Verticordia etheliana var. formosa

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

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.

Contents

Description

Verticordia etheliana var. formosa is a compact, sometimes almost prostrate shrub with horizontal branches. It usually grows to a height of 30–45 cm (10–20 in) and a width of 0.3–1 m (1–3 ft) but is sometimes at tall as 1 m (3 ft). The leaves are elliptic to egg-shaped, 2–3 mm (0.08–0.1 in) long and are greyish to bluish-green, sometimes with a few irregular teeth on the edges. [2]

The flowers are arranged in rather dense groups on stalks 3–5 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long. The floral cup is top-shaped, 3–5 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long, glabrous and smooth with curved green appendages. The sepals are bright to dark red, often creamish-green at the base, 7–8 mm (0.28–0.31 in) long, with 8 to 16 feathery lobes. When the petals are open they are white, becoming red with age and are 6–7 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long, with a feathery edge and 2 ear-shaped appendages at their base. The style is 12–15 mm (0.5–0.6 in) long, gently curved and has simple hairs. Flowering time is from July to November or December. [2]

Taxonomy and naming

Verticordia etheliana was first formally described by Charles Gardner in 1942 and the description was published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia . In 1991, Alex George undertook a review of the genus Verticordia and described two varieties of V. etheliana including this one. [1] [3] The type collection was made by George and Elizabeth George (Berndt) near Yuna and the name formosa "is derived form the Latin formosus (well formed, handsome) in reference to the more compact, showy habit of this variety". [2] [3]

Distribution and habitat

This variety grows in sand over hard claypan in heath and tall open shrubland between the Billabong Roadhouse and Kalbarri National Park and eastwards towards Yuna and Mullewa, in the Avon Wheatbelt, Geraldton Sandplains and Yalgoo biogeographic regions. [4] [5]

Conservation

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

Use in horticulture

This variety has been more difficult to propagate than var. etheliana, but its low compact form, the colour of its new growth and the delicately-perfumed bright red flower clusters indicate its horticultural merit. Some plants have survived in cultivation for more than 14 years and once established, have been hardy plants. They require well-drained soil over a moisture-retaining substrate and a sunny position protected from cold winds. [2]

Related Research Articles

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Verticordia huegelii, commonly known as variegated featherflower, is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a sometimes an erect shrub, sometimes sprawling to almost prostrate. It has linear leaves and very feathery flowers in spring. The flowers are usually cream-coloured or white, becoming pinkish and reddish or maroon as the flowers age, giving a variegated appearance to the display.

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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 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 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.

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. 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.

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.

<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 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 fragrans, commonly known as hollyhock verticordia, 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 spikes of sweetly scented, pink and white flowers in spring and early summer.

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.

Verticordia muelleriana 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 relatively large, egg-shaped to circular leaves and long spikes of deep maroon coloured flowers in spring and early summer.

<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 paludosa 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 leaves and pink to magenta flowers with spreading, feathery sepals and erect, fringed petals in summer and autumn.

Verticordia serotina is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the north-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with egg-shaped leaves and bright pink flowers with long, curved styles in spring.

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.

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.

References

  1. 1 2 "Verticordia etheliana formosa". APNI. Retrieved 6 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. 400–402. 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. 1 2 "Verticordia etheliana formosa". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  5. ↑ Paczkowska, Grazyna; Chapman, Alex R. (2000). The Western Australian flora : a descriptive catalogue. Perth: Wildflower Society of Western Australia. p. 407. ISBN   0646402439.
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