Adenanthos ileticos

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Adenanthos ileticos
Status DECF P4.svg
Priority Four — Rare Taxa (DEC)
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Proteales
Family: Proteaceae
Genus: Adenanthos
Section: Adenanthos sect. Adenanthos
Species:
A. ileticos
Binomial name
Adenanthos ileticos

Adenanthos ileticos is a species of shrub in the family Proteaceae. It has roughly triangular, lobed leaves, and pale pink-red and cream, inconspicuous flowers. A rare species, it is known only from a single location in the south-west of Western Australia. It was discovered in 1968, and immediately brought into cultivation, but it would not be formally published and named until a decade later.

Contents

Description

Adenanthos ileticos grows as an erect, spreading lignotuberous shrub, usually up to 2 m (7 ft) high, but occasionally to 3 m (10 ft). It has roughly triangular leaves, up to 10 mm long and around 5 mm wide, with three lobes across the top. The flowers, which appear between August and November, are pale pink-red and cream, with a style which is about 32 mm long. [2] [3]

It is somewhat similar in appearance to A. cuneatus and A. forrestii , but the former has much larger leaves, and the other much deeper lobes, than A. ileticos. [3]

Taxonomy

This species was first collected by John Wrigley of the Australian National Botanic Gardens in 1968. Wrigley took cuttings and the plant was established in cultivation at the gardens. Later, Ernest Charles Nelson worked with Wrigley while developing a comprehensive taxonomic revision of Adenanthos . [4] He recognised the cultivated plants as an undescribed species, and in 1973 revisited Wrigley's collection location to collect further native specimens. When he eventually published his revision in 1978, he gave this species the specific epithet ileticos from the Greek word for wriggle, as a pun on Wrigley. [2] Wrigley states "his Irish sense of humour showed through when assigning the... name". [4]

Nelson followed George Bentham in dividing Adenanthos into two sections, placing A. ileticos into A. sect. Adenanthos because its perianth tube is fairly straight, and not swollen above the middle. He further divided the section into two subsections, with A. ileticos placed into A. subsect. Adenanthos for reasons including the length of its perianth. [2] However Nelson discarded his own subsections in his 1995 treatment of Adenanthos for the Flora of Australia series of monographs. [3]

The placement of A. ileticos in Nelson's arrangement of Adenanthos may be summarised as follows: [3]

Adenanthos
A. sect. Eurylaema (4 species)
A. sect. Adenanthos
A. drummondii
A. dobagii
A. apiculatus
A. linearis
A. pungens (2 subspecies)
A. gracilipes
A. venosus
A. dobsonii
A. glabrescens (2 subspecies)
A. ellipticus
A. cuneatus
A. stictus
A. ileticos
A. forrestii
A. eyrei
A. cacomorphus
A. flavidiflorus
A. argyreus
A. macropodianus
A. terminalis
A. sericeus (2 subspecies)
A. × cunninghamii
A. oreophilus
A. cygnorum (2 subspecies)
A. meisneri
A. velutinus
A. filifolius
A. labillardierei
A. acanthophyllus

The species is said to be not closely related to any other species, with its closest relatives probably being A. cuneatus and perhaps A. forrestii. [2]

Common names

The common name most often reported for A. ileticos is Club-leaf Adenanthos. [5] [4] However Nelson regards this as a "concocted" common name, "rather crudely made up from an English word or two tagged on to unitalicized Adenanthos". He notes that the leaves of this species resemble neither a cudgel nor the symbol of the clubs card suit, making club-leaf a misnomer; and he adds that Wrigley's "would have respectfully preserved the associations intended by the original author". [6]

Distribution and habitat

This species is known only from a single location around 10 to 30 km (5–20 mi) south of Salmon Gums on the Coolgardie–Esperance Highway in southern Western Australia. It is locally quite abundant there, growing in sandy soil amongst open woodland of Eucalyptus and Hakea multilineata . [2]

Conservation status

Though locally abundant within its range, A. ileticos is only known from a single location. The habitat there is very badly disturbed and is threatened by use of the area for agriculture and road construction. [2] It was gazetted as rare in 1980, thus affording it legislative protection under the Wildlife Conservation Act 1950 ; but it has since been downgraded to "Priority Four - Rare" on the Department of Environment and Conservation's Declared Rare and Priority Flora List. [5] This means that the species is considered to be rare, but there do not appear to be any serious threats to its survival.

