Telopea mongaensis

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Telopea mongaensis
Telopea mongaensis at Monga National Park.jpg
Telopea mongaensis at Monga National Park
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Proteales
Family: Proteaceae
Genus: Telopea
Species:
T. mongaensis
Binomial name
Telopea mongaensis
Telopea mongaensis distribution map.svg
Distribution of Telopea mongaensis

Telopea mongaensis, commonly known as the Monga waratah or Braidwood waratah, is a shrub or small tree in the family Proteaceae. Endemic to Australia, it grows at high altitude in south eastern New South Wales, where it is often seen in moist areas at the edge of rainforest or by streams in eucalyptus forests. Growing to 6 m (20 ft) high, it has narrow green leaves 4–18 cm (1.6–7.1 in) in length, and 0.5–2 cm (0.20–0.79 in) wide. In spring bears many red flowerheads, each made up of 28 to 65 individual flowers.

Contents

In the garden, T. mongaensis grows in soils with good drainage and ample moisture in part-shaded or sunny positions. Several commercially available cultivars that are hybrid forms with T. speciosissima have been developed.

Description

Telopea mongaensis grows as a tall shrub to 6 m (20 ft) high. The thin leaves are 4–18 cm (1.6–7.1 in) in length, and 0.5–2 cm (0.20–0.79 in) wide. The red flowers form in spring. Open, thin and wiry, the flowerheads (inflorescences) are not as spectacular as those of T. speciosissima but are much more numerous on the plant. Each flowerhead is around 6 to 10 cm (2.4 to 3.9 in) in diameter, and composed of anywhere from 28 to 65 individual small flowers, or florets. Each flower is encased in a perianth, which is a much brighter red on the surface facing the centre of the flower than the surface facing outwards. Anthesis, or the opening of the flowers, begins at the centre of the flowerhead and moves to the edges or base. [1] The individual flower bears a sessile anther (that is, it lacks a filament), which lies next to the stigma at the end of the style. The ovary lies at the base of the style and atop a stalk known as the gynophore, and it is from here that the seed pods then develop. Meanwhile, a crescent shaped nectary lies at the base of the gynophore. [2] The flowerheads are surrounded by green or pink leafy bracts 1.2–4.5 cm (0.47–1.77 in) in length, much less prominent than those of the New South Wales Waratah. Flowering is followed by the development of woody seed pods, 4.5–7 cm (1.8–2.8 in) long. [3] The pods split longitudinally when mature and release the seeds. [4]

It can be distinguished from the similar T. oreades , which generally has larger leaves and often grows with a tree-like habit. [4] The leaves of the latter species tend to have less venation. Telopea oreades flowers around a month earlier than T. mongaensis in areas where they co-occur. [5]

Taxonomy

First described by Australian botanist Edwin Cheel in 1947, [6] its specific name is derived from the region it grows, Monga. The type specimen collected on Sugarloaf Mountain near Braidwood. [3] Common names include Monga waratah and Braidwood waratah. It had previously been considered a form of Telopea oreades . [7] However, Cheel did not supply a means by which it could be distinguished from T. oreades. Later, microscopic analysis revealed that T. oreades had features termed sclereids while T. mongaensis did not. [5]

A disjunct northern population of Telopea oreades grows together with T. mongaensis in the southern Monga Valley in southern New South Wales, with some hybrids reported. Michael Crisp and Peter Weston concluded that the two species for the most part did not hybridise there. [5] However, a genetic study using microsatellites found there was extensive hybridisation, with much of the presumed pure T. oreades showing a close relation to T. mongaensis. The populations of waratahs are thought to have grown and shrunk with the ebb and flow of ice ages in the Pleistocene, finally stranding a population of T. oreades located alongside T. mongaensis as conditions suitable for waratahs changed in southeastern Australia. Telopea mongaensis has also hybridised with T. speciosissima at the northern limits of its range in New South Wales, where it overlaps with the latter species. [1]

