Verticordia endlicheriana var. compacta

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Verticordia endlicheriana var. compacta
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Verticordia
Species:
Variety:
V. e. var. compacta
Trinomial name
Verticordia endlicheriana var. compacta

Verticordia endlicheriana var. compacta is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small, usually compact shrub with sweetly-perfumed, golden-yellow flowers which fade through reddish to almost black as they age.

Contents

Description

Verticordia endlicheriana var. compacta is a compact shrub which grows to a height of 15–60 cm (6–20 in) and a width of 10–60 cm (4–20 in), with one to several main stems at the base. The leaves of the stems are linear in shape and 4–8 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long while those near the leaves are egg-shaped to almost round and 2–4 mm (0.08–0.2 in) long. [2]

The flowers are sweetly-scented and arranged in round or corymb-like groups on erect stalks from 5–12 mm (0.2–0.5 in) long. The floral cup is broad, top-shaped, 0.6–0.8 mm (0.02–0.03 in) long, ribbed and glabrous. The sepals are golden-yellow, but age to orange, then red to brown and almost black and are 3–3.5 mm (0.12–0.14 in) long, with 6 to 8 hairy lobes. The petals are a similar colour to the sepals and their main body is 0.8–1.0 mm (0.03–0.04 in) wide and they have long, pointed, finger-like appendages. The style is 1.5–2.5 mm (0.06–0.1 in) long, straight and glabrous. Flowering occurs from August to November. [2]

Taxonomy and naming

Verticordia endlicheriana was first formally described by Johannes Conrad Schauer in 1844 and the description was published in Lehmann's Plantae Preissianae. In 1991, Alex George undertook a review of the genus Verticordia and described five varieties of Verticordia endlicheriana including this variety. [1] [3] The varietal name "compacta" refers to the compact, cauliflower-like form of the plant. [2]

Distribution and habitat

This variety grows in sand, sometimes over gravel, often with other verticordias in heath, shrubland or woodland. It occurs between the Latham, Mount Gibson, Moora and Dowerin areas in the Avon Wheatbelt, Geraldton Sandplains, Mallee and Swan Coastal Plain biogeographic regions. [4]

Conservation

Verticordia endlicheriana var. compacta is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife. [4]

Use in horticulture

Although this variety has excellent horticultural potential because of its compact habit and masses of brightly coloured, sweetly-scented flowers, it has proven difficult to establish in gardens. It is easy to propagate from cuttings but developing a mature plant from the struck cuttings has presented difficulties. Greater success has been obtained using gravelly or loamy soils rather than sand. [2]

Related Research Articles

Verticordia forrestii, commonly known as Forrest's featherflower, is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the north-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with small, egg-shaped leaves and massed displays of scented pink to red flowers in spring.

<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.

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

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.

Verticordia aereiflora is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a thin but bushy shrub with small leaves and greenish-yellow flowers with red spots and red fringes on the sepals.

<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.

<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 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 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.

Verticordia endlicheriana var. endlicherliana is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small, compact shrub with mostly narrow leaves and golden-yellow flowers which age to reddish brown.

Verticordia endlicheriana var. angustifolia is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small, upright shrub with narrow leaves and sweetly-perfumed, golden-yellow flowers which do not change colour as they age.

Verticordia endlicheriana var. major is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small, compact shrub with lightly-scented, lemon-yellow flowers which do not change colour as they age.

<i>Verticordia endlicheriana <span style="font-style:normal;">var.</span> manicula</i> Variety of flowering plant

Verticordia endlicheriana var. manicula is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is usually a small, compact shrub with sweetly-perfumed, lemon-yellow flowers which change colour through red to brown as they age.

Verticordia etheliana var. 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. It differs from V. etheliana var. formosa in having longer leaves, and larger flowers.

Verticordia etheliana var. formosa is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a compact shrub similar to var. etheliana but with smaller leaves and flowers.

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 serrata</i> Species of flowering plant

Verticordia serrata is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a spindly or openly branched shrub with hairy, egg-shaped leaves and flowers which are golden at first, then fade to a greyish colour.

Verticordia sieberi 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 main stem, often compact but sometimes openly branched and with pink to pale purple flowers in summer and autumn.

References

  1. 1 2 "Verticordia endlicheriana var. compacta". APNI. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Elizabeth A. (Berndt) George; Margaret Pieroni (illustrator) (2002). Verticordia: the turner of hearts (1st ed.). Crawley, Western Australia: University of Western Australia Press. pp. 128–129. ISBN   1-876268-46-8.
  3. George, Alex (1991). "New taxa, combinations and typifications in Verticordia (Myrtaceae : Chamelaucieae)". Nuytsia. 7 (3): 231–394.
  4. 1 2 "Verticordia endlicheriana compacta". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.