Calothamnus pachystachyus

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Calothamnus pachystachyus
Calothamnus pachystachyus.jpg
Status DECF P4.svg
Priority Four — Rare Taxa (DEC)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Calothamnus
Species:
C. pachystachyus
Binomial name
Calothamnus pachystachyus
Synonyms

Melaleuca pachystachya (Benth.) Craven & R.D.Edwards

Contents

Calothamnus pachystachyus is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, much-branched shrub with thick bark, flat leaves and clusters of red flowers in spring. (In 2014 Craven, Edwards and Cowley proposed that the species be renamed Melaleuca pachystachya.) [2]

Description

Calothamnus pachystachyus is an erect, often straggly shrub growing to a height of 1.7 metres (6 ft). The bark is thick, corky and densely hairy. Its leaves are crowded, flat, linear, 80–150 millimetres (3–6 in) long and have a single mid-vein. [3] [4] [5]

The flowers are red, black and brown and the hypanthium is buried in the corky bark at flowering time. There are 4 petals and the stamens are arranged in 4 claw-like bundles, the upper two broad and flat and the lower ones narrow and lacking anthers. Each stamen bundle contains 15 to 20 or more individual stamens. Flowering occurs between August and October and is followed by fruits which are woody capsules partly buried in the bark. [3] [4] [5]

Taxonomy and naming

Calothamnus pachystachyus was first formally described in 1867 by George Bentham in Flora Australiensis . [1] [3] The specific epithet (pachystachyus) is from the Ancient Greek words pakhús meaning "thick" [6] and stachys meaning "a spike". [7]

Distribution and habitat

Calothamnus pachystachyus occurs near the boundary between the Avon Wheatbelt, Jarrah Forest and Swan Coastal Plain biogeographic regions [5] [8] where it grows soils derived from laterite on ridges and roadsides. [9]

Conservation

Calothamnus pachystachyus is classified as "Priority Four" by the Western Australian government Department of Parks and Wildlife [5] meaning that is rare or near threatened. [10]

Related Research Articles

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<i>Calothamnus graniticus</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Melaleuca acutifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Melaleuca lateriflora</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Melaleuca suberosa</i> Species of shrub

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<i>Calothamnus brevifolius</i> Species of flowering plant

Calothamnus brevifolius is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small, highly branched shrub with almost cylindrical, pointed leaves and red flowers in summer. In 2014 Craven, Edwards and Cowley proposed that the species be renamed Melaleuca hawkeswoodii.

Calothamnus formosus is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a large, spreading, densely foliaged shrub with almost cylindrical, pointed leaves and red flowers in spring or summer. There are two subspecies, differing mainly in the length of their leaves.

<i>Calothamnus gibbosus</i> Species of flowering plant

Calothamnus gibbosus, commonly known as corky net-bush, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. Its distinguishing characteristic is its corky bark in which the hypanthium of the flowers and much of the fruits is buried. Only the petals and stamens emerge from the bark.

Calothamnus glaber is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to near-coastal areas in the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub, similar to Calothamnus blepharospermus but its leaves are slightly longer and narrower and the parts of its flowers are glabrous.

Calothamnus gracilis is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a spreading shrub with upright foliage, common in heath within its range. It has long, thin leaves and produces dark red flowers at different times of the year, depending partly on rainfall. It is similar to Calothamnus gibbosus but lacks the corky bark on the older branches of that species and its flowers and fruit are not as deeply embedded in the bark.

<i>Calothamnus hirsutus</i> Species of flowering plant

Calothamnus hirsutus is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small, spreading shrub with prominent hairs on the leaves giving them a smoky appearance. The flowers are deep red and are usually in dense clusters between the older leaves.

Calothamnus lehmannii, commonly known as dwarf claw flower, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a low-lying, sometimes ground-hugging shrub with long, thin, cylindrical leaves and clusters of red flowers that are smaller than any others in the genus Calothamnus.

<i>Calothamnus longissimus</i> Species of flowering plant

Calothamnus longissimus is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small, spreading shrub with unusually long, fine leaves and which produces clusters of red flowers in spring.

Calothamnus microcarpus is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, either compact or spreading shrub with flat leaves and clusters of red flowers in spring.

<i>Calothamnus montanus</i> Species of flowering plant

Calothamnus montanus is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with short, needle-shaped leaves and red flowers with four stamen bundles.

Calothamnus phellosus is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a tall, spreading shrub with needle-shaped, prickly leaves and bright red flowers with five stamen bundles.

<i>Calothamnus preissii</i> Species of flowering plant

Calothamnus preissii is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a low-lying, sometimes ground-hugging shrub with needle-like leaves and reddish-purple flowers in spring.

Calothamnus scabridus is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with needle-shaped, prickly leaves and red flowers with four stamen bundles.

References

  1. 1 2 "Calothamnus pachystachyus". APNI. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  2. Craven, Lyn A.; Edwards, Robert D.; Cowley, Kirsten J. (30 June 2014). "New combinations and names in Melaleuca (Myrtaceae)". Taxon. 63 (3): 666. doi: 10.12705/633.38 .
  3. 1 2 3 Bentham, George; von Mueller, Ferdinand (1867). Flora Australiensis. London: Lovell, Reeve and Co. pp. 173–174. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  4. 1 2 Hawkeswood, Trevor J. (1984). "Nine new species of Calothamnus Labill. (Myrtaceae: Leptospermoideae) from Western Australia" (PDF). Nuytsia. 5 (1): 124. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Calothamnus pachystachyus". FloraBase. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  6. "παχύς". Wiktionary. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  7. Quattrocchi, Umberto (2000). CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms and Etymology (Volume IV). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. p. 2539. ISBN   0849326788 . Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  8. Dell, B.; Havel, J.J.; Malajczuk, N. (1988). The Jarrah Forest a complex mediterranean ecosystem. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands. p. 390. ISBN   9789400931114 . Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  9. Paczkowska, Grazyna; Chapman, Alex R. (2000). The Western Australian flora : a descriptive catalogue. Perth: Wildflower Society of Western Australia. p. 351. ISBN   0646402439.
  10. "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 28 October 2019.