Telopea mongaensis is one of five species from southeastern Australia which make up the genus Telopea , [3] and is most closely related to T. oreades. The next closest relative to the pair is the Tasmanian waratah ( T. truncata ). [8] The genus lies in the subtribe Embothriinae, along with the tree waratahs ( Alloxylon ) from eastern Australia and New Caledonia, and Oreocallis and Chilean firetree ( Embothrium coccineum ) from South America. [9] [10] Almost all these species have red terminal flowers, and hence the subtribe's origin and floral appearance must predate the splitting of Gondwana into Australia, Antarctica, and South America over 60 million years ago. [11]

Distribution and habitat

This plant may be seen between Fitzroy Falls in the north, and Monga National Park to the south. Its habitat is on the margins of temperate rainforest or in wet eucalypt forest, where it may be found along creeks or on mountain slopes, at an altitude of 540 to 760 m (1,770 to 2,490 ft). [3] It grows on sandy soils of alluvial origin. [12] It is often associated with such trees as brown barrel ( Eucalyptus fastigata ), silvertop ash ( E. sieberi ), broad-leaved peppermint ( E. dives ), Sydney peppermint ( E. piperita ), and the understorey plants pinkwood ( Eucryphia moorei ), soft tree fern ( Dicksonia antarctica ), coral fern ( Gleichenia ), mountain devil ( Lambertia formosa ) and hairpin banksia ( Banksia spinulosa). The annual rainfall where it grows is 1,000–1,100 mm (39–43 in). [12]

Ecology

The prominent position and striking colour of Telopea mongaensis and many of its relatives within the subtribe Embothriinae both in Australia and South America strongly suggest it is adapted to pollination by birds, and has been for over 60 million years. [11]

Telopea mongaensis has a swollen woody base largely under the soil known as a lignotuber, which stores energy and nutrients as a resource for rapid growth after a bushfire. New shoots grow from the lignotuber, which survives bushfire as the rest of the plant above ground is burnt. The seed also germinates and grows in post-bushfire soil, which is higher in nutrients and more open with fewer competing plant species. [13] Waratah seeds are often eaten—and destroyed—by animals and do not travel far (several metres) from the parent plants. [14]

Cultivation

Telopea 'Braidwood Brilliant' Telopea 'Braidwood Brilliant'.jpg
Telopea 'Braidwood Brilliant'

Initial attempts to cultivate it by Cheel and Joseph Maiden in Sydney were unsuccessful. [6] Telopea mongaensis is more tolerant of shade, heavier soils and cooler climates than its more showy relative. It grows as a more compact plant of around 2 m (6.6 ft) in height in full sun. It is frost tolerant and has been grown in southern England, and has been awarded an Award of Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society in 1980. It attracts birds to the garden. [4]

Telopea 'Braidwood Brilliant' is a hybrid between this species and the showy Telopea speciosissima that was first grown in 1962 and registered with the Australian Cultivar Registration Authority (ACRA) in 1974. Bred by the Reverend Colin Burgess, parent plant stock was selected from cold areas with the aim of breeding a hardy plant. The pollen was taken from T. speciossissima plants from Wentworth Falls in the Blue Mountains and used on T. mongaensis from Braidwood. The plant grows to around 4 m (13 ft) tall and has flower heads 6–8 cm (2.4–3.1 in) in diameter. They appear to tolerate frosts down to a temperature of −6 C readily. [15] Conversely, they can be adversely affected by heat in climates warmer than their provenance. [16]

Related Research Articles

Waratah Genus of plants in the family Proteaceae from southeastern Australia

Waratah (Telopea) is an Australian-endemic genus of five species of large shrubs or small trees, native to the southeastern parts of Australia. The best-known species in this genus is Telopea speciosissima, which has bright red flowers and is the NSW state emblem. The Waratah is a member of the family Proteaceae, flowering plants distributed in the Southern Hemisphere. The key diagnostic feature of Proteaceae is the inflorescence, which is often very large, brightly coloured and showy, consisting of many small flowers densely packed into a compact head or spike. Species of waratah boast such inflorescences ranging from 6–15 cm in diameter with a basal ring of coloured bracts. The leaves are spirally arranged, 10–20 cm long and 2–3 cm broad with entire or serrated margins. The name waratah comes from the Eora Aboriginal people, the pre-European inhabitants of the Sydney area.

