Flowers A to Z - Waxflower

Waxflower

Botanical Name :	Chamelaucium uncinatum
Common Name :	Waxflower, Geraldton Wax-flower
Product Use :	Cut Flower
Pronunciation :	cham-e-LAW-see-um un-si-NAY-tum
Family Roots :	Member of the Myrtaceae (myrtle) family. Native to Australia. Related species include Eucalyptus, bottlebrush and Leptospermum.
Personality :	Flowers 1/2 inch across, occur along stems with needle-like leaves. Stems 24-36 inches long. Plant is a woody shrub, classed as a dicotyledon, leaves not parallel veined. Flowers are not fragrant.
Availability :	Nearly year-round.
Flower Color :	White, pink, purple, cream, rose.
Decorative Life :	Mostly 5-9 days but varies greatly depending on species and cultivar. For example, Faragher et al. (2000) report that 'Newmarracarra' had a 5 day vaselife while 'Mullering Brook' lasted 12 days in the same experiment.
Ethylene Sensitivity :	High
Ethylene Comments :	Yes, flower and leaf fall as well as leaf yellowing can be the result. Treat with an anti-ethylene product. Both MCP and STS work well. However, when no external ethylene is present, STS and MCP add little if any vaselife. Treating for 12 hours with 10 ppb MCP at 35 or 68F resulted in ethylene protection for 2 and 4 days, respectively. In contrast, treating with 0.5 millimolar STS for the same 12 hours and the same 35 or 68F resulted in 10 days of protection.
Post Harvest Care Opportunities :	Remove bottom leaves if present, recut stems under water and place into a fresh flower food solution. The addition of potassium chloride at 750 ppm to vase solutions can help to extend vaselife, probably through improvements in internal water balances. Dry storage and/or shipping induced water stresses can induce ethylene formation and the resulting ethylene-induced damages. Therefore, proper hydration steps must be taken and anti-ethylene treatments can reduce water stressed induced problems. Ethylene absorbing packets placed in boxes can reduce flower and leaf fall during transit.
Storage Specifics :	At 32-34 F, up to 2 weeks, treat with fungicide to prevent Botrytis. The presence of Botrytis during transport can greatly accelerate premature flower fall.
Preharvest & Harvest Factors:	Low nitrogen fertilization during production results in poor leaf color and contributes to leaf fall during transit while optimum nitrogen levels can increase vaselife. Depending on species and cultivar, harvest when 25-80% of the flowers are open.
Tidbits :	Chamelaucium: Greek for dwarf and white. The specific epithet name "uncinatum" means hooked at the point. Often grown in Australia and shipped to the US floral industry. Excellent filler for bouquets. This family is important economically for many edible fruits including guava, rose-apple, spices such as allspice and cloves, timber (eucalyptus) and many ornamental species. Water stress symptoms often appear on leaves before flowers. See More at Hoogasian Flowers A to Z: http://www.hoogasian.com/FlowersAtoZ.html