Darwinia hortiorum

Last updated

Darwinia hortiorum
Darwinia hortiorum - Flickr - Kevin Thiele (2).jpg
Darwinia hortiorum
Darwinia hortiorum 03.jpg
Status DECF P1.svg
Priority One — Poorly Known Taxa (DEC)
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Darwinia
Species:
D. hortiorum
Binomial name
Darwinia hortiorum

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.

Contents

Description

Darwinia hortiorum is an erect to spreading, densely branched shrub with a compact habit. It typically grows to a height of 0.8 metres (2.6 ft) and a width of 0.8 m (2.6 ft). The glabrous plant is single-stemmed at the base with spreading main branches bearing many ascending, leafy branchlets with pale stems. Older stems have a covering of reddish-brown, papery bark that peels off in flakes. The leaves are arranged alternately, widely spaced, narrow egg-shaped to almost linear, 3–6 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long and 1–2 mm (0.04–0.08 in) wide. The inflorescences appear at the ends of the branches and are composed of groups of 14 to 22 flowers. Each flower has five smooth, glossy, yellowish petals tinged with crimson, five warty dark green sepals with prominent oil glands and two papery brown bracteoles. Ten stamens protrude between the petals and the style is curved towards the centre of the inflorescence. Flowering occurs between late September and early December. The plant is distinctive with no obvious close relatives, although it superficially resembles Darwinia thymoides which is found in the same habitat. [2] [3]

Taxonomy and naming

Darwinia hortiorum was first formally described in 2010 by Kevin Thiele and the description was published in a paper entitled Darwinia hortiorum (Myrtaceae: Chamelaucieae), a new species from the Darling Range, Western Australia in the journal Nuytsia . [4] The specific epithet (hortiorum) honours Fred and Jean Hort, described as "enthusiastic field botanists, expert plant-hunters and national treasures", who collected the first samples of D.hortiorum in 2008 from granite outcrops in the Monadnocks Conservation Park. [2]

Distribution

This shrub is found in a small area near Wandering in the South West region of Western Australia. [3] It is distributed throughout five localities in the Jarrah Forest biogeographic region, occupying an area of approximately 9 square kilometres (3 sq mi) in the Monadnocks Conservation Park and neighbouring Boonering State Forest. All known populations are found amongst granite outcrops and their drainage lines growing in shallow granitic clay loam soil with broken rock. Associated species include Allocasuarina humilis , Andersonia species, Grevillea bipinnatifida , Grevillea manglesii , Banksia recurvistylis , Hakea undulata , Hakea trifurcata , Verticordia insignis , Calytrix depressa , Xanthorrhoea preissii and Hibbertia hypericoides . [2]

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 amphigia commonly known as pixie ears is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is usually an open, much-branched shrub with narrow leaves and yellow flowers which sometimes produce a "sea" of colour in the wild. The flowers are surrounded by boat-shaped bracteoles which give the plant both its common and scientific names.

Verticordia bifimbriata is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an open shrub with small leaves and spikes of pink flowers.

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.

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

Verticordia spicata, commonly known as spiked featherflower, is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is usually a dense, bushy shrub with small leaves pressed against the stem and spikes of pink flowers from late spring to early summer.

<i>Astartea fascicularis</i> Species of flowering plant

Astartea fascicularis is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. It is endemic to southwestern Western Australia, where it is widespread in the Recherche Archipelago and present on the mainland in Cape Le Grand National Park. It is commonly known as Recherche astartea. or false baeckea.

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

Darwinia diosmoides is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a dense, erect shrub with linear leaves and more or less spherical heads of white flowers.

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

Verticordia chrysanthella, commonly known as little chrysantha, is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with cylinder-shaped leaves and small groups of lemon-yellow to gold-coloured flowers which fade to orange, red or brown.

Verticordia gracilis is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a low shrub with small leaves and rounded groups of fluffy pale to deep pink flowers in late spring or early summer, following rain.

Verticordia paludosa is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an openly branched shrub with small leaves and pink to magenta flowers with spreading, feathery sepals and erect, fringed petals in summer and autumn.

Grevillea rara, also known as the rare grevillea, is a shrub of the genus Grevillea native to a small area in the South West region of Western Australia.

<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 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 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 calcicola 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 an erect, sometimes spreading shrub with upwards-pointing linear leaves, and pinkish-mauve flowers with five petals and ten stamens.

Thryptomene dampieri is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to the north-west of Western Australia. It is a low, spreading shrub with prostrate stems, broadly egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and pinkish flowers with five petals and ten stamens.

Thryptomene nitida is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area in the south-west of Western Australia. It is a spreading shrub with upward-pointing, egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and flowers with five pale purple or pinkish petals and ten stamens.

Thryptomene orbiculata is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to the west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with broadly egg-shaped to more or less round leaves, and flowers with five pinkish petals and usually ten stamens.

References

  1. "Darwinia hortiorum". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 Kevin R. Thiele. "Darwinia hortiorum (Myrtaceae: Chamelaucieae), a new species from the Darling Range, Western Australia" (PDF). Nuytsia. Department of Environment and Conservation. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  3. 1 2 "Darwinia hortiorum". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  4. "Darwinia hortiorum". APNI. Retrieved 16 April 2018.