' (White Australian Hibiscus) - An evergreen shrub that grows to about 6-8 feet tall by as wide with 4 inch wide white flowers that blush violet and are borne solitarily in leaf axils - this species typically has flowers with pale blue petals. Primary flowering is in spring, but it will often have a few flowers present nearly year-round.
A fairly hardy and adaptable shrub, which is lime, drought and frost tolerant. It requires a well-drained soil, but can be grown in sand, loam or clay soils though resents phosphorus fertilizer. It can be grown in full sun, or in partial shade but blooms best with the brighter light. Protection from strong winds is recommended as is little irrigation, especially if the plants are established and well mulched. Once established supplementary watering should be required only during extremely dry conditions, but is tolerated provided the plants are in a well-drained position. Cold hardy to 25° F. If unpruned Alyogyne huegelii becomes a little sparse of foliage on lower branches but this white form seems more compact. Like the species it can be pruned back quite hard after flowering with new shoots initiating from old wood or tipped back frequently and lightly during the flowering season and pruning will result in an even denser, more compact plant.
The species Alyogyne huegelii is native to South Australia and Western Australia. The generic name is derived from the Greek 'alytos' - "united" or "undivided" and 'gyne' - " woman" or "female" and is said to be a reference to the unbranched style. The specific epithet given this plant by the Austrian botanist Stephan Endlicher honors Charles von Hügel, the Baron von Huegel (1795-1870) an Austrian army officer, diplomat, botanist and explorer who botanized Western Australia, Tasmania and New South Wales from 1833 to 1834 and returned to Vienna with a collection of plants later to be described by Endlicher.
This plant was one of many that were selected at the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum from material imported from Australia by the late Ray Collett and the name given this was a play on the cultivar name 'Swan River', a very popular cultivar in Australia. We first noted this plant, with its compact growth form and exceptionally large white flowers that were flushed a violet color, growing at Seaside Gardens in Carpinteria and our cuttings originated from there. We grew and sold it from 2015 until closing the nursery in 2025.
The information displayed on this page about Alyogyne huegelii 'White Swan' is based on our research conducted about this plant from books in our nursery library as well as from information that is provided by reliable online resources. We also have included our own observations made about it as it grew in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers when we had them in our nursery field. We also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.
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