Scaevola aemula — feature photo. Photo: Nasser Halaweh

Native Grasses & Groundcovers

Fairy fan-flower — Scaevola aemula

Scaevola aemula

Host plant for butterflies and insects Pollinator favourite Showy flowers Resilient garden plant

$5.00

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In stock and available to order

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Plant profile

At a glance

The essentials for finding the right garden position.

Mature size: Height: 0.2–0.5 m · Width: 0.5–1 m
Light: Full sun, Part shade
Water: Dry, Moist
Soil: Sandy, Loamy
Drainage: Free-draining
Vegetation type: Dry Eucalypt
Plant lifespan: Perennial
Plant form: Grasses & Groundcovers

Plant ratings

A quick guide to this plant’s value for wildlife and the garden.

Bird food value
Host plant value
Pollinator value
Shelter & habitat value
Flower display
Garden resilience

About this plant

Fairy fan-flower is a low, spreading native herb with bright green leaves and masses of fan-shaped blue to mauve flowers during warmer months. It makes a colourful edge to native garden beds, a soft ground layer beneath open shrubs and a useful flower resource for visiting insects. Give it full sun to part shade and free-draining soil.

Images show flowering plants in cultivation. The cultivar of the Heidelberg plant is unconfirmed; its exact colour and habit are not a guarantee for the supplied stock.

Image credits:
Feature: Nasser Halaweh via Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 4.0
Flowering patch: Nemracc via Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 3.0

More plant details

Garden uses: Flowering garden edge, rockery, low groundcover, native bee garden and container display.
Wildlife value: Blue-mauve flowers support visiting native bees and other insects. The foliage is a documented food source for Meadow Argus caterpillars, while its spreading habit shelters small ground-level invertebrates.
Flowering and fruiting: Blue to mauve fan-shaped flowers appear over an extended warm-season flowering period.
Growth habit: Low, spreading perennial herb with trailing stems and fan-shaped flowers.
Cautions: The species occurs naturally in parts of SEQ, but the Gold Coast distribution and provenance of this batch are not established. Prefer verified local provenance near remnant vegetation; avoid prolonged waterlogging.