Dampiera wellsiana

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Dampiera wellsiana
Dampiera wellsiana.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Goodeniaceae
Genus: Dampiera
Species:
D. wellsiana
Binomial name
Dampiera wellsiana
F.Muell

Dampiera wellsiana is a herb in the family of Goodeniaceae and is one of approximately 70 species of Dampiera . [1] Dampiera wellsiana is native to Western Australia. [2] It is a non-threatened, stoloniferous plant and is often defined by its small blue petals and the arid climate it grows in. Botanist Ferdinand von Mueller first described the plant in 1876. [3]

Contents

Etymology

The genus name Dampiera was derived from William Dampier (1652-1715). Dampier was the first Englishman to explore Western Australia and collect native plants, including Dampiera wellsiana. [4] It is commonly known as Well's Dampiera. [5]

The species is dedicated to botanist Julia Wells (1842-1911), who is notable for having collected botanical specimens in the wheatbelt region of Western Australia. [6]

Description

Dampiera wellsiana is a floriferous, evergreen herb that ranges between 5 and 30 cm tall and is a perennial herb with a lifespan of over two years. [7] [8] Over time, the plant can grow to over 2 metres (7 ft) and its inflorescence is largely contained on the above-ground body of the plant. [9] The leaves are flat and smooth, 2–7 cm long and 9-40mm wide. [10] The leaf stem (petiole) is 6 cm long and unribbed with tufted hairs around its exterior and the leaves and stems are a dark green colour. [11] The flowers gather in loose heads in thick inflorescences with thin pale to dark blue petals. These range from 2.5 to 5.8 mm long center petals to 4.5–6 mm long outer petals. [12] The flowers have glandular, simple hairs on the exterior with dense tufts in the center. [13] The petals serve as primary protection to the plant's androecium and gynoecium, the female and male reproductive organs. [14]

Dampiera wellsiana flower head Dampiera wellsiana flower.jpg
Dampiera wellsiana flower head

Ecology

The flowers are morphologically designed to be pollinated by insects, including bees. [15] When an insect probes to the bottom of the flower where the nectar is contained, the hairs around the insidium are agitated by the insect, thus releasing pollen onto the insect's body. [16] The pollen is held on a thin membranous covering (indusium) when the flower opens, however, the pollen collection by the indusium is rather inefficient, and the pollen is often found around the outside of the indusium. [17]

Dampiera wellsiana fruits are also indehiscent, meaning the pod or fruit does not split open to release its seed when it is ripe. [18]

Distribution and habitat

Dampiera wellsiana is endemic to South-western Australia. The herb can be found in the Beard's Provinces, IBRA Regions, IBRA Subregions and Local Government Areas such as Bruce Rock, Coolgardie, Coorow and Mount Marshall. [19] Since 1848, Dampiera wellsiana has had a total of 268 occurrences with most through the months of September, October and November and the least in the winter months between March and June. [20] This species of herb can only reproduce during a period of consistent humidity and within a temperature between 20 and 24 °C. [21] It flowers in the spring and summer months of August, September, October, November and December. [22]

Dampiera wellsiana requires a highly specific habitat to grow, requiring dry clay, stone and sandy soils in mostly flat shrublands with very low vegetation. [23] Aboriginals traditionally call this specific type of land kwongan. [24] Dampiera wellsiana also relies on a climate of hot, dry summers and mild winters with little rainfall. [25] It is often found in frequently burnt or cleared areas, as they are dry areas with low vegetation. [26] After a fire, fructification also usually increases in Dampiera wellsiana as a result of these arid conditions. [27]

Uses and cultivation

Dampiera wellsiana is an inflorescence and can be used for ornamental purposes, such as indoor decoration. [28] The plant is not often cultivated, however it is proven suitable for rocky and desert gardens. Dampiera wellsiana is cultivated under full sunlight or under slight shade and gritty, sandy and acidic soils that provide a sufficient amount of water drainage. [29] For ornamental and plant health purposes, the plant is lightly pruned. [30] Several species within the Goodeniaceae family are used for medicinal and environmental purposes, however Dampiera wellsiana does not hold these properties.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goodeniaceae</span> Family of flowering plants

Goodeniaceae is a family of flowering plants in the order Asterales. It contains about 404 species in twelve genera. The family is distributed mostly in Australia, except for the genus Scaevola, which is pantropical. Its species are found across most of Australia, being especially common in arid and semi-arid climates.

