| Anigozanthos onycis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Commelinales |
| Family: | Haemodoraceae |
| Genus: | Anigozanthos |
| Species: | A. onycis |
| Binomial name | |
| Anigozanthos onycis | |
 | |
Anigozanthos onycis, the branched catspaw, is a rarely seen plant found in Southwest Australia.
Anigozanthos onycis was first described by Alex George in 1974. [1] George assigned the epithet onycis for the clawed appearance of the flower when opened, derived from the Greek onyx (a talon or claw). The unknown species was brought to the attention of the author in 1962, at a flower show in Kalgoorlie (500 km beyond its known range), but the source of this specimen was not determined. A collection made by Honor Venning was presented to the Western Australian Herbarium in 1969, and another made by Bob Dixon, obtained from a private property south of the Stirling Range in 1972, was used by George for its formal description. [2]
The common name branched catspaw distinguishes the flowering scape of A. onycis from other species known as catspaws: A humilis, A. preissii and A. kalbarriensis, smaller species of Anigozanthus. Catspaw is presumed to have been applied as a diminutive of kangaroo paw, the collective name of the genus. [3]
A species of Anigozanthus , the kangaroo paws and catspaws, which have single leaves emerging from a rhizome and tubular flowers presented on a scape. The leaves of this species are broadly keel-shaped on profile, their length is around 50 to 500 mm long. The color of the flowers is creamy to slightly reddish, these are presented in racemes on branched scapes that are 150 to 300 mm tall. [3] The flowering season is September to October, earlier than most Anigozanthus species. [1] They are periodically abundant in open woodlands cleared by fire, providing a conspicuous display of flowers against a blackened landscape. [3]
Anigozanthos onycis emerges after summer fires, growing and setting seed in the first year and losing vigour in the second if the plant survives at all. This short lifespan only allows the size of the plant to reach around 200 mm in width, presenting fewer leaves than others of the genus. The reproductive strategy within its fire prone habitat is as a seeder, relying on a seedbank that is triggered by fire rather than resprouting from their rhizome. The sole pollinator is the tawny-crowned honeyeater (Gliciphila melanops), a nectar feeder that has specialised in the same habitat. [3]
The branched catspaw is allied to Anigozanthos humilis and A. preissii . [2] The common catspaw, Anigozanthos humilis subsp. humilis, has a similar appearance and naturally hybridises with this species. A widely grown cultivar named Anigozanthos 'Dwarf Delight' was developed by hybridising A. onycis with the kangaroo paw A. flavidus . [3]
The known distribution range is restricted to a semi-arid area near the south coast of Western Australia, within the Southwest Australia bioregion known as the Esperance Plains. [1] Anigozanthos onycis was described from specimens obtained in sandy heathland between the Stirling Range and Green Range outcrops. It as relatively rare, occurring over a widespread range between the Murchison River and Albany, and extending to Bremer Bay in the east. [2] The species was later found in the Fitzgerald River National Park, emerging after a large bushfire in 1989 and disappearing again in 1991. [3]
The preferred habitat is sandy woodlands or adjacent to swamps, on white or grey sand, at the well drained soils of slopes and the top of hills. [3]
Xanthorrhoea is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants endemic to Australia. Species are known by the name grass tree.
Haemodoraceae is a family of perennial herbaceous flowering plants with 14 genera and 102 known species. It is sometimes known as the "bloodwort family". Primarily a Southern Hemisphere family, they are found in South Africa, Australia and New Guinea, and in the Americas. Perhaps the best known are the widely cultivated and unusual kangaroo paws from Australia, of the two closely related genera Anigozanthos and Macropidia.
Anigozanthos is a genus of Southwest Australian plants of the bloodwort family Haemodoraceae. The 11 species and their subspecies are commonly known as kangaroo paw or catspaw, depending on their size, and the shape and color of their flowers. A further species, previously identified as Anigozanthos fuliginosus, was separated to a monotypic genus as Macropidia fuliginosa.
