Darwinia carnea

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Mogumber or Narrogin bell
Darwinia carnea (leaves and flowers).jpg
Darwinia carnea leaves and inflorescence (not fully open)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Darwinia
Species:
D. carnea
Binomial name
Darwinia carnea

Darwinia carnea, commonly known as Mogumber bell or Narrogin bell, [2] is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small shrub with narrow, keeled leaves and flowers in groups of about eight, surrounded by yellowish-green to pinkish-red bracteoles. It occurs in small, isolated populations near the towns which contribute to its common names. It is the only "bell-flowered" Darwinia to not grow in the Stirling Range National Park.

Description

Darwinia carnea is a shrub growing to 0.2–2.0 metres (0.7–7 ft) high with leaves arranged in opposite pairs, each pair at right-angles to the pair above. The leaves are glabrous, roughly V-shaped in cross-section, linear to lance-shaped, mostly 6–10 millimetres (0.2–0.4 in) long and about 1 millimetre (0.04 in) wide. [2]

The flowers are arranged near the ends of the branches in groups of 10 to 14, each group surrounded by broad, glabrous, egg-shaped yellowish-green to pinkish-red bracteoles up to 30 millimetres (1 in) long. Individual flowers within this bell-like inflorescence are tubular, have blunt-tipped, egg-shaped petals, 4 millimetres (0.2 in) long and 2 millimetres (0.08 in) wide. Flowering occurs between October and December and is followed by fruit which is a small, non-fleshy nut. [2]

The form occurring near Mogumber is taller, growing up to 2.0 metres (7 ft), has larger flowers and differently coloured bracteoles than the one found near Narrogin. [2] [3]

D. carnea growing in Kings Park Darwinia carnea.jpg
D. carnea growing in Kings Park
Individual flowers Darwinia carnea flowers.jpg
Individual flowers

Taxonomy

The first formal description of D. carnea was published by Charles Gardner in 1923 in Royal Society of Western Australia . He collected the type specimen between Mogumber and New Norcia. [4] The specific epithet (carnea) is a Latin word meaning "flesh" [5] referring to the colour of the floral bracts. [3]

Distribution and habitat

The two forms of this darwinia are separated by 250 kilometres (200 mi) and differ from each other in some respects. There is only one small population near Narrogin and three near Mogumber, all on private property. They occur on gravelly hilltops or lateritic breakaways in heathy woodland. Three translocated populations have been established in nature reserves. [2]

Conservation

Darwinia carnea is classified as "Threatened Flora (Declared Rare Flora — Extant)" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife [6] and a Recovery Plan has been prepared. [2] It has also been listed as "Endangered" (EN) under the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). [7]

This darwinia may always have been rare. In the 1980s, a visiting botanist is alleged to have warned a property owner of the existence of the plant on his property, warned the farmer to look after the darwinia by fencing off a 150 acres (60 ha), but would not tell him precisely where the plant was found. The farmer was not prepared to fence off such a large paddock from his sheep. On a subsequent visit to the property, botanists were unable to find any D. carnea. [8]

Use in horticulture

Darwinia carnea is reasonably well known in gardens but requires excellent drainage and needs some overhead protection. It can be grown from cuttings but more success has been achieved by grafting onto Darwinia citriodora rootstock. [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Darwinia</i> (plant) Genus of flowering plants

Darwinia, sometimes commonly known as mountain bells or simply bells, is a genus of about 70 species of evergreen shrubs in the family Myrtaceae, endemic to southeastern and southwestern Australia. The majority are native to southern Western Australia, but a few species occur in South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria. The genus was named in honour of Erasmus Darwin, grandfather of Charles Darwin by Edward Rudge in 1816. Most darwinias grow to a height of between 0.2 and 3 m, and many are prostrate shrubs. Most have small, simple leaves and the flowers are often grouped together, each flower with five red, white or greenish petals and ten stamens. In many species, the flowers are surrounded by large, colourful bracts, giving rise to their common names.

<i>Darwinia citriodora</i> Species of flowering plant

Darwinia citriodora, commonly known as lemon-scented darwinia or lemon scented myrtle, is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with oblong to lance-shaped leaves and red, yellow and orange flowers over an extended period. It is a hardy plant in well-drained soil, is often cultivated and used as a rootstock for less hardy species.

<i>Pimelea physodes</i> Species of shrub

Pimelea physodes, commonly known as Qualup bell, is a species of shrub that is endemic to Western Australia. It has egg-shaped to narrow elliptical leaves and distinctive bell-like inflorescences with tiny greenish flowers surrounded by long elliptical bracts. The inflorescence resembles those of some of the only distantly-related darwinia "bells" and the bracts are a combination of red, purple, green and cream-coloured.

<i>Darwinia collina</i> Species of flowering plant

Darwinia collina, commonly known as the yellow mountain bell, is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. It grows as an erect shrub 0.3–1.2 metres (1–4 ft) high with crowded elliptical leaves and bright yellow flower-like inflorescences. It is endemic to a few small areas in the Stirling Range National Park, Western Australia and as a result is classified as an endangered species.

<i>Darwinia apiculata</i> Species of flowering plant

Darwinia apiculata, commonly known as the scarp darwinia, is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area in Western Australia. It is a rounded, densely branched, small shrub with thin red branches and scattered small leaves. The flowers are arranged in small groups on the ends of the branches, their most obvious feature being long, red, pointed bracts surrounding each flower and a longer red style with scattered hairs near its tip.

