The Grevillea raybrownii is a shrub found throughout the northern Illawarra and Southern Highlands.
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It has lovely dense clusters of brown-toned flowers in spring but, Bulli resident Ray Brown says, it is also "a prickly bloody plant".
This, says the droll 73-year-old - who has been awarded an OAM this year for his services to conservation and the environment - might explain why the flower became his namesake.
The other explanation is that the professional gardener has dedicated much of his life to nurturing plants and even creating his own varieties of grevillea, like the Bulli Beauty.
For 30 years Mr Brown has been volunteering his time to take care of the Illawarra Grevillea Park, hidden behind Bulli Showground.
His Australia Day award citation will also recognise his work as a member of the Australian Native Plants Society, and his founding membership of the Bulli Black Diamond Museum and Heritage Centre.
Mr Brown said he was humbled and excited to be recognised for his "get out and do it" attitude, saying his greatest achievement was to become "really bloody good at what you do, whatever it is".
"What is really interesting about an award like this is that people like me who left school at 14 can actually achieve something," he said.
"14-year-old me wouldn't dream of receiving something like this, we were really lower class and we didn't really have a car. So it's really humbling, it shows you can be something."
He also said his wife Vivienne deserved "more than half" of the OAM for her support over more than 50 years, and said he had worked alongside countless other volunteers over the years.