Blue brother | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Order: | Proteales |
Family: | Proteaceae |
Genus: | Conospermum |
Species: | C. caeruleum |
Binomial name | |
Conospermum caeruleum | |
Synonyms [1] | |
Connospermum coeruleum B.D.Jacks. orth. var. |
Conospermum caeruleum, commonly known as blue brother, is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the south west of Western Australia. It is a prostrate shrub with small, dense heads of blue, rarely pink flowers and usually grows in heavy soils subject to flooding.
It grows as a prostrate or straggly shrub usually growing to a height of about 0.5–1.0 metre (2–3 ft) and a spread of up to 2 metres (7 ft). The leaves are clustered at the base of the stem, have a stalk 5–60 millimetres (0.2–2 in) and a leaf blade that is thread-like to egg-shaped and 14–148 millimetres (0.6–6 in). The leaves have prominent veins and end abruptly in a sharp point. The flowers are arranged in dense clusters of up to 18 tube-like blue flowers, each about 5–8 millimetres (0.2–0.3 in) long. Flowers appear between July and October and are followed by the fruit which is a nut about 2 millimetres (0.08 in) long and 2–2.5 millimetres (0.08–0.1 in) wide. [2] [3] [4]
Conospermum caeruleum was first formally described in 1810 by Robert Brown and the description was published in Transactions of the Linnean Society of London from a specimen collected near "King George's Sound, west coast of New Holland". [5] [6] The specific epithet (caeruleum) is a Latin word meaning "sky-blue". [7]
Six subspecies are recognised by the Australian Plant Census as at November 2020:
Conospermum caeruleum occurs from Busselton to east of Albany [2] in the Avon Wheatbelt, Esperance, Geraldton Sandplains, Jarrah Forest, Mallee, Swan Coastal Plain and Warren biogeographical regions of Western Australia [14] growing on sand, sandy peat, stony clay, laterite or granite in areas that are wet in winter. [15]
Conospermum species, especially the Western Australian ones are difficult to cultivate. [16]
Conospermum caeruleum is classified as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. [14]
Hakea is a genus of about 150 species of plants in the Family Proteaceae, endemic to Australia. They are shrubs or small trees with leaves that are sometimes flat, otherwise circular in cross section in which case they are sometimes divided. The flowers are usually arranged in groups in leaf axils and resemble those of other genera, especially Grevillea. Hakeas have woody fruit which distinguishes them from grevilleas which have non-woody fruit which release the seeds as they mature. Hakeas are found in every state of Australia with the highest species diversity being found in the south west of Western Australia.
Conospermum is a genus of about 50 species of flowering plants in the family Proteaceae that are endemic to Australia. Members of the genus are known as smokebushes - from a distance, their wispy heads of blue or grey flowers resemble puffs of smoke. They have an unusual pollination method that sometimes leads to the death of visiting insects. They are found in all Australian states, though most occur only in Western Australia. Smokebushes are rarely cultivated, though the flowers of several Western Australian species are harvested for the cut flower industry.
Isopogon, commonly known as conesticks, conebushes or coneflowers, is a genus of about forty species of flowering plants in the family Proteaceae, and are endemic to Australia. They are shrubs with rigid leaves, bisexual flowers in a dense spike or "cone" and the fruit is a small, hairy nut.
Conospermum acerosum, commonly known as needle-leaved smokebush, is a species of flowering plant in family Proteaceae and is endemic to the south west of Western Australia. It is spindly, erect or straggly shrub with needle-shaped or thread-like leaves, panicles of white or pink flowers and reddish brown nuts.
Conospermum stoechadis, commonly known as common smokebush, is a shrub endemic to Western Australia.
Conospermum stoechadis subsp. sclerophyllum is a shrub endemic to Western Australia.
Conospermum incurvum, commonly known as plume smokebush, is a shrub endemic to Western Australia.
Synaphea is a genus of small shrubs and is endemic to Western Australia. Synapheas have variably shaped leaves but consistently yellow flowers with an unusual pollination mechanism.
Grevillea synapheae, commonly known as catkin grevillea, is species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It is a prostrate to erect shrub usually with divided leaves with 3 to 7 triangular to more or less linear lobes, and clusters of white to creamy yellow flowers.
Adenanthos pungens, the spiky adenanthos, is a species of shrub in the family Proteaceae. It is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia.
Grevillea diversifolia, the variable-leaved grevillea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect to prostrate shrub with simple or divided leaves and groups white to cream-coloured flowers with a dull red style.
Persoonia mollis, commonly known as soft geebung, is a plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to New South Wales. It is an erect to prostrate shrub with linear to oblong or spatula-shaped leaves, yellow flowers in groups of up to thirty on a rachis up to 150 mm (5.9 in) long and relatively small fruit.
Grevillea bracteosa, also known as bracted grevillea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect to spreading shrub usually with linear leaves, and oval to more or less spherical clusters of glabrous pale green to greenish-pink flowers with a pink or white style.
Grevillea coccinea is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the south of Western Australia. It is a low-lying or sprawling shrub with narrowly wedge-shaped to linear leaves and white, cream-coloured, and red or yellow flowers.
Conospermum amoenum, commonly known as blue smokebush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect or spreading shrub with linear leaves, and spikes of blue or white tube-shaped flowers.
Conospermum boreale is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, much-branched shrub with egg-shaped to elliptic or lance-shaped leaves, and panicles of woolly, white flowers.
Conospermum canaliculatum is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae, and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a dense, multistemmed, erect shrub with linear leaves and spike-like panicles of woolly white, tube-shaped flowers.
Conospermum capitatum is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae, and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a low, erect shrub with coiled leaves and head-like panicles of red to pale yellow and hairy, tube-shaped flowers.
Conospermum coerulescens is a shrub in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the south of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with thread-like to narrowly lance-shaped leaves and spikes of up to 10 greyish-blue to deep blue, hairy flowers.
Conospermum nervosum is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to Western Australia.