Cushion Bush is a dwarf flowering shrub, or sub shrub, in the daisy (Asteraceae) family and native to Australia. The plant has a rounded habit with tangled branchlets covered in wooly hairs that give it a silvery appearance. Although it can grow up to 3 feet high in 3 to 5 years, it is more usually in a range of 6 inches to 2 feet high. It produces flowers during summer (December to February in Australia), that are white-yellow with globular heads about a 1/2 inch in diameter. The genus was first described by botanist Robert Brown in 1819 and his name has been given to the only species in this genus. Cushion Bush grows best in full sun, but tolerates partial shade. Once established, it can tolerate wind, salt spray, drought, and frost. However, it requires a well-drained soil that ideally is sandy. It does not need supplemental fertilizers and will thrive in nutrient poor soil. It is a tough plant commonly found on the exposed cliffs and dunes on the south coast of Australia The leaves reflect light and are easily seen at night making them a good choice for a moon garden or they can be grown as a low hedge. It propagates easily by seed or semi-hardened stem cuttings. It will not tolerate hard pruning, but you can pinch out stem tips of young plants to encourage bushy growth. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: No known insect pests. Can be susceptible to grey mold.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil pH
Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Occasionally Dry
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal
Mature size
Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 6 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Dense; Erect; Mounding; Multi-stemmed; Rounded
Texture
Coarse
Foliage
Broadleaf Evergreen
Leaf color
Gray/Silver; White
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Lanceolate; Linear; Oblanceolate; Oblong
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf value
Fragrant
Leaf size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Short and narrow, scale like leaves in a variety of shapes; lanceolate, linear, narrowly elliptical, narrowly oblong, and ovate.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; Orange
Flower value
Showy
Flower shape
Dome
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Button-like, white-yellow to orange, flower heads with 1/2 inch heads form in the late Australian spring to summer (December through February) pollinated by various insects. Flowers are terminal and pale yellow flower heads age to creamy white.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Brown/Copper; Gray/Silver
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit detail
Dry fruiting heads appear grey-bown.
Stem detail
Hairy, tangled branchlets with a silvery appearance.