<i>Darwinia biflora</i> Species of flowering plant

Darwinia biflora is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to New South Wales. It is an erect, often straggly shrub with flattened, glabrous leaves, and flowers which are arranged in pairs. The flowers are greenish in colour but each is surrounded by two purple-red bracteoles and have a long yellow-green style projecting out of the flower tube. The species only occurs in the Sydney region in a few places where shale-capped ridges intergrade with Hawkesbury sandstone.

<i>Darwinia camptostylis</i> Species of flowering plant

Darwinia camptostylis is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to New South Wales and Victoria. It is small shrub with flattened, glabrous leaves and small clusters of green to yellow flowers. There are scattered populations in coastal areas where the plants grow in heath.

<i>Darwinia capitellata</i> Species of flowering plant

Darwinia capitellata is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a bushy, many-branched shrub, very similar to Darwinia diosmoides but differs in the arrangement of its flowers, its more branched habit, prominent oil glands on the younger stems and its thinner, paper-like bracteoles. It was first discovered as a separate species when specimens of it were found to have a larger chromosome number than specimens of D. diosmoides.

<i>Darwinia chapmaniana</i> Species of flowering plant

Darwinia chapmaniana, commonly known as Chapman's bell or Eganu bell, is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae, and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a low, rounded, spreading shrub with greyish, hairy leaves and flowers in heads of about 14 small, tubular flowers. The heads are surrounded by long, reddish-yellow, hairy bracts.

<i>Darwinia wittwerorum</i> Species of flowering plant

Darwinia wittwerorum, commonly known as Wittwer's mountain bell, is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area in Western Australia. An erect, spindly shrub with fine leaves and hanging groups of flowers surrounded by leaf-like bracts, it is one of the darwinias known as mountain bells.

<i>Darwinia acerosa</i> Species of flowering plant

Darwinia acerosa, commonly known as the fine-leaved darwinia, is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area in south-west of Western Australia. It is a densely branched, heath-like shrub with crowded, finely pointed leaves and drooping heads of forty to fifty yellowish-green flowers.

<i>Darwinia ferricola</i> Species of flowering plant

Darwinia ferricola, commonly known as the Scott River darwinia, is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area in Western Australia. It is a rounded, densely branched shrub with crowded, linear leaves mostly only on younger branches. The flowers are greenish-yellow and red, and arranged in groups on the ends of the branches, with a long white or reddish style protruding from the petal tube.

<i>Darwinia hortiorum</i> Species of flowering plant

Darwinia hortiorum is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a compact, densely branched shrub with small leaves and inflorescences composed of up to twenty flowers with glossy, pale yellow to reddish petals and fleshy dark green sepals surrounded by papery brown bracteoles.

Darwinia nubigena, commonly known as success bell or red mountain bell, is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with egg-shaped leaves arranged in opposite pairs, and groups of 4 or 5 pendent red flowers surrounded by larger green and red bracts.

<i>Darwinia polychroma</i> Species of flowering plant

Darwinia polychroma, commonly known as harlequin bell, is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It has linear leaves and drooping flowers surrounded by yellowish green, green and red bracts.

Darwinia terricola, commonly known as the Blackwood bell, is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area in the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small, low, sometimes prostrate shrub with small, linear leaves and small groups of flowers surrounded by reddish-green bracts and which usually lie on the ground.

<i>Darwinia thymoides</i> Species of flowering plant

Darwinia thymoides is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a low, spreading to prostrate shrub with linear to lance-shaped leaves and groups of 4 to 8 green, red or white flowers surrounded by leaf-like bracts.

Pultenaea pauciflora, commonly known as Narrogin pea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a dense, erect, much-branched shrub with sickle-shaped leaves with a sharp point on the tip, and uniformly yellow flowers.

<i>Lasiopetalum rotundifolium</i> Species of shrub

Lasiopetalum rotundifolium is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect to spreading shrub with hairy young stems, round leaves with a heart-shaped base, and pink and dark red flowers.

<i>Leucopogon newbeyi</i> Species of plant

Leucopogon newbeyi is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to a small area in the southwest of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with densely hairy young branchlets, linear to narrowly elliptic or narrowly egg-shaped leaves and erect, compact clusters of 7 to 17 white, bell-shaped flowers mainly on the ends of branches.

References

  1. "Darwinia carnea". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Fairs, Amanda; Douglas, Craig; Strelein, Marie; Todd, Benson; Hayes, Rebecca. "Mogumber and Narrogin Bell (Darwinia carnea) recovery plan" (PDF). Australian Government Department of Environment and Conservation. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 "Darwinia carnea". Australian Native Plants Society, Australia. Archived from the original on 14 January 2017. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  4. "Darwinia carnea". APNI. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  5. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 336.
  6. "Darwinia carnea". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  7. "SPRAT Profile Darwinia carnea — Mogumber Bell, Narrogin Bell". Australian Government Department of the Environment and Energy. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  8. Francis, Jeremy (2010). Cloudehill: A year in the garden. Mulgrave, Vic.: Images Publishing Group. pp. 45–46. ISBN   9781864703771.