Andersonia grandiflora

Andersonia grandiflora
Conservation status
Priority Four — Rare Taxa (DEC)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Ericales
Family:	Ericaceae
Genus:	Andersonia
Species:	A. grandiflora
Binomial name
Andersonia grandiflora Stschegl. [1]
Synonyms [1]
Andersonia spirophyllaF.Muell. nom. inval., pro syn. Sprengelia spirophyllaF.Muell.

Andersonia grandiflora, commonly known as red andersonia, ^[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a prostrate cushion shrub with lance-shaped leaves and groups of two to four reddish orange, tube-shaped flowers.

Description

Andersonia grandiflora is a prostrate, densely-branched cushion shrub, that typically grows to 5–25 cm (2.0–9.8 in) high. Its leaves are lance-shaped, 4–15 mm (0.16–0.59 in) long and 1–4 mm (0.039–0.157 in) wide. The flowers are arranged in clusters of two to four on the ends and sides of branches, with leaf-like bracts sometimes longer than the flowers and keeled bracteoles about half as long as the sepals. The sepals are lance-shaped, 10–15 mm (0.39–0.59 in) long and glabrous, the petals reddish-orange and shorter than the sepals, with lobes longer than the petal tube and with a few soft hairs inside. The stamens are slightly longer than the petal tube with hairy filaments. Flowering occurs from July to October. ^{[2] [3] [4]}

Taxonomy

Andersonia grandiflora was first formally described in 1859 by Sergei Sergeyevich Sheglejev in the Bulletin de la Société impériale des Naturalistes de Moscou from specimens collected by James Drummond. ^[5] The specific epithet (grandiflora) means 'large-flowered'. ^[6]

Distribution and habitat

This species of Andersonia grows in boggy flats and rocky slopes in the Stirling Range National Park and surrounding areas in the Esperance Plains and Jarrah Forest bioregions of south-western Western Australia. ^{[3] [2]}

Conservation status

Andersonia grandiflora is listed as "Priority Four" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, meaning that it is rare or near threatened. ^{[2] [7]}

References

1. "Andersonia grandiflora". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
2. "Andersonia grandiflora". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
3. Watson, Leslie (1962). "A taxonomic revision of the genus Andersonia R.Br. (Epacridaceae)" . Kew Bulletin. 16 (1): 109–110. doi:10.2307/4120354. JSTOR   4120354 . Retrieved 30 October 2024.
4. Bentham, George (1868). Flora Australiensis. Vol. 4. London: Lovell Reeves & Co. p. 252. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
5. Sheglejev, Sergei S. (1859). "Epacridearum Novarum". Bulletin de la Société impériale des naturalistes de Moscou. 32 (1): 21. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
6. George, Alex; Sharr, Francis (2021). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (4th ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 210. ISBN   9780958034180.
7. "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. Retrieved 30 October 2024.