They often appear to be in rounded groups or spikes but in fact are always single, each flower borne on a separate stalk in a leaf axil.

The profuse and striking display of intricate flowers of many species has led them to being harvested for floristry or simply admired as a wildflower.

The fringed or feathered appearance of the flowers is often enhanced by vivid and contrasting colours: this has given a common name for the genus, featherflower.

Verticordia are native to Western Australia and the Northern Territory, and are closely related to Chamelaucium, Rylstonea, and Darwinia.

The single flowers are often presented erect, these may be supported individually or grouped into tight displays of various arrangements.

Menzies sailed on HMS Discovery during the Vancouver Expedition and made his collections in October 1791 near King George Sound, but these specimens would remain undescribed for 35 years.

[3]: 6 [5] The first formal description of the genus Verticordia was written in 1828 by Augustin de Candolle and published in his Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis.

The derivation of the name Verticordia was not explained by de Candolle, but it has generally been taken as a reference to the epithet of the ancient Roman goddess Venus.

[12] The German botanist Ludwig Preiss collected more than 2,000 species of plants whilst living in Western Australia, including those named V. endlicheriana,[13] V. habrantha[14] and V. lehmannii[15] by Schauer in 1843.

The mediterranean climate, sandy soils of the Southwest of the state, is where the greatest number of Verticordia species are found.

All species require excellent drainage and prefer Mediterranean-type climate of very dry summers and wet winters.

The cultivation of Verticordia in the Eastern states of Australia has proved difficult; many of the species are intolerant of the wet summers of those regions, especially with regard to root or collar rot and moulds and mildew.

The successes achieved by some growers have been through the use of bell jars, attention to soil types and potting mixes, and, experimentally, the use of grafting onto plants of related genera, such as Darwinia citriodora and Geraldton Wax, Chamelaucium uncinatum.