<i>Telopea speciosissima</i> Large shrub in the plant family Proteaceae endemic to New South Wales in Australia

Telopea speciosissima, commonly known as the New South Wales waratah or simply waratah, is a large shrub in the plant family Proteaceae. It is endemic to New South Wales in Australia and is the floral emblem of that state. No subspecies are recognised, but the closely related Telopea aspera was only recently classified as a separate species.

<i>Alloxylon</i> Genus of tree in the family Proteaceae

Alloxylon is a genus of four species in the family Proteaceae of mainly small to medium-sized trees. They are native to the eastern coast of Australia, with one species, A. brachycarpum found in New Guinea and the Aru Islands. The genus is a relatively new creation, being split off from Oreocallis. The name is derived from Ancient Greek allo- "other" or "strange" and xylon or "wood" due to their unusual cell architecture compared with the related genera Telopea and Oreocallis. In Australia, they are known as tree waratahs due to similarities in the inflorescences between them and the closely related Telopea.

<i>Banksia violacea</i> Species of plant

Banksia violacea, commonly known as violet banksia, is a species of shrub or tree in the plant genus Banksia. It generally grows as a small shrub to 1.5 m (5 ft) high with fine narrow leaves, and is best known for its unusually coloured dark purple-violet inflorescences. The colour of the inflorescences, short leaves, and flattened follicles which are sticky when young, help identify this species from others in the field. It is found in low shrubland in southern regions of Western Australia from Esperance in the east to Narrogin in the west, growing exclusively in sandy soils.

Proteaceae Family of flowering plants

The Proteaceae form a family of flowering plants predominantly distributed in the Southern Hemisphere. The family comprises 83 genera with about 1,660 known species. Together with the Platanaceae and Nelumbonaceae, they make up the order Proteales. Well-known genera include Protea, Banksia, Embothrium, Grevillea, Hakea and Macadamia. Species such as the New South Wales waratah, king protea, and various species of Banksia, soman, and Leucadendron are popular cut flowers. The nuts of Macadamia integrifolia are widely grown commercially and consumed, as are those of Gevuina avellana on a smaller scale. Australia and South Africa have the greatest concentrations of diversity.

Triunia is a genus of medium to tall shrubs or small trees found as understorey plants in rainforests of eastern Australia. Members of the plant family Proteaceae, they are notable for their poisonous fleshy fruits or drupes. Only one species, T. youngiana, is commonly seen in cultivation.

<i>Alloxylon flammeum</i> Species of tree in the family Proteaceae

Alloxylon flammeum, commonly known as the Queensland tree waratah or red silky oak, is a medium-sized tree of the family Proteaceae found in the Queensland tropical rain forests of northeastern Australia. It has shiny green elliptical leaves up to 18 cm (7.1 in) long, and prominent orange-red inflorescences that appear from August to October, followed by rectangular woody seed pods that ripen in February and March. Juvenile plants have large deeply lobed pinnate leaves. Previously known as Oreocallis wickhamii, the initial specimen turned out to be a different species to the one cultivated and hence a new scientific name was required. Described formally by Peter Weston and Mike Crisp in 1991, A. flammeum was designated the type species of the genus Alloxylon. This genus contains the four species previously classified in Oreocallis that are found in Australasia.

Alloxylon brachycarpum is a species of plant in the family Proteaceae. It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. It is threatened by habitat loss.

<i>Lambertia formosa</i> Shrub of the family Proteaceae, endemic to New South Wales, Australia

Lambertia formosa, commonly known as mountain devil, is a shrub of the family Proteaceae, endemic to New South Wales, Australia. First described in 1798 by English botanist James Edward Smith, it is the type species of the small genus Lambertia. It is generally found in heathland or open forest, growing in sandstone-based soils. It grows as a multistemmed shrub to around 2 m (7 ft) with a woody base known as a lignotuber, from which it regrows after bushfire. It has stiff narrow leaves, and the pink to red flowerheads, made up of seven individual tubular flowers, generally appear in spring and summer. It gains its common name from the horned woody follicles, which were used to make small devil-figures.

<i>Bellendena</i> Genus of plants in the family Proteaceae

Bellendena montana, commonly known as mountain rocket, is a species of low-growing multi-stemmed shrub in the plant family Proteaceae. It is endemic to high-altitude subalpine and alpine regions in Tasmania, Australia. The prominent white flower spikes appear over summer, followed by small bright red or yellow fruit in late summer and autumn.

