| Andersonia | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Ericaceae |
| Subfamily: | Epacridoideae |
| Tribe: | Cosmelieae |
| Genus: | Andersonia R.Br. [1] |
| Synonyms [1] | |
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Andersonia is a genus of mostly small, evergreen shrubs in the family Ericaceae and is endemic to the Southwest Botanical Province in Western Australia.
Plants in the genus Andersonia are small shrubs, (apart from A. axilliflora and A. echinocephala that grow to a height of several metres) some are subshrubs and a few, compact cushion plants, but all seem to require a fairly open habitat. The leaves resemble those of monocotyledons in having a sheathing leaf base and parallel leaf veins, although the veins arise from a single trace in the base of the leaf. The leaves are spirally arranged and overlap at the base and increase in size, upwards from the base of the stem, but vary greatly in size and shape. The flowers are erect, usually brightly coloured and conspicuous, the five sepals egg-shaped to linear and often similarly coloured to the petals. The petals are joined at the base, forming a bell-shaped to cylindrical tube with five lobes that are shorter than the tube. The species differ form the similar Cosmelia rubra in having their stamen filaments free from the petal tube, and from Styphelia in having the petal tube softy-hairy inside, the petal tube longer than the lobes. [2] [3]
The genus Andersonia was first formally described in 1810 by Robert Brown in his Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae . [4] [5] The genus name, Andersonia, jointly honours William Anderson, naval surgeon and naturalist, who accompanied Cook on several voyages, Alexander Anderson, curator of the botanic garden at Saint Vincent, and William Anderson, curator of the Apothecaries' Garden at Chelsea. [6]
The following is a list of Andersonia species accepted by the Australian Plant Census as of October 2022: [7]
Leucopogon is a genus of about 150-160 species of shrubs or small trees in the family Ericaceae, in the section of that family formerly treated as the separate family Epacridaceae. They are native to Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, the western Pacific Islands and Malaysia, with the greatest species diversity in southeastern Australia. Plants in this genus have leaves with a few more or less parallel veins, and tube-shaped flowers usually with a white beard inside.
Prostanthera, commonly known as mintbush or mint bush, is a genus of about 100 species of flowering plants in the mint family Lamiaceae, and all are endemic to Australia. Plants are usually shrubs, rarely trees with leaves in opposite pairs. The flowers are arranged in panicles in the leaf axils or on the ends of branchlets. The sepals are joined at the base with two lobes. The petals are usually blue to purple or white, joined in a tube with two "lips", the lower lip with three lobes and the upper lip with two lobes or notched.
Hemiandra is a genus of nine species of flowering plants of the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. Plants in the genus Hemiandra are shrubs with sessile leaves arranged in opposite pairs, petals with five lobes arranged in two "lips" and the fruit a capsule usually containing four nuts.
Leucopogon verticillatus, commonly known as tassel flower, is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It is an erect, bamboo-like shrub with broadly lance-shaped leaves and pink, tube-shaped flowers crowded along spikes in leaf axils and on the ends of branches.
Isotoma is a genus of annual and perennial herbs in the family Campanulaceae and are native to Australia and New Zealand.
Lechenaultia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Goodeniaceae, the species native to Australia with one species also occurring in New Guinea. Plants in the genus Lechenaultia are glabrous shrubs or herbs with needle-shaped leaves, more or less sessile flowers with five sepals and five blue, white, or yellow and red petals in two unequal lobes, the fruit an elongated capsule.
Dampiera is a genus of about 70 species of flowering plants in the family Goodeniaceae, all of which are endemic to Australia. Plants in the genus Dampiera are subshrubs or herbs with sessile leaves, flowers with five small sepals and blue, violet or pink, rarely white, two-lipped flowers.
Astroloma is an endemic Australian genus of around 20 species of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae. The majority of the species are endemic to Western Australia, but a few species occur in New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia.
Conostylis is a genus of perennial herbs in the Haemodoraceae family, commonly known as cone flowers. All species are endemic to the south west of Western Australia.
Hemigenia is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae and is endemic to Australia where most species occur in Western Australia, although some are also found in New South Wales and Queensland. Plants in this genus are shrubs or bushes with simple leaves and tube-shaped flowers with the petals forming two "lips" - the upper one with two lobes and the lower one with three.
Pityrodia is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae and is endemic to Australia, most species occurring in Western Australia, a few in the Northern Territory and one in Queensland. Plants in this genus are shrubs with five petals joined to form a tube-shaped flower with four stamens of unequal lengths.
Styphelia is a genus of shrubs in the family Ericaceae, native from Indo-China through the Pacific to Australia. Most have minute or small leaves with a sharp tip, single, tube-shaped flowers arranged in leaf axils and with the ends of the petals rolled back with hairs in the inside of the tube.
Lyperanthus, commonly known as beak orchids, is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae, that is endemic to Australia. There are two species, one in Western Australia and the other in four eastern Australian states, distinguished by their single long, narrow, leathery leaf and dull coloured flowers which have prominent short calli on their labellum. Both form loose colonies which reproduce asexually from their tubers, and sexually using their flowers.
Anisomeles is a genus of herbs of the family Lamiaceae and is native to China, the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, Australia, Madagascar, and some Pacific and Indian Ocean islands. Plants in the genus Anisomeles have small, flat, narrow elliptic to narrow e.g.-shaped leaves arranged in opposite pairs, the edges of the leaves sometimes wavy or serrated. The flowers are arranged in groups, with five sepals and five petals in two "lips", the lower lip with three lobes, the middle lobe much longer than the side lobes. There are four stamens that extend beyond the petals and a single style in a depression on top of the ovary. The fruit is a schizocarp with four nutlets containing small seeds.
Leucopogon microphyllus is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a bushy or spreading shrub with egg-shaped leaves, sometimes with the narrower end towards the base, and compact spikes of usually four to nine white, tube-shaped flowers.
Chloanthes is a genus of four species of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to Australia. Plants in this genus are shrubs with hairy foliage, blistered or wrinkly leaves and flowers with five petals fused at the base, usually with two "lips".
Stenanthera is a genus of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae. Most are low shrubs with leaves that are paler on the lower surface, tube-shaped flowers and with the fruit a drupe. There are three species, formerly included in the genus Astroloma.
Myoporum oppositifolium, commonly known as twin-leaf myoporum, is a plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae. It is easily distinguished from others in the genus by the combination of glabrous leaves and branches, its opposite leaf arrangement and its serrated leaves. Its distribution is restricted to the extreme south-west of Western Australia.
Andersonia caerulea, commonly known as foxtails, is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae and is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It is an erect or spreading to low-lying shrub with variably-shaped leaves and pink and pale blue flowers, sometimes in spike-like groups.
Epacridoideae is a subfamily of the family Ericaceae. The name StyphelioideaeSweet is also used. The subfamily contains around 35 genera and 545 species. Many species are found in Australasia, others occurring northwards through the Pacific to Southeast Asia, with a small number in South America.