Kangaroo paw is the common name for a number of species, in two genera of the family Haemodoraceae, that are native to the south-west of Western Australia. These rhizomatous perennial plants are noted for their unique bird-attracting flowers. The tubular flowers are coated with dense hairs and open at the apex with six claw-like structures, and it is from this paw-like formation that the common name "kangaroo paw" is derived.
Banksia oreophila, commonly known as the western mountain banksia or mountain banksia, is a species of shrub that is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has glabrous stems, wedge-shaped or narrow egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, cylindrical spikes of pale pink to mauve flowers and later, up to twenty follicles in each spike, surrounded by the remains of the flowers. It occurs on slopes and hilltops in the Stirling and Barren Ranges.
Anigozanthos manglesii, commonly known as the red-and-green kangaroo paw, Mangles' kangaroo paw, Kurulbrang (Noongar), is a plant species endemic to Western Australia, and the floral emblem of that state.
Banksia acuminata is a rare prostrate shrub endemic to south-west Western Australia. It was published in 1848 as Dryandra preissii, but transferred into Banksia as B. acuminata in 2007.
Grevillea linearifolia, commonly known as linear-leaf grevillea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to New South Wales. It is an open, erect shrub with linear to narrowly elliptic leaves, and clusters of white flowers.
Macropidia fuliginosa, the sole species of genus Macropidia, is a perennial rhizomatous flowering plant. A relation of the kangaroo paws, Anigozanthus, which are also endemic to Southwest Australia, it is referred to as the black kangaroo paw. Bearing unusual black and green flowers, it occurs on a coastal plain from Perth to Geraldton.
Verticordia carinata, commonly known as pea-shaped featherflower or Stirling Range featherflower, is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect, spindly shrub with small, well-spaced leaves and pink and red flowers. It is a rarely seen plant, not known between its description in 1849 and its rediscovery in 1990.
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.
Anigozanthos humilis is a species of Anigozanthos in the family Haemodoraceae. This flowering perennial plant is endemic to Southwest Australia and widespread in its open forests. Common names include catspaw and common catspaw.
Anigozanthos preissii, the Albany cat's paw, is a herbaceous plant species in the family Haemodoraceae, endemic to Western Australia.
Anigozanthos flavidus is a species of plant found in Southwest Australia. It is member of the Haemodoraceae family. It is commonly known as the tall, yellow, or evergreen, kangaroo paw. The specific epithet, flavidus, refers to the yellow flowers of this plant.
Xanthorrhoea preissii, known as balga, is a widespread species of perennial monocot in Southwest Australia.
Sandy iris is a species in the genus Iris; it is also in the subgenus of Iris and in the Psammiris section. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from Central Europe, found in Hungary, Austria, Romania, Czech Republic and Ukraine. It has grass-like leaves, a short stem and pale yellow flowers. It has had a mixed origin and was once Iris humilis subsp. arenaria, a subspecies of Iris humilis, until it was reclassified as a separate species. But many sources still state that it is either a synonym or subspecies of Iris humilis. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.
Xanthorrhoea gracilis, commonly known as the graceful grasstree, grassboy or mimidi, is a species of grasstree of the genus Xanthorrhoea native to Western Australia.
Anigozanthos gabrielae is a species of Anigozanthos in the family Haemodoraceae known as dwarf kangaroo paw. This flowering, rhizomatous, perennial plant is endemic to Southwest Australia and grows on sand in areas which are wet in winter.
Anigozanthos rufus is a grass-like evergreen perennial plant native to the southern coasts of Western Australia. Common names include red kangaroo paw, crimson kangaroo paw, and backdraft.
Patersonia umbrosa, commonly known as yellow flags, is a species of plant in the iris family Iridaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a loosely-tufted, rhizome-forming, perennial herb with linear to sword-shaped leaves and deep bluish-violet or bright yellow tepals.