Darwinia ferricola

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Scott River darwinia
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Darwinia
Species:
D. ferricola
Binomial name
Darwinia ferricola

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.

Contents

Description

Scott River darwinia is a densely-branched shrub which grows to a height of 1.5 metres (5 ft) and a width of 1 metre (3 ft). Its youngest branches are greenish brown and the older ones are rough due to part of the leaf bases remained after the leaves drop. The leaves are crowded on the younger branches whilst the older ones are mostly leafless. They are linear in shape, triangular in cross-section, glabrous and mostly 2–5 millimetres (0.08–0.2 in), somewhat longer as they age. [2] [3]

The flowers are arranged in heads of 20 to 40 flowers at the ends of the branches, the heads 20–30 millimetres (0.8–1 in) wide. The heads are surrounded by layers of bracts, the outer ones green or greenish-red and 5–7 millimetres (0.2–0.3 in) long and shorter than the flowers. The petal lobes are about 3 millimetres (0.1 in) long and 1–2 millimetres (0.04–0.08 in) wide, enclosing the stamens, staminodes and the lower part of the style. The style is often reddish and 12–15 millimetres (0.5–0.6 in) long with a ring of hairs near its tip. Flowering occurs from mainly in spring but also from late winter to early summer. [2] [3]

Taxonomy

Darwinia ferricola was first formally described in 2009 by Greg Keighery and the description was published in Nuytsia . [1] The specific epithet (ferricola) is derived from the Latin words ferrum meaning "iron" [4] : 443  and -cola meaning "dweller", [4] : 217  referring to the habitat preference of this species. [2]

Distribution and habitat

This darwinia is only known from the Scott Coastal Plain, east of Augusta where it grows in scrubland in sand or clay over ironstone. [2] [5]

Ecology

Scott River darwinia is killed by fire but regenerates from seed. It is pollinated by birds. [2]

Conservation

Darwinia ferricola is classified as "Threatened Flora (Declared Rare Flora — Extant)" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife [5] and a Recovery Plan has been prepared. It has also been listed as "Endangered" (EN) under the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). There are many threats to the species, including mineral exploration, grazing and trampling, and dieback disease. [3] Translocation of Scott River Darwinia and three other limestone species to old mine sites at Beenup has been successful, even where the soil conditions were apparently poor. It is able to propagate vegetatively when wind-blown sand partly covers the plant. [6] [7]

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.

Verticordia crebra, commonly known as Barrens featherflower, crowded featherflower or Twertup featherflower, is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a sprawling shrub with crowded, cylinder-shaped leaves with small, yellow flowers that are almost hidden by the leaves but with a style which extends well beyond the petals. The plant looks superficially like a miniature pine tree.

<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>Verticordia halophila</i> Species of flowering plant

Verticordia halophila, commonly known as salt-loving featherflower, or salt-loving verticordia, is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, bushy shrub with small, crowded, thick leaves and spikes of red and pink flowers in spring.

Verticordia verticordina is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area near the coast of the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small, low-growing shrub with crowded leaves and in spring, scattered pale greenish-cream and golden brown flowers. Its unusual flowers and fleshy leaves give the plant a superficial resemblance to a Darwinia.

Calothamnus borealis is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small, erect shrub with crowded, cylindrical leaves and red flowers. It grows in sand surrounded by spinifex or heath. In 2014 Craven, Edwards and Cowley proposed that the species be renamed Melaleuca aquilonia.

<i>Beaufortia elegans</i> Species of flowering plant

Beaufortia elegans, commonly known as elegant beaufortia is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, diffuse shrub with crowded, curved leaves and heads of flowers that are usually reddish purple, although other colours also occur.

<i>Grevillea brachystylis</i> Species of shrub in the family Proteaceae endemic to Western Australia

Grevillea brachystylis, also known as short-styled grevillea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a low, spreading to erect shrub with linear to narrow egg-shaped leaves with the narrow end towards the base, and wheel-like clusters of hairy red flowers.

<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 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 darwinia, 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 foetida</i> Species of flowering plant

Darwinia foetida, commonly known as Muchea bell, is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae, and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a small upright shrub with greenish coloured nodding flowers at the apex of the stems, that have an unpleasant odour. This is a very restricted species, known from only a couple of locations.

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

Darwinia hortiorum is a 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 terricola, commonly known as the Blackwood bell, is a 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 whicherensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Darwinia whicherensis, commonly known as the Abba bell, is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small shrub with linear leaves and bell-shaped, flower-like inflorescences containing more than twenty flowers surrounded by bracts, the largest of which are red with green edges.

Thryptomene caduca is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area in the north-west of Western Australia. It is a spreading shrub with crowded egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and pink flowers with five petals and seven to nine stamens.

Thryptomene hubbardii is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area in the west of Western Australia. It is a spreading shrub with crowded broadly egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and flowers with five pale pink petals and nine or ten stamens.

Philotheca kalbarriensis is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a shrub with reddish brown branchlets and crowded, narrow spindle-shaped leaves and single white flowers arranged in leaf axils.

References

  1. 1 2 "Darwinia ferricola". APNI. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Keighery, Greg (2009). "Six new and rare species of Darwinia (Myrtaceae) from Western Australia". Nuytsia. 19 (1): 43–45.
  3. 1 2 3 Luu, Robyn; English, Val. "Scott River Darwinia Darwinia sp. Scott River (G.J.Keighery 3582) WA Herbarium Recovery Plan" (PDF). Government of Australia Department of the Environment. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  4. 1 2 Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
  5. 1 2 "Darwinia ferricola". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  6. ↑ "Beenup translocation". Government of Western Australia Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  7. ↑ Soorae, Pritpal S., ed. (2010). Global re-introduction perspectives : additional case studies from around the globe. Abu Dhabi, UAE: IUCN/SSC Re-introduction Specialist Group & Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi. pp. 302–304. ISBN   9782831713205.
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