The floral emblem of New South Wales, Australia, is the waratah.
The emblem refers especially to Telopea speciosissima, commonly called the New South Wales waratah. This spectacular Proteaceae shrub is endemic to New South Wales and produces large crimson flowerheads made from hundreds of individual flowers. Its natural range follows parts of the state’s coastal and nearby mountain regions.
Waratah is an Aboriginal word associated with the Eora people of the Sydney region. The flower became a powerful Australian cultural symbol through Indigenous traditions, commercial art, advertising and the New South Wales Waratahs rugby team. It was formally proclaimed the state’s floral emblem in 1962, although it had been used informally for many years.
A common mix-up is Golden wattle, which is Australia’s national floral emblem, not New South Wales’s state emblem. Tasmanian blue gum belongs to Tasmania, while Sturt’s desert pea is associated with South Australia. The waratah’s showy head is technically an inflorescence, rather than one single flower.