Cardwellia is a genus of a sole described species of large trees in the plant family Proteaceae. The species Cardwellia sublimis is endemic to the rainforests of the wet tropics region of northeastern Queensland, Australia. Other common names include bull oak, golden spanglewood, lacewood, oak and oongaary. The compound leaves have up to 17 leaflets. It produces white inflorescences followed by woody fruits which are prominently displayed outside the canopy.

<i>Telopea oreades</i> Large shrub or small tree in the family Proteaceae native to southeastern Australia

Telopea oreades, commonly known as the Gippsland-, mountain- or Victorian waratah, is a large shrub or small tree in the family Proteaceae. Native to southeastern Australia, it is found in wet sclerophyll forest and rainforest on rich acidic soils high in organic matter. No subspecies are recognised, though a northern isolated population hybridises extensively with the Braidwood waratah (T. mongaensis). Reaching a height of up to 19 metres, T. oreades grows with a single trunk and erect habit. It has dark green leaves with prominent veins that are 11–28 centimetres (4.3–11 in) long and 1.5–6 cm (0.6–2.4 in) wide. The red flower heads, known as inflorescences, appear in late spring. Each is composed of up to 60 individual flowers.

<i>Telopea truncata</i> Shrub in the family Proteaceae endemic to Tasmania

Telopea truncata, commonly known as the Tasmanian waratah, is a plant in the family Proteaceae. It is endemic to Tasmania where it is found on moist acidic soils at altitudes of 600 to 1200 m (2000–4000 ft). Telopea truncata is a component of alpine eucalypt forest, rainforest and scrub communities. It grows as a multistemmed shrub to a height of 3 metres (10 ft), or occasionally as a small tree to 10 m (35 ft) high, with red flower heads, known as inflorescences, appearing over the Tasmanian summer and bearing 10 to 35 individual flowers. Yellow-flowered forms are occasionally seen, but do not form a population distinct from the rest of the species.

<i>Telopea aspera</i> Species of plant in the family Proteaceae from New South Wales in Australia

Telopea aspera, commonly known as Gibraltar Range waratah, is a plant in the family Proteaceae. It grows as a woody shrub to 3 metres (10 ft) high with leathery rough leaves and bright red flower heads known as inflorescences—each composed of hundreds of individual flowers. It is endemic to the New England region in New South Wales in Australia. It was formally described as a species by botanists Peter Weston and Mike Crisp in 1995, separated from its close relative Telopea speciosissima by its rough foliage and preference for dryer habitat. Unlike its better known relative, Telopea aspera has rarely been cultivated.

<i>Alloxylon pinnatum</i> Tree of the family Proteaceae found in south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales

Alloxylon pinnatum, known as Dorrigo waratah, is a tree of the family Proteaceae found in warm-temperate rainforest of south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales in eastern Australia. It has shiny green leaves that are either pinnate (lobed) and up to 30 cm (12 in) long, or lanceolate (spear-shaped) and up to 15 cm (5.9 in) long. The prominent pinkish-red flower heads, known as inflorescences, appear in spring and summer; these are made up of 50 to 140 individual flowers arranged in corymb or raceme. These are followed by rectangular woody seed pods, which bear two rows of winged seeds.

<i>Oreocallis</i> Monotypic genus of plants in the family Proteaceae from Peru and Ecuador

Oreocallis is a South American plant genus in the family Proteaceae. There is only one species, Oreocallis grandiflora, which is native to mountainous regions in Peru and Ecuador.

<i>Persoonia levis</i> Shrub in the family Proteaceae native to New South Wales and Victoria in eastern Australia

Persoonia levis, commonly known as the broad-leaved geebung, is a shrub native to New South Wales and Victoria in eastern Australia. It reaches 5 m (16 ft) in height and has dark grey papery bark and bright green asymmetrical sickle-shaped leaves up to 14 cm (5.5 in) long and 8 cm (3.2 in) wide. The small yellow flowers appear in summer and autumn, followed by small green fleshy fruit, which are classified as drupes. Within the genus Persoonia, it is a member of the Lanceolata group of 58 closely related species. P. levis interbreeds with several other species where they grow together.