It is highly susceptible to Phytophthora cinnamomi dieback. [7]

Cultivation

Adenanthos ileticos is considered a suitable background plant because of its unusual leaf shape, but its flowers are not at all showy. It is easily struck from cuttings, and grows well in well-drained soils. It is hardy to frost, but intolerant of high summer humidity. [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>Adenanthos</i> Genus of Australian native shrubs in the flowering plant family Proteaceae

Adenanthos is a genus of Australian native shrubs in the flowering plant family Proteaceae. Variable in habit and leaf shape, it is the only genus in the family where solitary flowers are the norm. It was discovered in 1791, and formally published by Jacques Labillardière in 1805. The type species is Adenanthos cuneatus, and 33 species are recognised. The genus is placed in subfamily Proteoideae, and is held to be most closely related to several South African genera.

<i>Adenanthos sericeus</i> Species of shrub native to the south coast of Western Australia

Adenanthos sericeus, commonly known as woolly bush, is a shrub native to the south coast of Western Australia. It has bright red but small and obscure flowers, and very soft, deeply divided, hairy leaves.

<i>Adenanthos obovatus</i> A shrub of the plant family Proteaceae endemic to Southwest Australia

Adenanthos obovatus, commonly known as basket flower, or, jugflower, is a shrub of the plant family Proteaceae endemic to Southwest Australia. Described by French naturalist Jacques Labillardière in 1805, it had first been collected by Archibald Menzies in 1791. Within the genus Adenanthos, it lies in the section Eurylaema and is most closely related to A. barbiger. A. obovatus has hybridized with A. detmoldii to produce the hybrid A. × pamela. Several common names allude to the prominent red flowers of the species. It grows as a many-stemmed spreading bush up to 1 m (3.3 ft) high, and about 1.5 m (4.9 ft) across, with fine bright green foliage. Made up of single red flowers, the inflorescences appear from April to December, and peak in spring.

Adenanthos terminalis, commonly known as gland flower, yellow gland flower or adenanthos, is a one metre tall shrub in the family Proteaceae. It is found in south eastern regions of Australia, in the states of South Australia and Victoria, and is the most widespread of the two Adenanthos species occurring outside of Western Australia.

Nelsons taxonomic arrangement of <i>Adenanthos</i> First modern arrangement of the plant genus

Ernest Charles Nelson's taxonomic arrangement of Adenanthos was the first modern-day arrangement of that plant genus. First published in his 1978 Brunonia article "A taxonomic revision of the genus Adenanthos (Proteaceae)", it superseded the arrangement of George Bentham, which had stood for over a hundred years. It was updated by Nelson in his 1995 treatment for the Flora of Australia series of monographs.

<i>Adenanthos cuneatus</i> Shrub of the family Proteaceae native to the south coast of Western Australia.

Adenanthos cuneatus, also known as coastal jugflower, flame bush, bridle bush and sweat bush, is a shrub of the family Proteaceae, native to the south coast of Western Australia. The French naturalist Jacques Labillardière originally described it in 1805. Within the genus Adenanthos, it lies in the section Adenanthos and is most closely related to A. stictus. A. cuneatus has hybridized with four other species of Adenanthos. Growing to 2 m high and wide, it is erect to prostrate in habit, with wedge-shaped lobed leaves covered in fine silvery hair. The single red flowers are insignificant, and appear all year, though especially in late spring. The reddish new growth occurs over the summer.

<i>Adenanthos macropodianus</i> Species of shrub in the family Proteaceae endemic to Kangaroo Island in South Australia

Adenanthos macropodianus, commonly known as gland flower, or Kangaroo Island gland flower, is a species of shrub in the family Proteaceae. It is endemic to Kangaroo Island in South Australia. First published as a variety of A. sericeus in 1870, it was promoted to species rank in 1978.

Adenanthos cacomorphus is a small shrub in the family Proteaceae. It is found in southwest Western Australia.

<i>Adenanthos detmoldii</i> Species of shrub in the family Proteaceae endemic to the south-west of Western Australia.

Adenanthos detmoldii, commonly known as Scott River jugflower or yellow jugflower, is a species of shrub in the family Proteaceae. It is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia.