<i>Dampiera</i> Genus of flowering plants

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.

<i>Goodenia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Goodenia is a genus of about two hundred species of flowering plants in the family Goodeniaceae. Plants in this genus are herbs or shrubs, mostly endemic to Australia. The leaves are variably-shaped, the flowers arranged in small groups, with three or five sepals, the corolla bilaterally symmetrical and either fan-shaped with two "lips" or tube-shaped. The petals are usually yellow to white, the stamens free from each other and the fruit a capsule.

<i>Dampiera stricta</i> Species of flowering plant

Dampiera stricta commonly known as blue dampiera, is a flowering plant in the family Goodeniaceae. It is a small sub-shrub with variable leaves and mostly blue, mauve or purple flowers.

<i>Dampiera dysantha</i> Species of plant

Dampiera dysantha, the shrubby dampiera, is an undershrub in the family Goodeniaceae. The species grows to 70 cm high The flowers are blue, or occasionally white to lilac and are covered on the outside with grey and rusty hairs. These generally appear between September and October in its native range.

<i>Dampiera hederacea</i> Species of flowering plant

Dampiera hederacea, commonly known as the karri dampiera, is an erect perennial herb in the family Goodeniaceae. The species, which is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia, is a low spreading shrub which reaches 40 cm (16 in) across. It produces blue flowers between August and January in its native range.

<i>Dampiera altissima</i> Species of plant

Dampiera altissima, commonly known as tall dampiera, is an erect perennial herb of the family Goodeniaceae and is native to Western Australia. It is a perennial herb that generally grows to a height of up to 0.5 m and has flat, green-grey leaves. The leaves are mostly round and are between 8-60 mm long. Dampiera altissima flowers during the winter and spring, unveiling small blue-purple flowers. The herb is a ground cover plant found growing on the sandplains, laterite and sandstone of the southwestern region of Western Australia, most common in the Geraldton area north of Perth. The species is sometimes grown as an ornamental plant and is listed as “not threatened”.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Charles Carolin</span> Australian botanist

Roger Charles Carolin is a botanist, pteridologist and formerly an associate professor at Sydney University. He was appointed as a lecturer in botany at the University of Sydney in 1955 earned a Ph.D from Sydney University in 1962 with a thesis on the floral morphology of the campanales, and retired as an associate professor in 1989.

<i>Scaevola acacioides</i> Species of shrub

Scaevola acacioides, is an erect, spreading shrub in the family Goodeniaceae.

<i>Dampiera candicans</i> Species of flowering plant

Dampiera candicans is a plant in the family Goodeniaceae, native to Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

<i>Dampiera alata</i> Species of flowering plant

Dampiera alata is a plant in the family Goodeniaceae, native to Western Australia.

Goodenia muelleriana is a species of flowering plant in the family Goodeniaceae and is endemic to the north-west of Western Australia. It is an ascending to erect herb with elliptic to lance-shaped leaves at the base of the plant, and racemes of yellow flowers.

Goodenia neogoodenia is a species of flowering plant in the family Goodeniaceae and is endemic to the western part of Western Australia. It is a prostrate, annual herb with round to heart-shaped or rhombic leaves and racemes or spikes of small, brownish flowers.

Goodenia peacockiana is a species of flowering plant in the family Goodeniaceae and is endemic to semi-arid areas of inland Western Australia. It is a prostrate to low-lying annual herb with elliptic to lance-shaped leaves with toothed or lobed edges, and racemes of yellow flowers, often with darker markings.