<i>Persoonia pauciflora</i> Species of flowering plant

Persoonia pauciflora, commonly known as the North Rothbury persoonia, is a plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to a small area of New South Wales. It is a small, spreading shrub with bright green, thread-like leaves and a relatively small number of yellow flowers in summer. A recently described species, it is similar to P. isophylla but has fewer and shorter flowers than that species. A very restricted distribution has led to its classification as "critically endangered" under the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

<i>Persoonia asperula</i> Species of flowering plant

Persoonia asperula, commonly known as mountain geebung, is a plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is an erect or prostrate shrub with smooth bark, mostly elliptic to oblong leaves and yellow flowers borne singly or in groups of up to nine. It mostly occurs in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales. A small population in Victoria may be a different species.

<i>Placospermum</i> Genus of trees

Placospermum is a genus of a single species of large trees, constituting part of the plant family Proteaceae. The species Placospermum coriaceum is endemic to the rainforests of the wet tropics region of northeastern Queensland, Australia. Common names include rose silky oak and plate-seeded oak.

References

  1. 1 2 Rossetto, Maurizio; Allen, Chris B.; Thurlby, Katie A.G.; Weston, Peter H.; Milner, Melita L. (2012). "Genetic structure and bio-climatic modeling support allopatric over parapatric speciation along a latitudinal gradient". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 12. 149. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-12-149. PMC   3495659 . PMID   22906180.
  2. ↑ Willis, J.L. (1959). "The genus Telopea". Australian Plants. Chipping Norton, NSW: Surrey Beatty & Sons. 1 (1): 7–10.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Crisp, Michael D.; Weston,Peter H. (1995). "Telopea". In McCarthy, Patrick (ed.). Flora of Australia: Volume 16: Eleagnaceae, Proteaceae 1. CSIRO Publishing / Australian Biological Resources Study. pp. 386–390. ISBN   0-643-05693-9.
  4. 1 2 3 Wrigley, John; Fagg, Murray (1991). Banksias, Waratahs and Grevilleas. Sydney: Angus & Robertson. p. 539. ISBN   0-207-17277-3.
  5. 1 2 3 Crisp, Michael D.; Weston, Peter H. (1993). "Geographic and Ontogenetic Variation in Morphology of Australian Waratahs (Telopea: Proteaceae)". Systematic Biology. 42 (1): 49–76. doi:10.1093/sysbio/42.1.49. JSTOR   2992556.
  6. 1 2 Cheel, Edwin (1947). "Notes on the Gippsland waratah (Telopea oreades F.v.M.), with a description of a new species". Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales: 270–72.
  7. ↑ Nixon 1997, p. 30.
  8. ↑ Weston, Peter H.; Crisp, Michael D. (1994). "Cladistic biogeography of waratahs (Proteaceae, Embothrieae) and their allies across the pacific". Australian Systematic Botany. 7 (3): 225–49. doi:10.1071/SB9940225.
  9. ↑ Johnson, Lawrie. A. S.; Briggs, Barbara G. (1975). "On the Proteaceae: the evolution and classification of a southern family". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 70 (2): 83–182. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.1975.tb01644.x.
  10. ↑ Weston, Peter H.; Barker, Nigel P. (2006). "A new suprageneric classification of the Proteaceae, with an annotated checklist of genera" (PDF). Telopea . 11 (3): 314–44. Retrieved March 30, 2010.
  11. 1 2 Nixon 1997, p. 19.
  12. 1 2 Benson, Doug; McDougall, Lyn (2000). "Ecology of Sydney plant species: Part 7b Dicotyledon families Proteaceae to Rubiaceae" (PDF). Cunninghamia. 6 (4): 1017–1202 [1127].
  13. ↑ Nixon 1997, pp. 25–26.
  14. ↑ Denham Andrew J.; Auld, Tony D. (2002). "Flowering, seed dispersal, seed predation and seedling recruitment in two pyrogenic flowering resprouters". Australian Journal of Botany. 50 (5): 545–57. doi:10.1071/BT02009.
  15. ↑ Dawson, Iain (2014). "Telopea 'Braidwood Brilliant'". Information about Australia's Flora. Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: Australian National Botanic Gardens and Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
  16. ↑ Nixon 1997, p. 33.

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