<i>Adenanthos barbiger</i> Species of shrub in the family Proteaceae endemic to the south-west of Western Australia

Adenanthos barbiger, the hairy jugflower or hairy glandflower, is a species of shrub in the family Proteaceae. It is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It usually grows to 1 metre high, and has bright red flowers that appear mostly between August and December. The species was first formally described in 1839 by English botanist John Lindley in A sketch of the vegetation of the Swan River colony.

<i>Adenanthos pungens</i> Species of shrub in the family Proteaceae endemic to the south-west of Western Australia

Adenanthos pungens, the spiky adenanthos, is a species of shrub in the family Proteaceae. It is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia.

<i>Adenanthos <span style="font-style:normal;">×</span> cunninghamii</i> Species of hybrid shrub in the family Proteaceae endemic to the south-west of Western Australia

Adenanthos × cunninghamii, commonly known as woollybush, Albany woollybush or prostrate woollybush, is a hybrid shrub in the family Proteaceae. It is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia.

Adenanthos dobagii, commonly known as Fitzgerald woollybush, is a shrub in the family Proteaceae. It grows to a mere 50 cm high, with crowded small silvery leaves and insignificant pink or cream flowers. It occurs only in southwestern Australia, where it is found in Fitzgerald River National Park on the south coast.

Adenanthos eyrei is a species of shrub in the family Proteaceae. Restricted to a single cliff-top dune system on the remote south coast of Western Australia, it is listed as rare and endangered. It was discovered by E. Charles Nelson in 1973, and formally described and named in 1978.

<i>Adenanthos <span style="font-style:normal;">sect.</span> Adenanthos</i> Taxonomic section of plants in the genus Proteaceae

Adenanthos sect. Adenanthos is a taxonomic section of the flowering plant genus Adenanthos (Proteaceae). It comprises 29 species. The centre of diversity is southwest Western Australia, with two species extending into South Australia and western Victoria.

<i>Adenanthos glabrescens</i> Species of shrub endemic to southwest Western Australia

Adenanthos glabrescens is a species of small shrub endemic to the Ravensthorpe area in southwest Western Australia. First published in 1978, there are two subspecies.

Adenanthos labillardierei is a species of erect shrub endemic to the slopes of the Barren Ranges in the Fitzgerald River National Park in southwest Western Australia.

<i>Adenanthos oreophilus</i> Species of shrub endemic to southwest Western Australia

Adenanthos oreophilus, commonly known as woollybush, is a species of tall shrub endemic to southwest Western Australia. It is closely related to the better known A. sericeus, and was only classified as a species distinct from the latter in 1978 by Irish botanist E. Charles Nelson.

<i>Adenanthos sericeus <span style="font-style:normal;">subsp.</span> sericeus</i> Subspecies of flowering plant

Adenanthos sericeus subsp. sericeus, commonly known as coastal woollybush, is a shrub native to the south coast of Western Australia. It has bright red but small and obscure flowers, and very soft, deeply divided, hairy leaves. It is the western subspecies of Adenanthos sericeus, occurring mostly in the vicinity of King George Sound.

Adenanthos ellipticus, commonly known as the oval-leaf adenanthos, is a flowering plant from the family Proteaceae that is endemic to Western Australia where it is considered to be Declared Rare Flora.

References

  1. "Adenanthos ileticos E.C.Nelson". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Nelson, Ernest Charles (1978). "A taxonomic revision of the genus Adenanthos Proteaceae". Brunonia. 1: 303–406. doi:10.1071/BRU9780303.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Nelson, Ernest Charles (1995). "Adenanthos". In McCarthy, Patrick (ed.). Flora of Australia . Vol. 16. Collingwood, Victoria: CSIRO Publishing / Australian Biological Resources Study. pp. 314–342. ISBN   0-643-05692-0.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Wrigley, John; Fagg, Murray (1991). Banksias, Waratahs and Grevilleas. Sydney: Angus & Robertson. pp. 68–69. ISBN   0-207-17277-3.
  5. 1 2 "Adenanthos ileticos E.C.Nelson". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  6. Nelson, E. Charles (2005). "The koala plant and related monickers" (PDF). Australian Systematic Botany Society Newsletter (125): 2–3. Retrieved 2010-04-17.
  7. "Part 2, Appendix 4: The responses of native Australian plant species to Phytophthora cinnamomi" (PDF). Management of Phytophthora cinnamomi for Biodiversity Conservation in Australia. Department of the Environment and Heritage, Australian Government. 2006. Retrieved 12 February 2015.