Another January bloomer, Leucadendron salignum 'Winter Red' (Conebush), is a native of South Africa, photographed at UC Santa Cruz Arboretum. Those lovely, feathery-red bracts are often mistaken for flowers, but after the bracts fall away, a cone remains at the tip of the stem. The bracts are long-lasting and work well in floral arrangements.

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Erica canaliculata (Channelled Heath, Christmas Heather), a native to South Africa, at the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum, has thousands of cup-shaped, pink flowers in January. The species name "canaliculta" is Latin for "channeled" which refers to the grooves in older stems.

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