Verticordia gracilis | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Myrtales |
Family: | Myrtaceae |
Genus: | Verticordia |
Subgenus: | Verticordia subg. Verticordia |
Section: | Verticordia sect. Platandra |
Species: | V. gracilis |
Binomial name | |
Verticordia gracilis | |
Verticordia gracilis is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a low shrub with small leaves and rounded groups of fluffy pale to deep pink flowers in late spring or early summer, following rain.
Verticordia gracilis is a shrub which grows to 14–45 cm (6–20 in) high and 20–60 cm (8–20 in) wide and which varies in form from open and spindly to bushy. Its leaves are oblong in shape, almost triangular or circular in cross-section, 2–4 mm (0.08–0.2 in) long with a rounded end. [2]
The flowers are scented and arranged in rounded, corymb-like groups near the ends of the branches, each flower on an erect stalk 9–12 mm (0.4–0.5 in) long. The floral cup is top-shaped, about 1.5–2 mm (0.06–0.08 in) long, hairy and slightly warty. The sepals are pale to deep pink, spreading, 3.0–3.5 mm (0.12–0.14 in) long, with a hairy margin. The petals are also pink, erect 2 mm (0.08 in), round and erect with an irregularly toothed edge. The style is curved, 4 mm (0.16 in) long, and has tufts of hairs. Flowering time is from late October to December or January, following rain. [2]
Verticordia gracilis was first formally described by Alex George in 1991 and the description was published in Nuytsia from specimens north of Mount Holland, north-east of Hyden. [1] [3] The specific epithet (gracilis) is a Latin word meaning "thin" or "slender" [4] referring to the stems and flower stalks. [2]
George placed this species in subgenus Verticordia, section Platandra. [3] Initially, it was the only species in this section but George placed V. setacea in the Section Platandra when that species was described in 2010. [5]
This verticordia grows in sand, usually with or near loam and gravel, often with other species of verticordia. It is found between Merredin, the Dragon Rocks Nature Reserve and Mount Holland [2] in the Avon Wheatbelt, Coolgardie and Mallee biogeographic regions. [6] [7]
Verticordia gracilis is classified as "Priority Three" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife meaning that it is poorly known and known from only a few locations but is not under imminent threat. [8] One population is in a nature reserve, but others are threatened because they occur on road verges or railway reserves. [2]
Elizabeth Berndt records that "closer inspection [of the flowers] reveals many 'dewy' centred flowers dripping with pools of nectar" [2] however it has been shown that the anthers of this species have glands almost as large as the pollen-bearing locelli. These glands are surrounded by cells that produce a polyphenol and that the oil is released at the same time as the pollen. [9]
Flowers on cultivated specimens of this plant last much longer than those in the wild and their bright colour and sweet scent make them attractive garden plants. Plants have been propagated from cuttings and by grafting onto Darwinia citriodora rootstock. Established plants prefer full sun and well drained soil and some specimens have even performed well in winter-rainfall areas. [2]
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 blepharophylla is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, open shrub with a single main stem, leaves with hairy margins and pale to deep mauve-pink flowers and which occurs in an area between Perth and Geraldton.
Verticordia capillaris is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with a single stem at the base, small leaves and creamy white or occasionally pink flowers in dense corymb-like groups. It is common in small areas near Geraldton.
Verticordia halophila, commonly known as salt-loving featherflower, or salt-loving verticordia, is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, bushy shrub with small, crowded, thick leaves and spikes of red and pink flowers in spring.
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.
Verticordia pritzelii, commonly known as Pritzel's featherflower, is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a compact, woody shrub with several main stems, small, linear to club-shaped leaves, and rounded groups of deep pink flowers from late spring to mid-summer.
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.
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 helmsii is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with most of its leaves clustered on short side branches and with small groups of scented creamish-white flowers in small groups along the branches.
Verticordia inclusa 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 small, thick leaves and groups of scented, mostly white to pale pink flowers with a red centre on the ends of the branches in spring.
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.
Verticordia interioris 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, linear leaves and rounded groups of pale to dark pink flowers in early spring.
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 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 setacea is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with small leaves and deep pink flowers with short styles in late spring.
Verticordia vicinella 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 groups of small, scented, pink or pale yellow flowers, growing near Esperance and in the Cape Arid National Park.
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 sect. Platandra is one of eleven sections in the subgenus Verticordia. It includes two species of plants in the genus Verticordia. Plants in this section resemble V. pritzelii in section Catocalypta but differ in they do not have tufts of hair on their sepals. The anthers are flattened and the hairs on the style are forked. When Alex George reviewed the genus in 1991 he formally described this section, publishing the description in the journal Nuytsia.