Darwinia polychroma

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Darwinia polychroma
Darwinia polychroma - Flickr - Kevin Thiele (2).jpg
Darwinia polychroma
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. polychroma
Binomial name
Darwinia polychroma
DarwiniapolychromaDistributionMap.png
Collections data from AVH

Darwinia polychroma, commonly known as harlequin bell, [2] 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.

Contents

Description

Darwinia polychroma is a spreading shrub up to 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) high and 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) wide when mature, with many old, grey, leafless woody stems on the ground, but is an erect shrub when young. The leaves are densely crowded on the ends of branches, and are linear, triangular in cross-section, 2–4 mm (0.079–0.157 in) long and 1 mm (0.039 in) wide on a petiole about 0.5 mm (0.020 in) long. The flowers are arranged in drooping groups surrounded by several overlapping rows of yellowish green, green and red bracts 10–12 mm (0.39–0.47 in) long. Each flower has two boat-shaped to egg-shaped bracteoles at the base. The floral tube is yellowish green, about 3 mm (0.12 in) long, the sepal lobes about 1 mm (0.039 in) long, the petals 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) long and there are 10 stamens and 10 staminodes. Flowering mainly occurs from July to September. [2] [3] [4]

Taxonomy

Darwinia polychroma was first formally described in 2009 by Gregory John Keighery in the journal Nuytsia from specimens collected near Carnamah in 1995. [4] [5] The specific epithet (polychroma) means "many-colours", referring to the involucral bracts. [4]

Distribution and habitat

Harlequin bell grows in shrubland, and is confined to a few road and rail verges in the Carnamah area, in a range of about 10 kilometres (6 mi), although prior to 1929 it had a wider distribution. It is found amongst open low scrub or shrubland with Melaleuca species, Acacia ligulata , mallee ( Eucalyptus species) and Exocarpos species growing in yellow loamy sand over laterite. Three populations occur on road or railway reserves, over a range of approximately 10 km (6.2 mi), with one on private property. [2] [3] [4] The total populations is less than 200 plants. [2]

Conservation status

This darwinia is listed as "endangered" under the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and as "threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, [3] meaning that it is in danger of extinction. [6]

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>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 meeboldii</i> Species of flowering plant

Darwinia meeboldii, commonly known as Cranbrook bell, is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, spindly shrub with crowded leaves and clusters of pendent flowers surrounded by large bracts.

<i>Pimelea serpyllifolia</i> Species of plant


Pimelea serpyllifolia, commonly known as thyme riceflower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Thymelaeaceae and is endemic to southern Australia. It is an erect shrub with narrowly elliptic to spatula-shaped leaves, and compact heads of 4 to 12 yellow, yellowish-green or white flowers surrounded by 2 or 4 leaf-like involucral bracts. Male and female flowers are borne on separate plants.

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

Darwinia oxylepis, commonly known as Gillham's bell, is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. It grows as a dense, upright shrub 1.0–1.5 m (3.3–4.9 ft) high, and produces large numbers of red inflorescences prominently displayed on the ends of the branchlets in spring. It is one of a group of Darwinias including D. leiostyla, D. macrostegia, D. meeboldii, D. collina and D. squarrosa collectively known as mountain bells. The species is found in only a few seasonally moist gullies near the lower slopes of the Stirling Range National Park and nearby Porongurup National Park and is therefore classified as endangered.

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

Darwinia virescens, commonly known as Murchison darwinia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area on the west coast of Western Australia near Geraldton. It is a prostrate or low-lying shrub with crowded linear leaves and dense, hemispherical heads of green, yellow or 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 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 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 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 helichrysoides</i> Species of flowering plant

Darwinia helichrysoides is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area in south-west of Western Australia. It is a slender shrub with linear leaves and drooping heads of about 4 red and green flowers surrounded by many glabrous bracts.

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 pimelioides</i> Species of flowering plant

Darwinia pimelioides is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with broadly oblong leaves and heads of drooping flowers surrounded by larger red to pink and green 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 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.

<i>Pimelea cracens</i> Species of flowering plant

Pimelea cracens is a species of flowering plant in the family Thymelaeaceae and is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It is an erect, spindly shrub with narrowly elliptic to egg-shaped leaves and creamy green to pale yellow flowers surrounded by 6 or 8 yellowish or pale green and reddish involucral bracts.

Pimelea graniticola is a species of flowering plant in the family Thymelaeaceae and is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It is a shrub with linear leaves and large clusters of erect, cream-coloured or white flowers surrounded by about 40 green involucral bracts.

Pimelea neokyrea is a species of flowering plant in the family Thymelaeaceae and is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It is a low, spreading shrub with narrowly egg-shaped to narrowly ellipic leaves and erect clusters of white or pale yellow flowers surrounded by egg-shaped involucral bracts. It was previously included in Pimelea avonensis.

Guichenotia alba is a flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a slender, spreading shrub with lax, hairy young branches, leaves with the edges rolled under, and white flowers.

References

  1. "Darwinia polychroma". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Darwinia polychroma — Harlequin Bell". Species Profile and Threats Database. Department of the Environment. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 "Darwinia polychroma". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Keighery, Gregory J. (2009). "Six new and rare species of Darwinia (Myrtaceae) from Western Australia". Nuytsia. 19 (1): 50–52. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  5. "Darwinia polychroma". APNI. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  6. "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 25 November 2022.