Verticordia decussata

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Verticordia decussata
Verticordia decussata.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Verticordia
Subgenus: Verticordia subg. Eperephes
Section: Verticordia sect. Tropica
Species:
V. decussata
Binomial name
Verticordia decussata

Verticordia decussata is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to an area in the north of the Northern Territory. It is an open shrub with distinctive leaves and leaf arrangement and small spikes of cream to white flowers on the ends of the branches.

Contents

Description

Verticordia decussata is an open, spreading, irregularly branched shrub which grows to a height of up to 5 m (20 ft). The leaves are crowded, arranged in alternating pairs at right angles to the ones above and below so that the leaves are in four rows (decussate) on short side branches. They are linear to rectangular in shape, semi-circular in cross-section, 1.2–2.5 mm (0.05–0.1 in) long, about 0.5 mm (0.02 in) wide, leathery in texture and have a groove on the lower surface. [2] [3] [4]

The flowers are faintly scented and arranged in small groups in leaf axils on stalks 0.5–1.0 mm (0.02–0.04 in) long. The floral cup is shaped like half a sphere, 1.0–1.6 mm (0.04–0.06 in) long, glabrous and smooth. The sepals are white to cream-coloured, 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long, with 2 or more hairy lobes. The petals are cream-coloured to white, broadly egg-shaped, 2–3.5 mm (0.08–0.1 in) long, joined for about 1 mm (0.04 in) of that length and have irregular teeth around their top edge. The style is 3.5–4.5 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long, straight with hairs just below its tip. Flowering time is mainly from July to November. [2] [3] [4]

Taxonomy and naming

Verticordia decussata was first formally described by Norman Byrnes in 1977 and the description was published in Austrobaileya. [1] The specific epithet (decussata) was suggested by Dr. Stanley Blake but Blake did not fulfill his intention of describing the species. [3] The epithet refers to the decussate leaf arrangement. [2]

When Alex George reviewed the genus Verticordia in 1991, he placed this species in subgenus Eperephes, section Tropica along with V. cunninghamii and V. verticillata . [5]

Distribution and habitat

Along with V. cunninghamii and V. verticillata , this verticordia is one of only three found in the Northern Territory. It usually grows in sandy soils on or near sandstone escarpments in scattered locations between Katherine and western Arnhem Land and including Kakadu National Park. [2] [3] [4]

Conservation

Verticordia cunninghamii is classified as "least concern" by the Northern Territory Government Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act, [4]

Use in horticulture

To date, there are no records of V. decussata having been propagated or grown in gardens. [2]

Related Research Articles

Verticordia brachypoda is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an irregularly branched shrub with narrow leaves crowded on side-branches, and cream-coloured or white flowers with pink, cream or white centres.

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

Verticordia cunninghamii, commonly known as tree featherflower or liandu, is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to an area in the extreme north of Western Australia and the Northern Territory. It is a spindly shrub or small tree with narrow leaves and cream to white, sweetly scented, feathery flowers.

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

Verticordia verticillata, commonly known as tropical featherflower or whorled-leaved featherflower is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to an area in the north of the Northern Territory and Western Australia. It is a woody shrub or small tree with relatively long, linear leaves arranged in whorls, and with irregular groups of creamy-white 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.

<i>Homoranthus wilhelmii</i> Species of plant

Homoranthus wilhelmii, commonly known as the eastern feather flower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to South Australia. It is a small, spreading shrub with cylindrical to flattened leaves and white or pink flowers arranged in corymbs on the ends of branchlets. The distribution includes an area on the Yorke Peninsula, but it is most common on the southern Eyre Peninsula.

<i>Melaleuca decussata</i> Species of plant

Melaleuca decussata, commonly known as cross-leaf honey-myrtle or totem poles, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae native to South Australia and both native and naturalised in Victoria. It is an adaptable shrub, grown in many parts of Australia for its attractive foliage but is regarded as an environmental weed in parts of Victoria.

<i>Melaleuca biconvexa</i> Species of shrub

Melaleuca biconvexa is a tree or shrub in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to coastal areas of New South Wales. The leaves have a distinctive, wing-like shape and the flowers are in white or cream-coloured heads at the ends of its branches. It is classified as a vulnerable species.

<i>Melaleuca densispicata</i> Species of flowering plant

Melaleuca densispicata is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is native to Queensland and New South Wales in Australia. It is a dense, woody shrub or tree with papery or scaly bark, sharp pointed leaves and dense flower spikes. It is uncommon throughout its range and was not formally described until 1984.

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

Verticordia chrysostachys is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an open-branched shrub with egg-shaped to almost circular leaves, and spike-like groups of cream-coloured or deep yellow flowers.

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

Verticordia etheliana is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with one highly branched main stem, egg-shaped to almost round leaves and spike-like groups of bright red flowers with greenish-cream centres.

Verticordia jamiesonii is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is small shrub with short leaves crowded on young branchlets and white to pale pink flowers in small groups on the ends of branches in early spring.

Verticordia lepidophylla is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is usually a bushy shrub with small leaves and spikes of creamish-green to yellow flowers in spikes along the branches in late spring to early summer.

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

Verticordia longistylis, commonly known as blue spruce verticordia is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an irregularly-branched shrub with bluish-grey leaves and pale-coloured flowers with a long, protruding style. Although comparatively rare in the wild, it is one of the easiest verticordias to propagate and grow in most conditions.

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

Verticordia ovalifolia, commonly known as oval-leaved featherflower, 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 egg-shaped leaves and strap-like, feathery petals in spring.

Verticordia wonganensis is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub which grows near Wongan Hills and has a single main stem, small leaves and spike-like groups of large, pink, feathery flowers.

Verticordia × eurardyensis, commonly known as Eurardy magenta, is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area in the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub similar to both Verticordia dichroma and Verticordia spicata which grow in the same area and is thought to be a stable hybrid between those two species. It has mostly egg-shaped leaves and spike-like groups of dark magenta-coloured flowers which fade to straw-coloured, in late spring and early summer.

<i>Leptospermum madidum</i> Species of shrub

Leptospermum madidum is a species of shrub or small tree that is endemic to north-western Australia. It has weeping branches, smooth bark, pale green linear leaves, small white flowers and thin-walled fruit.

<i>Kunzea graniticola</i> Species of shrub

Kunzea graniticola is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to Queensland. It is a shrub or small tree with linear to egg-shaped leaves and rounded groups of white or cream-coloured flowers on the ends of the branches in August and September. It is only known from forests near Cardwell and on Hinchinbrook Island.

Thryptomene remota is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to the northern part of the Northern Territory. It is an erect shrub with linear to lance-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and white or cream-coloured flowers with ten stamens.

Cryptandra triplex is a species of flowering plant in the family Rhamnaceae and is endemic to the north of the Northern Territory. It is a hairy shrub with narrowly elliptic to lance-shaped or egg-shaped leaves and white to cream-coloured or yellowish, tube-shaped flowers arranged singly or in groups of up to 5 in leaf axils, near the ends of branches.

References

  1. 1 2 "Verticordia decussata". APNI. Retrieved 1 June 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. 312–314. ISBN   1-876268-46-8.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Byrnes, Norman B. (1977). "The genus Verticordia (Myrtaceae) in Northern Australia". Austrobaileya. 1 (1): 47.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Verticordia decussata". Northern Territory Government; efloraNT. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  5. George, Alex (1991). "New taxa, combinations and typifications in Verticordia (Myrtaceae : Chamelaucieae)". Nuytsia. 7 (3): 231–394.