Verticordia citrella

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Verticordia citrella
Verticordia citrella.jpg
Status DECF P2.svg
Priority Two — 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: Verticordia
Subgenus: Verticordia subg. Chrysoma
Section: Verticordia sect. Chrysoma
Species:
V. citrella
Binomial name
Verticordia citrella

Verticordia citrella is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small, densely-branched shrub with cylinder shaped stem leaves that differ from those near the flowers, and small yellow flowers in groups near the ends of the branches.

Contents

Description

Verticordia citrella is a shrub with a single stem at the base but highly branched, growing to a height of up to 1.0 m (3 ft) and a width of up to 50 cm (20 in). The leaves on the stems are linear in shape, round in cross-section, 5–10 mm (0.2–0.4 in) long and taper to a point. Those near the flowers are broad elliptic to almost circular and 2–3 mm (0.08–0.1 in) long. [2]

The flowers are faintly scented, arranged in round or corymb-like groups on erect stalks 3–5 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long. The floral cup is top-shaped, about 1.5 mm (0.06 in) long, glabrous and slightly warty. The sepals are yellow, 2.0 mm (0.079 in) long, with 5 or 6 lobes with hairy fringes. The petals are also yellow, 1.5–1.8 mm (0.06–0.07 in) and have long, spreading finger-like lobes. The style is 0.8 mm (0.03 in) long, straight and glabrous. Flowering time is from October to November. [2]

The species V. acerosa is closely related and similar but it has larger leaves and larger flowers, and the flowers turn red or darker colours as they age. [2]

Taxonomy and naming

Verticordia citrella was first formally described by Alex George in 1991 from specimens collected between Perth and Toodyay by Alex and Elizabeth George. The description was published in Nuytsia . [1] [3] The specific epithet (citrella) is derived from the Latin adjective citreus meaning "of lemon-yellow colour" [4] with the suffix -ella making the adjective diminutive, [5] referring to the colour and small size of the flowers. [2]

George placed this species in subgenus Chrysoma, section Chrysoma along with V. acerosa , V. subulata , V. endlicheriana . [3]

Distribution and habitat

This verticordia usually grows in sand that is damp in winter, in open shrubland. It only occurs in a single nature reserve between Perth and Toodyay. [6] [7]

Conservation

Verticordia citrella is classified as "Priority Two" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife [6] meaning that it is poorly known and from only one or a few locations. [8]

Use in horticulture

Verticordia citrella has been grown in Western Australia in well-drained soil and has flowered prolifically in sunny positions. It has been more difficult to grow in eastern Australia but has survived in containers for 3 or 4 years. It has been propagated from cuttings but plants grown in deep sand have sometimes self-sown from seed. [2]

Related Research Articles

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

Verticordia acerosa is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with yellow flowers which change colour through red to almost black as they age. There are two varieties which vary in their leaf shape, their flower colour and some of the structures in the flower.

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 aurea, commonly known as buttercups is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a slender, sometimes bushy shrub with a single stem at the base, cylindrical leaves and heads of scented, golden-yellow flowers in spring.

Verticordia brevifolia is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small shrub with shortly cylindrical leaves and bright yellow flowers which turn red as they age. There are two subspecies, both of which have limited distributions and a priority conservation rating.

Verticordia carinata, commonly known as pea-shaped featherflower or Stirling Range featherflower, is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect, spindly shrub with small, well-spaced leaves and pink and red flowers. It is a rarely seen plant, not known between its description in 1849 and its rediscovery in 1990.

Verticordia patens is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with linear, pointed leaves and faintly scented, pale yellow flowers in open heads on the ends of the branches. It is fairly common in a small area south of Badgingarra.

<i>Verticordia subulata</i> Species of shrub

Verticordia subulata is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a woody shrub with pointed, linear leaves and in spring, heads of yellow flowers which turn red as they age.