Goodenia prostrata is a species of flowering plant in the family Goodeniaceae and is endemic to inland parts of Western Australia. It is a prostrate herb with toothed, lance-shaped leaves at the base of the plant and racemes of yellow flowers with a brownish centre.

<i>Goodenia watsonii</i> Species of plant

Goodenia watsonii is a species of flowering plant in the family Goodeniaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a perennial herb with egg-shaped to elliptic leaves mostly at the base of the plant, and thyrses of white, cream-coloured or bluish flowers.

Goodenia wilunensis is a species of flowering plant in the family Goodeniaceae and is endemic to central regions of Western Australia. It is an ascending to prostrate annual herb covered with silky hairs and has elliptic to egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and racemes of yellow flowers with purplish markings.

<i>Dampiera incana</i> Species of plant

Dampiera incana, commonly known as the hoary dampiera, is a flowering plant in the family Goodeniaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a perennial herb with grey foliage and blue-purple flowers.

<i>Scaevola virgata</i> Species of flowering plant

Scaevola virgata is a species of flowering plant in the family Goodeniaceae. It is a perennial, much-branched, small shrub has white to blue flowers and endemic to Western Australia.

Scaevola tenuifolia is a species of flowering plant in the family Goodeniaceae. It is a prostrate herb with white to blue flowers and endemic to Western Australia.

