Midstorey

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Dune fan-flower Scaevola calendulacea

When it flowers

Scaevola calendulacea Narrabeen beach sand dune
Scaevola calendulacea Narrabeen beach sand dune. Photo: Poyt448, Peter Woodard, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Dune Fan Flower, Scaevola calendulacea, growing on a hillside. Garie, Royal National Park, NSW Australia, April 2013.
Dune Fan Flower, Scaevola calendulacea, growing on a hillside. Garie, Royal National Park, NSW Australia, April 2013.. Photo: John Tann from Sydney, Australia, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Dune Fan Flower, Scaevola calendulacea can form a mat on coastal dunes. Garie, Royal National Park, NSW Australia, April 2013.
Dune Fan Flower, Scaevola calendulacea can form a mat on coastal dunes. Garie, Royal National Park, NSW Australia, April 2013.. Photo: John Tann from Sydney, Australia, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Fleshy coastal groundcover with blue fan-flowers, made for sand dunes and salt spray.

A spreading groundcover from the east coast's sand dunes, with succulent leaves and blue to purple fan-shaped flowers from spring to autumn. Binds sand and handles salt spray.

In the garden

  • Pots and containers
  • Rockery
  • Banks and slopes
Flowers
Blue to purple fan-shaped flowers.
Leaves
Fleshy, oval, bright green leaves.
Attracts
Pollinating insects and butterflies

Growing conditions

Climate
Subtropical and temperate
Light
Full sun
Soil
Sandy
Drainage
Needs good drainage
Frost
Light frost
Water
Very drought tolerant
Coast
Exposed to salt spray

Planting and care

Grown from
Cuttings

Planting

Full sun in sand, including frontline dunes. Space 1 m apart.

Pruning

Trim back by a third after a flush of flowers to keep it dense.

Care

No feeding needed. Water only until established.

Where it comes from

Family
Goodeniaceae
Order
Asterales
Native to
New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria
Natural range
Coastal sand dunes from Queensland to eastern Victoria.

Where to buy

Specialist native nurseries.

We don't have stockists listed for this plant yet. Local native nurseries are often the best place to ask.

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