Verticordia sect. Chrysoma is one of seven sections in the subgenus Chrysoma. It includes four species of plants in the genus Verticordia. Plants in this section are small shrubs with small, bright yellow flowers which usually turn red as they age. They have sepals with fringed lobes and petals which have lobes arranged like the fingers of a hand. The subgenus Chrysoma was originally described in 1843 by Johannes Conrad Schauer and the description was published in Monographia Myrtacearum Xerocarpicarum. When Alex George reviewed the genus in 1991, he took the name of this section from that of the subgenus.

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

Verticordia venusta 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, egg-shaped leaves and spikes of pink to maroon-coloured flowers in spring and early summer.

<i>Verticordia galeata</i> Species of shrub

Verticordia galeata is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a woody shrub with thin, pointed cylinder-shaped leaves and heads of bright yellow flowers on the ends of the branches in spring.

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

Verticordia cooloomia, commonly known as Cooloomia verticordia, is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an open, spreading shrub with large heads of sharply scented yellow flowers and is only known from areas in and near to the Cooloomia Nature Reserve, near the Murchison River.

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

Verticordia chrysantha, commonly known as yellow featherflower or yellow Morrison, is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a small, slow-growing, rather bushy shrub with bright yellow flowers which often turn reddish-brown as they age. It is widespread in the south-west of the state.

<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 coronata is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small shrub with leaves whose shape depends on their position on the plant, and groups of yellow flowers near the ends of the branches.

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

Verticordia dichroma is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a much-branched shrub with rounded leaves and spikes of scented, deep red and golden-coloured flowers.

<i>Verticordia endlicheriana</i> Species of shrub

Verticordia endlicheriana is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with narrow leaves and yellow flowers which in some varieties age to red. It is a variable species and in his 1991 paper, Alex George formally described five varieties.

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

Verticordia grandiflora, commonly known as claw featherflower, clawed featherflower or horned featherflower, is a flowering plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae, and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small, rigid shrub with many short side-branches, mostly linear leaves and heads of yellow flowers which soon age to reddish but which are among the largest in the genus. It is similar in appearance to several other species of verticordias with which it is often confused.

Verticordia integra, commonly known as plastic verticordia, is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with only a few branches, with very thick oblong to egg-shaped leaves and heads of shiny golden-coloured flowers in late spring.

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

Verticordia laciniata 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 linear, slightly hairy leaves and heads of scented, bright yellow flowers which turn red then bronze-coloured as they age.

<i>Verticordia rutilastra</i> Species of plant

Verticordia rutilastra, commonly known as little grandiflora, is a flowering plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to Southwest Australia, a biodiversity hotspot in Western Australia. It is a small shrub with short upper branches, narrow leaves and yellow, feathery flowers, often with a star-like red centre.

References

  1. 1 2 "Verticordia citrella". APNI. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Elizabeth A. (Berndt) George; Margaret Pieroni (illustrator) (2002). Verticordia: the turner of hearts (1st ed.). Crawley, Western Australia: University of Western Australia Press. pp. 120–121. ISBN   1-876268-46-8.
  3. 1 2 George, Alex (1991). "New taxa, combinations and typifications in Verticordia (Myrtaceae : Chamelaucieae)". Nuytsia. 7 (3): 231–394.
  4. Wieser, Monika; Schumann, Peter; Martin, Karin; AItenburger, Petra; Burghardt, Jutta; Lubitz, Werner; Busse, Hans-Jurgen (1999). "Agrococcus citreus sp. nov., isolated from a medieval wall painting of the chapel of Castle Herberstein (Austria)". International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology. 49 (3): 1168. doi: 10.1099/00207713-49-3-1165 . PMID   10425775.
  5. Miller, Ian Andreas. "The Formation of Latin Diminutives of Nouns and Adjectives" (PDF). Dies Gaudii. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  6. 1 2 "Verticordia citrella". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  7. Paczkowska, Grazyna; Chapman, Alex R. (2000). The Western Australian flora : a descriptive catalogue. Perth: Wildflower Society of Western Australia. p. 406. ISBN   0646402439.
  8. "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 28 May 2016.