References

  1. ↑ Ghisalberti, E. L. (2004). The Goodeniaceae. Fitoterapia, [online] 75(5), pp.429–446. [Accessed 22 Mar. 2021].
  2. ↑ George, A. S. and Australian Biological Resources Study (1992). Flora of Australia. Volume 35, Brunoniaceae, Goodeniaceae . [online] Canberra: Australian Govt. Pub. Service. [Accessed 22 Mar. 2021].
  3. ↑ Puccio, P. and Beltramini, M. (n.d.). Dampiera wellsiana . [online] Monaco Nature Encyclopedia. [Accessed 21 Mar. 2021].
  4. ↑ Ghisalberti, E. L. (2004). The Goodeniaceae. Fitoterapia, [online] 75(5), pp.429–446. [Accessed 22 Mar. 2021].
  5. ↑ Keighery, G., Keighery, B. and Wildflower Society of WA (2013). Elachbutting Reserve Vegetation and Flora - A Preliminary Report. [Accessed 24 Apr. 2021].
  6. ↑ Puccio, P. and Beltramini, M. (n.d.). Dampiera wellsiana. [online] Monaco Nature Encyclopedia. [Accessed 21 Mar. 2021].
  7. ↑ George, A. S. and Australian Biological Resources Study (1992). Flora of Australia. Volume 35, Brunoniaceae, Goodeniaceae . [online] Canberra: Australian Govt. Pub. Service. [Accessed 22 Mar. 2021].
  8. ↑ Carolin, R. C ., Stajsic, V., Rajput, M. T. M ., Morrison, D . (2021) Goodeniaceae, in P.G. Kodela (ed.), Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment: Canberra. [Accessed: 25 April 2021]
  9. ↑ Jabaily, R.S., Shepherd, K.A., Gustafsson, M.H.G., Sage, L.W., Krauss, S.L., Howarth, D.G. and Motley, T.J. (2012). Systematics of the Austral-Pacific family Goodeniaceae: Establishing a taxonomic and evolutionary framework. TAXON, [online] 61(2), pp.419–436. [Accessed 22 Mar. 2021].‌
  10. ↑ Hollister, C . and Thiele, K. R . (2021). Dampiera wellsiana . [online] FloraBase - The Western Australia Flora [Accessed 21 Apr. 2021].
  11. ↑ George, A. S. and Australian Biological Resources Study (1992). Flora of Australia. Volume 35, Brunoniaceae, Goodeniaceae . [online] Canberra: Australian Govt. Pub. Service. [Accessed 22 Mar. 2021].
  12. ↑ Spooner, A., Hollister, C. and Thiele, K.R. (2021). Dampiera wellsiana F.Muell. Wells’ Dampiera. [online] FloraBase. [Accessed 21 Mar. 2021].
  13. ↑ Hollister, C . and Thiele, K. R . (2021). Dampiera wellsiana . [online] FloraBase - The Western Australia Flora. [Accessed 21 Apr. 2021].
  14. ↑ Jabaily, R. S., Shepherd, K. A., Gustafsson, M. H. G., Sage, L.W., Krauss, S. L., Howarth, D. G. and Motley, T. J. (2012). Systematics of the Austral-Pacific family Goodeniaceae: Establishing a taxonomic and evolutionary framework . TAXON, [online] 61(2), pp.419–436. [Accessed 22 Mar. 2021].
  15. ↑ Carolin, R.C., Stajsic, V., Rajput, M.T.M. and Morrison, D. (2019). Goodeniaceae R.Br. [online] Flora of Australia. [Accessed 22 Mar. 2021]. ‌
  16. ↑ ‌‌Carolin, R.C., Stajsic, V., Rajput, M.T.M. and Morrison, D. (2019). Goodeniaceae R.Br. [online] Flora of Australia. [Accessed 22 Mar. 2021].
  17. ↑ ‌‌Carolin, R.C., Stajsic, V., Rajput, M.T.M. and Morrison, D. (2019). Goodeniaceae R.Br. [online] Flora of Australia. [Accessed 22 Mar. 2021].
  18. ↑ ‌‌Carolin, R.C., Stajsic, V., Rajput, M.T.M. and Morrison, D. (2019). Goodeniaceae R.Br. [online] Flora of Australia. [Accessed 22 Mar. 2021].
  19. ↑ Spooner, A., Hollister, C. and Thiele, K.R. (2021). Dampiera wellsiana F.Muell. Wells’ Dampiera . [online] FloraBase. [Accessed 21 Mar. 2021].
  20. ↑ Hassler, M . (2021). Dampiera wellsiana F.Muell. [online] www.gbif.org. [Accessed 25 Apr. 2021].
  21. ↑ Puccio, P. and Beltramini, M. (n.d.). Dampiera wellsiana . [online] Monaco Nature Encyclopedia. [Accessed 21 Mar. 2021].
  22. ↑ Hollister, C . and Thiele, K. R . (2021). Dampiera wellsiana . [online] FloraBase - The Western Australia Flora. [Accessed 21 Apr. 2021].
  23. ↑ Keighery, G., Keighery, B. and Wildflower Society of WA (2013). Elachbutting Reserve Vegetation and Flora - A Preliminary Report. [online] . [Accessed 24 Apr. 2021].
  24. ↑ Hopper, S. D . (n.d.). Kwongan and why it matters. [online] The University of Western Australia. [Accessed 25 Apr. 2021].
  25. ↑ Puccio, P. and Beltramini, M. (n.d.). Dampiera wellsiana. [online] Monaco Nature Encyclopedia. [Accessed 21 Mar. 2021].
  26. ↑ George, A. S. and Australian Biological Resources Study (1992). Flora of Australia. Volume 35, Brunoniaceae, Goodeniaceae . [online] Canberra: Australian Govt. Pub. Service. [Accessed 22 Mar. 2021].
  27. ↑ Puccio, P. and Beltramini, M. (n.d.). Dampiera wellsiana . [online] Monaco Nature Encyclopedia. [Accessed 21 Mar. 2021].
  28. ↑ Elliot, W. R. and Jones, D. L. (1986). Encyclopaedia of Australian plants : suitable for cultivation. Melbourne Lothian.
  29. ↑ Puccio, P. and Beltramini, M. (n.d.). Dampiera wellsiana. [online] Monaco Nature Encyclopedia. [Accessed 21 Mar. 2021].
  30. ↑ Elliot, W. R. and Jones, D. L. (1986). Encyclopaedia of Australian plants : suitable for cultivation. Melbourne Lothian.
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